University of Plymouth PEARL https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk 04 University of Plymouth Research Theses 01 Research Theses Main Collection 2017 The Role of Sound Recordings in the Revitalisation of Minority Languages of the Ainu People (Japan) and the West Frisians (the Netherlands) Fryzlewicz, Malgorzata http://hdl.handle.net/10026.1/8638 University of Plymouth All content in PEARL is protected by copyright law. Author manuscripts are made available in accordance with publisher policies. Please cite only the published version using the details provided on the item record or document. In the absence of an open licence (e.g. Creative Commons), permissions for further reuse of content should be sought from the publisher or author. THE ROLE OF SOUND RECORDINGS IN THE REVITALISATION OF MINORITY LANGUAGES OF THE AINU PEOPLE (JAPAN) AND THE WEST FRISIANS (THE NETHERLANDS) by MALGORZATA FRYZLEWICZ A thesis submitted to Plymouth University in partial fulfilment for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences July 2016 Copyright Statement This copy of the thesis has been supplied on condition that anyone who consults it is understood to recognise that its copyright rests with its author and that no quotation from the thesis and no information derived from it may be published without the author’s prior consent. i Abstract This thesis explores the use of sound recordings in the revitalisation of two minority languages – the Ainu (Japan) and the West Frisian (the Netherlands). Over the last few decades, a growing concern about linguistic diversity in the world has led to an increasing awareness of minority languages, which are endangered by loss. The concept of language revitalisation calls for work which will affect the vitality of these languages. The nature of these revitalisation efforts is inscribed into place-related processes and the interpretations of the relationships between language speakers and the place they live in. Sound recordings can afford language revitalisation with the restoration of sounds of languages. This thesis argues that the heart of language revitalisation lies in the re-sounding of place attachment and sense of place. The selection of the two language cases studies, which allow for the multi-faceted use of sound recordings to be revealed and understood, constitutes an important part in the search for an understanding of these interconnections. Based on these two language case studies, which contrast in degrees of language endangerment, this research analyses how and why sound recordings engage in the processes of language revitalisation. Qualitative methods of research, encompassing forty one semi-structured and episodic interviews conducted in Japan and the Netherlands along with observations and secondary data analysis, were used in this study. The comparative approach revealed similarities and differences in the revitalisation of the Ainu and West Frisian languages and the practices of using sound recordings. Importantly, this thesis demonstrates that the significance of sound recordings arise from their capability of creating aural experience of the language, which empowers both processes of language revitalisation with the restoration of place attachment and sense of place. This finding represents a key contribution to the research of linguistic and geographical knowledge about the revitalisation of endangered languages, the role of technology in language revitalisation and to the debate on saving linguistic and cultural diversity in the world. ii Contents List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures ................................................................................................................... vi List of Boxes .................................................................................................................... vii List of Illustrations ........................................................................................................... vii Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................... viii Author’s declaration ......................................................................................................... ix Chapter 1........................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research background ............................................................................................. 1 1.1.1 Geographies of languages ............................................................................... 1 1.1.2 Technologies of saving endangered languages .............................................. 4 1.1.3 Towards understanding revitalisation of endangered languages .................. 11 1.1.4 Selecting case studies .................................................................................... 13 1.2 Research aim and objectives ................................................................................ 14 1.3 Organisation of the thesis and chapters ............................................................... 16 Chapter 2......................................................................................................................... 18 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 18 2.2 Contextualising work on the revitalisation of endangered languages .................. 19 2.2.1 Defining language revitalisation ..................................................................... 20 2.2.2 Experiencing demise of language .................................................................. 23 2.2.3 Considering typologies of language situation ................................................ 26 2.2.4 Evaluating developments in language revitalisation ...................................... 31 2.3 Towards enhancing language revitalisation ......................................................... 33 2.3.1 Developing language skills ............................................................................. 34 2.3.2 Motivating the desire for language learning ................................................... 38 2.4 Understanding restorative work on endangered languages ................................ 41 2.4.1 The place concepts: place attachment and sense of place........................... 43 2.4.2 Language as a cultural phenomenon of making place attachment ............... 47 2.4.3 Disruption to place attachment and sense of place ....................................... 54 2.5 Summary ............................................................................................................... 58 Chapter 3......................................................................................................................... 59 3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 59 3.2 Technological identities of sound recordings........................................................ 60 3.3 Sound recordings and engaging with the past ..................................................... 63 3.3.1 Cultural capital of sound recordings ............................................................... 63 3.3.2 Archival sound recordings .............................................................................. 66 3.4 The mediatory role of sound recordings ............................................................... 71 3.4.1 Documenting and researching linguistic cultures .......................................... 71 3.4.2 Orality and literacy tradition ............................................................................ 73 3.4.3 Recordings and practices of listening ............................................................ 76 3.5 Summary ............................................................................................................... 79 Chapter 4......................................................................................................................... 81 4.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................ 81 4.2 Methodological approach: a comparative case study .......................................... 82 4.2.1 A qualitative comparison ................................................................................ 82 iii 4.2.2 The Ainu language case ................................................................................. 87 4.2.3 The Frisian language case ............................................................................. 91 4.3 Research methods ................................................................................................ 94 4.3.1 Pilot case study .............................................................................................. 97 4.3.2 Qualitative interviewing .................................................................................. 99 4.3.3 Getting access to fieldwork sites .................................................................. 103 4.3.4 Choosing interview participants ................................................................... 105 4.3.5 Observations of technologically mediated practices of listening ................. 109 4.3.6 Secondary data ...........................................................................................