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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 212 748 UD 022 108 AUTHOR Underwood, Robert A. TITLE Bilingual Education in a Developing Pacific Area: Why? Asian Pacific American Education Occasional Papers. INSTITUTION National Association for Asian and Pacific American Education, Berkeley, Calif. PONS AGENCY National last. of Education (ED), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 81 GRANT NIE-G-79-0063 NOTE 36p.; Not available in paper copy due to institution's restrictions., AVAILABLE FROMNational Association for Asian and Pacific American Education, 1414 Walnut Street, Room 9, Berkeley, CA 94709 (write for price). EDRS PRICE MF01 Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS. DESCRIPTORS *Bilingual Education; *Chamorro; *Cultural Awareness; Developing Nations; Educational Policy; Elementary Secondary Education; Ethnicity; *Language Role; *Nationalism; Political Attitudes; Political Influences; Social Change IDENTIFIERS *Guam; *Pacific Trust Territory (Mariana Islands) ABSTRACT This paper examines the relationship between politi :s, economic development, nationalism, and school language policy in the Marianas and Guam. Past and present developmentsin language policy and various rationales in support ofbilingual education programs are reviewed. The author draws from Fishman's "Language and Nationalism" and Woodward ari Inglehart's "Language Conflicts and Political Community" to support his arguments that(1) language difference does not promote nationalistic conflictin and of itself; and (2) while language is not a necessary component of nationalism, it does provide a link to ethnic and cultural authenticity. It is suggested that bilingual programs have been viewed as reconciling rising nationalism in the Marianas, concern over the loss of Chamorro ethnic andcultural identity, and pressures to learn English and assimilate into a dominant Englishspeaking culture. The report concludes with the observation that indeveloped Pacific areas such as Guam, the use of language in schools is evaluated far less for its educational value than for its usein defining the essence of a society that is struggling forcultural survival. (JCD) *********************************************************************** * * Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * from the original document. * *********************************************************************** %' iS CNI 1--i CV 2 ASIAN PACIFIC,AMERICANEDUCATION OCCASIONAL PAPERS - U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION' f f)(.11 AT tONAf HE Si 1t, Hl 1, INFORMA NON ( ENTEH EFlL r11/1I,,r e.j ,,% ,alr ,111111 ,., r. , ft,tal ME PERMISSION TO REPRODUCETHIS MATERIALIN MICROFICHE ONLY HAS BEEN GRANTED BY +.0l,,,k-6,, J.., _, TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 111 IANATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR ASIAN AND PACIFIC AMERICAN EDUCATION Asian Pacific American Research Seminars A 0 A Z BILINGUAL EDr('AIIDN TN A DEVELOPING PACT RE/. WHY Robert P. Underwood AE..sistant Professor University of Guam Mangilao, Guam 1981 This paper was prepared for the Asian Pacific AmericanResearch Seminars, a project of the National Associationfor Asian and Pacific American Education. The Asian Pacific American ResearchSeminars is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Education(NIE-G-79-0063). Copies of this paper can be obtained from theNational Association for Asian and Pacific American Education,1414 Walnut St., Rm. 9, Berkeley, CA 94709. Write to this address for the list ofpublica- tions and price list. r As with many other areas ofthe Pacific, the island ofGuam and the rest of the MarianaIslands are undergoing a language and culture revitalization movement. This movement is being played out primarily in theschools of Guam, but is beginning to have appreciable effect onthe nature of political rhetoric ,i and educational operationsin the neighboring, butpolitically separate, islands of the Marianas. In this struggle for cultural and linguistic affirmation,the major arena of activity hasbeen the public schools and themajor focus has been the Chamorro language.1 Through a variety of rationales,bilingual-bicultural forms of education have beenadvocated, damned-and implemented. While these proposals for the studyof and use of the Chamorro language, both as a subject and amedium of instruction, may be examined in terms of theirpedagogical implications or theirlin- and in- guistic appropriateness, suchanalyses would be incomplete sufficient. A far more fruitful approachwould be an investigation into under the political and socialagendas apparently being pursued the rubric of bilingualeduca,.on. The zenith-like rise of concern over Chamorro in thehitherto English-only schools of theMarianas may be more of apolitical and social movementthan'the sudden recognition of an educationallyvaluable tool. This is not to say that there is no substance tothe argument that utilizing the Chamorro language would not be apedagogically sound tool for in- creasing pupil performance andachievement. Hovver, pupil achieve- ment is really on theperiphery of the question ofschool language policy, despite protestations tothe contrary. The spirit of sup- strength in port for Chamorro languageeducation doesn't find its linguistic or educational research. If anything, appeals to such research are frequently utilizedonly to the extent that theybut- tress existing notions aboutwhat Guam's political and social nature should be. In tact, political support ofChamorro language issues is sometimes articulatedin a manner heedless of the most 2 4 common linguistic sense. 1 4 This growth of interest inbilingual education.on Guam has both baffling and predicatabledimensions to it. In its operation, which is largely drawn fromAmerican bilingual educationtrends, and the rheto- the contrast between thereality of Guam's children rical aims of the programsis glaring. Filled with ESEA Title VII of Guam are terms from the U.S. Officeof Education, the children supposed to be lifted fromtheir English deficienciesand limited bilingual chances of educational successthrough federally-spawned 3 and education. Yet, the children ofGuam are English-speaking Chamorro, as a first languagefor the island's youth,is limited 4 to an ever decreasingminority. Although the linguistic charac- fit the teristics of the NorthernMarianas might more properly simply arrived typical rationale forbilingual education, Title VII However, this does not fifteen to twenty years toolate for Guam. education on prevent almost unanimousjustification for bilingual the baFis that it is necessary asa transition to alanguage of wider communication. have been The reasons for thissituation are clear and could that the resurgenc,.? ofChamorro predicted. They lie in the reality status as a in Guam's schools isessentially a product of Guam's considered. developing society meetingissues it had not previously is at once a The language question inthe schools of the Marianas social, economic and politicalquestion. Language is being used visions. as a tool to representparticular social and political As such, the decision to usea Pacific languagein a developing area is a much morecomplex question thatcontrastive linguistic aralysis with languagesof wider communication. We are dealing strictly lin- with a milieu in whichwhat may be thought of as of school guistic concerns arefrequently the last considerations colonial history, rapid language policy. The impact of a long nationalism economic development,increased immigration, growing in Marianas and prolonged languageloss makes language choice schools clearly a statementof political and socialvision. the rela- There have been few attemptsto offer analyses of policy tionship between politics,nationalism and school language However, there are generaldis- in developed Pacificsocieties. 2 5 cussions of the relationship betweennationalism and language throughout the world. Two oi these will be utilized tohelp analyze the Marianas situation. Fishman's language and Natioaa- lism (1972) and Woodward andInglehart's "Language Conflicts and Political Community" (1967) canoffer us some insights into how linguistic questions become volatilesocial issues. Based on these discussions, the Marianassituation will be examined. In this attempt to understandwhat is occurring on Guam and the Marianas in school languagepolicy, we will review past and present developments in languagepolicy. We will also review the growth of bilingual education andthe various rationales enlisted by educators to support the programs. By comparing these trends with the emerging nature ofisland society in the Marianasand the increased level of ethnoculturalnationali,.1, we will see that bilingual education faces atroublesome future. Despite the fact that bilingual education nowenjoys widespread support, it: shouldering of political and socialissues may prove to be too heavy a burden in the future. Bilingual education and themainte- bance of a valuable human resource(the Chamorro language) may fail,, but be- not because it didn'tprovide children a sound education, cause it did not live upto its advanced billing asthe major vehi- cle for ethnocultural salvation. Framework for Analysis The Inglehart and Woodwardformula for understanding language They in its political dimensionsis _ simple, but effective one. polit- hold that linguistic pluralismdoes not inherently create a icized linguistic environment. In fact, they point outthat, there number of are many traditionalsocieties in the world in which a languages co-exist without unrest. The oppression of theselan- guages or even theexistence of

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