The Language We Speak

Anyone who has ever spent a significant amount of time with children of any age, but especially young children, knows that they often have their own way of communicating with those around them. Sometimes that is because of the challenges that they face trying to pronounce words, and sometimes it is simply from knowing each other and your home communication culture.

For the children, and people, in Kotzebue there is a specific language which carries with it a number of terms and words, or lack of words, that we speak in the classroom, and have learned to use in our everyday language.

Kotzebue, and many of the surrounding areas, are rather nonverbal. When I first moved here there were a number of people who described the children as being English Language Learners. That may very well be the case, I am not certain of the exact criterion to be in the category. And there is certainly no one in the district who is defining that, nor helping students to learn English. There are however a number of accommodations offered to the student body during testing. But they certainly are not ESL (English as  Second Language). Many students do hear and speak bits and pieces of Inupiaq (their Native Language) at home, however, it is not their first language. The reason the children could be considered English Language Learners, as far as I am concerned, is because they are far behind many students across the country of their same age in the mastery of the English language. Being that so much communication occurs nonverbally, students haven't mastered, or developed, many proper speaking or writing skills in English. They leave many words out, put words in the wrong order, and simply communicate using no words at all. It can be utterly amazing to watch them "talk" across the room to one another with nearly no spoken sounds at all. Here are some of the short phrases and gestures I both use, and try to teach the proper meaning of from day to day:

*"Throw it?" (May I throw this in the trash can?)
*"I going to _______ for 5 sleeps." (I am going to visit_________ for 5 days and nights, they say "sleeps" because the sun is up all summer, so it always seems like day, they must use the term "sleeps")
*"I got to Onuck" (I have to poop)
* "He got a bump." (He was in a car accident, or Honda accident, or sno-go accident, or a cut, sore, scrape of any kind accident).
*"Ari" [pronounced Ah-dee] (no english translation, an expression similar to a sigh or "ahhhhhhhhhhh").
*Shorts (boxers)
*Short cuts (shorts)
* "I never" (Let me!)
* "My sister" (any woman in your family that is related to you in any number of ways, that because of many adoptions, give-aways, and moves, have been titled your sister....some students have 4 moms and 6 sisters)
*Aka (Grandpa)
*Tata (Grandpa)
*Ana (Grandma)
*Packsack (backpack)
*Raised of the eyebrows (yes!)
*Scrunched nose (no!)
*Blank stare, with not words at all (I think that means "I don't know," but they pretty much do it at any point if they don't have an answer, the blank stare is very popular among kids here)
 * Tablet (writing notebook)
*"Go pee." (May I use the restroom?)
*"We play out" (We played outside)

While these are both adorable, and funny phrases that the culture has coined, it is clear that many students have a difficult time in a public education system that is teaching the English language and values the use of it to help students to succeed in the world after graduation. I find myself often struggling to uphold their culture, and connect with the students, as well as teach them the correct way to use our language.The students are so smart though, and are beginning to learn the time and place to use proper English (and with whom), and when it is appropriate to use the terms and phrases so common and a part of their home environments. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to maintain and support their culture, and teach the curriculum before us.

All that being said, I LOVE the language we speak. As do most locations on any geographic spot in the world, Kotzebue has their own way of talking and living, and it has certainly been so fun to connect with kids by understanding and using their cultural terminology.

P.S. Yes, the first few times students came to me using these phrases and words I looked and felt like an idiot. And yes, all the boys in class turned red in color when I first mistakenly called shorts "shorts," as opposed to "short cuts." Yep, they thought I was questioning them about their underwear!:)