以認同為導向的西拉雅族語復振與發展初探

Identity-based Language Revitalization: A Brief Discussion of the Sirayan Case

臺灣是個多元族群與文化的社會，雖然各族群語言都是寶貴文化資產，然而在當今語言的實際使用上，多元化顯得不足，也因之產生語言政治上的權力與位階議題。因此，尊重族語與推動學習的方式，必須是有不同面向的策略與模式去探討與發展，尤其是如何喚起沈睡中面臨消失的語言，更具有其重要性與急迫性。本文著重論述以族群集體認同與策略為基礎，以實際案例探討認同為導向的語言復振與推廣，具體以近年來積極尋求政府官方認定為原住民族群的西拉雅為例，說明西拉雅族的復權復名運動中的族語復振的實踐層面，是透過結合社區、學校、家庭層面的族語復振，在日常生活中提升西拉雅族語能見度與使用度，以語言與認同促成雙向正面效果。本文主要是說明以「認同」為基礎的論述，實踐必須為重要基礎。 While Taiwan is a multi-ethnic and multi-culture society and values each language equally, at the level of current usage of language, strategies must be employed to effectively mitigate the imbalance power relation and counter stratification in the politics of language. This article discusses utilization of language revitalization as a critical and productive strategy for the restoration of indigenous status and argues that the union of discourse and practice is of critical importance to the identity construction of the Siraya people. Using examples from current efforts of identity-based language revitalization and promotion and showing such practices at work at the levels of community, school and home settings, the article shows that the increasing visibility and usage of the Siraya language in every day life has positive effects on identity construction. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that any activist discourse based on 'identity' must be at work with practice, it is only when they are in sync, can such activism be effective and vital in the engineering of contemporary transitional justice scheme.

While Taiwan is a multi-ethnic and multi-culture society and values each language equally, at the level of current usage of language, strategies must be employed to effectively mitigate the imbalance power relation and counter stratification in the politics of language. This article discusses utilization of language revitalization as a critical and productive strategy for the restoration of indigenous status and argues that the union of discourse and practice is of critical importance to the identity construction of the Siraya people. Using examples from current efforts of identity-based language revitalization and promotion and showing such practices at work at the levels of community, school and home settings, the article shows that the increasing visibility and usage of the Siraya language in every day life has positive effects on identity construction. The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that any activist discourse based on 'identity' must be at work with practice, it is only when they are in sync, can such activism be effective and vital in the engineering of contemporary transitional justice scheme.