Abstract
Learning languages with the intention to understand cultures is the central premise of trans[cultura]linguación. The purpose of this chapter is to describe and reflect on the teaching and learning process of the Quechua language for students in Toronto (Canada) and other participants in the diaspora who wanted to learn more about the Quechua culture or revitalize their heritage language. Deploying a hybrid ethnographic approach to collect data from public online and in-person classes, this research project evidenced a cultural-oriented approach to assert Quechua speakers' identity and to spark curiosity for learning Indigenous languages in international contexts. A Quechua Collective, along with language teachers, used a synergic pedagogical approach to engage students in language learning and appreciation through various online and in-person interactive activities. This chapter sheds light on promising practices that seek to foster a sense of community, well-being, and the promotion of social cohesion and human coexistence.
TopContext And Background
Since I was young, I have always been interested in learning languages to understand other cultures. I became a language educator and researcher to promote language learning as a tool for intercultural understanding. As such, my role has been as an advocate for teaching and learning methodologies that seek to support the revitalization of endangered languages with a focus on interculturality. In the past few years, the centre of my research has been about exploring how languages can help us connect as humans, I learned to understand that languages are systems not only for communication but instruments of social cohesion. This interest has grown as I connected to various communities and learned the responsibility of language in their daily practices for self-determination and celebration of cultural identities.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Translanguaging: The process whereby multi/bilingual speakers or learners use their linguistic resources to make sense of and interact with the world around them.
Anglo: In this chapter, this concept refers to those who speak English since they were born. I do not use the term native speaker of English.
Interculturality: It refers to the existence, equal interaction, and potential for the creation of shared cultural expressions via communication and respect for one another.
Runasimi: Also written as Runa Simi, it is the Quechua language´s original denomination.
Abya Yala: A term that means land in full maturity, and it is the term designated by Indigenous peoples in latinamerica to the land. I use this term instead of Latin America to bring importance to knowledges rooted in Indigenous heritage.
Revitalization: The idea of invigorating, restoring, or providing new life or fresh conditions.
Turtle Island: It is the name given to the land (in North America) by some Indigenous peoples, as well as by some Indigenous rights activists.
Pachamama: Also known as Pacha, is the name given by Andean Indigenous people to Mother Earth.
Trans[cultura]linguación: The pedagogical intention to highlight culture at the centre of language teaching practices to compare, learn, and understand other cultures.
Plurilingualism: It describes the ability of a person with multiple language proficiency and the capacity to switch between them as needed for conversation.