A language nest is an immersion-based approach to

language revitalization Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community group ...

in early-childhood education. Language nests originated in New Zealand in the 1980s, as a part of the Māori-language revival in that country. The term "language nest" is a

calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...

of the Māori phrase . In a language nest, older speakers of the language take part in the education of children through intergenerational language transference. With that, these older fluent speakers act as mentors and help children use the target language in many different settings. The language nest is a program that places focus on local Indigenous cultural practices and perspectives, and with that incorporates traditional activities, cultural products, and Indigenous language discourse. Additionally, the quality of these early childhood immersion programs helps in aiding the development of linguistic and cultural competence for participants.

Europe

Estonia

There is only one language nest for Võro working three days a week in Haanja and several initiatives, so called "language nest days" (''keelepesäpäiv'') that are working one day in week in 18 different kindergartens of Võro area. Võro language nest initiatives are organised by Võro Institute.

Finland

There are language nests for Inari Sámi, Skolt Sami, and the Karelian languages in Finland.

Russia

There is a language nest in Vieljärvi, Karjalan Tazavaldu ( Vedlozero, the

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia, or simply Karelia or Karjala (; ) is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the Northwest Russia, northwest of the country. The republic is a part of the Northwestern Federal District, and covers an area of ...

): Karjalan Kielen Kodi. Language nest is ''kielipezä'' in Karelian. Language nests have been proposed as part of the revitalization of Nivkh on Sakhalin, but as of 2018 had not been implemented due to the unwillingness of local school administrators and shortages of staff and funding.

Isle of Man

Language nests have been used on the

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

, where there are

Manx language Manx ( or , or ), also known as Manx Gaelic, is a Goidelic language, Gaelic language of the insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, itself a branch of the Indo-European language family. Manx is the heritage language of the Manx ...

playgroups and nurseries run by Mooinjer Veggey.

North America

Canada

A study in 2004 reported on two language nests in British Columbia: a ''Cseyseten'' ("language nest") at

Adam's Lake Adams may refer to: * For persons, see Adams (surname) Places United States *Adams, California *Adams, California, former name of Corte Madera, California *Adams, Decatur County, Indiana *Adams, Kentucky *Adams, Massachusetts, a New England town ...

in the Secwepemc language, and a ''Clao7alcw'' ("Raven’s nest") at Lil’wat Nation in the Lil’wat language written about by Onowa McIvor for her Master's thesis. The First Peoples' Cultural Council in Canada provides grants to

First Nations First nations are indigenous settlers or bands. First Nations, first nations, or first peoples may also refer to: Indigenous groups *List of Indigenous peoples *First Nations in Canada, Indigenous peoples of Canada who are neither Inuit nor Mé ...

communities in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

as part of the Pre-School Language Nest Program. In the

Northwest Territories The Northwest Territories is a federal Provinces and territories of Canada, territory of Canada. At a land area of approximately and a 2021 census population of 41,070, it is the second-largest and the most populous of Provinces and territorie ...

, there are language nests for each of the official Aboriginal languages, with more than 20 language nests in total.

United States

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...

, the Hawaiian-language equivalent, the Pūnana Leo, has been running for 40 years and has also been successful in producing first-language speakers of Hawaiian. In

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, the Enweyang Ojibwe Language Nest started in 2009. In collaboration with UMD's College of Education and Human Services Professionals and Eni-gikendaasoyang, the Center for Indigenous Knowledge and

Language Revitalization Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community group ...

, the program targets 4- to 5-year-olds in a half day session in the

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

area. The main goal of this program was to teach Ojibwe language and immerse preschool children, families, and university students in the language and culture. The needs of the program were identified by the Indigenous community and participating post-secondary students. This program had a high success rate based on feedback from the participating families and showcased a lot of benefits of this type of learning. Additionally, the program structure used surveys and allowed for researchers to track the learning experience. There were 12 main takeaways that came from this program that can be applied to other program. The first three were focussing on the target language, meaning not using English in the program, starting from the beginning, and starting today, as starting from a young age has its benefits. The next few including respecting different dialects, supporting families and community members, and focussing on a culture-centred approach. Building a community of support, strong leadership, and kindness within the program were also highlighted. The last few include quality language and promoting active speech communities, allowing for quality teaching, and valuing the small accomplishments made along the way. Additionally, the Dakhódiapi Wahóȟpi (Dakota Language Nest) opened in 2022 at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. It is housed in the Child Development Laboratory School in

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

. The tribal schools in Cusick, near Kalispell in

Montana Montana ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota to the east, South Dakota to the southeast, Wyoming to the south, an ...

offer classes in the Kalispel–Spokane–Flathead language, including an immersion language program for elementary school children. In

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

, Lakȟól’yapi Wahóȟpi, the Lakota Language Immersion Nest, opened on September 12, 2012. Full day schooling aimed at 3-year-olds, with parents also receiving training to encourage at home efforts, is key to this program. In

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

on the Pine Ridge Reservation, the Lakota Language & Education Initiative at Thunder Valley Community Development Corporation services children from ages 0-9 years old through the language nest model. Utilizing the language nest model and the Montessori approach, Thunder Valley CDC's effort is designed to reclaim and revitalize the Lakota language and Lifeways. Sixteen language nests have existed in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

at various points, though all but X̱ántsii Náay Haida Immersion Preschool have since ceased operation.

Oceania

Australia

In August 2009, the

Australian government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government or simply as the federal government, is the national executive government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The executive consists of the pr ...

pledged to pilot language nests as part of its National Indigenous Languages Policy. The first of five Aboriginal language and culture nests in

New South Wales New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...

launched in 2013, although these are government service delivery centres and not immersion pre-schools. The Miriwoong Language Nest has been running in Kununurra since early 2014 with over 300 children attending per week.

New Zealand

The first ''kōhanga reo'' was founded in Wainuiomata in 1982, and was followed by wholly immersive primary schools and secondary schools— Kura Kaupapa Māori—where Māori is the primary language of instruction. According to Al Jazeera, the percentage of Māori people speaking the language has increased by a few percentage points from the early 1980s to 2014. Linguist Christopher Moseley says that this statistic is "quite encouraging" because "compared to how quickly a language can disappear, in just one generation in extreme cases, the figures are good."

References

{{Reflist

External links

Te Kōhanga Reo National Trust
( Aotearoa New Zealand)
Aha Pūnana Leo
(Hawai'i)
First Peoples' Cultural Council: Language Nest
(Canada) Language revival Linguistic rights Language immersion