LEARNING INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES AS A SECOND LANGUAGE IN BILINGUAL INTERCULTURAL PROGRAMS IN PERU

Sullón K.; Arocena E. · The Minority Language as a Second Language: Challenges and Achievements (2023) · DOI: 10.4324/9781003299547-6

Resumen

There are 55 groups of Indigenous people living in Peru who speak 48 Indigenous languages. Some bilingual intercultural education programs (educación intercultural bilingüe or EIB) aim at cultural and linguistic strengthening for speakers of Indigenous languages as a first language. Other EIB programs aim at cultural and linguistic revitalization for speakers of Spanish as a first language who learn the Indigenous language as a second language. In this chapter, the focus is on learning Indigenous languages as second languages. After presenting the general situation of learning Indigenous languages in Peru as second languages, this chapter will look at two groups of Indigenous schoolchildren learning their Indigenous language as a second language. This small-scale research study aims to identify the language attitudes of students towards the Indigenous languages Quechua Chanka and Ashaninka and their perceptions and beliefs regarding the process of learning an Indigenous language as a second language. In order to do so, data were collected through the means of two questionnaires from students enrolled in fifth and sixth grades of primary education. The results, in general, show a positive attitude towards the Indigenous language, linked primarily to the conative component. Moreover, the students’ perception of the learning, teacher and resources is positive in general, and they believe that learning the Indigenous language is important.

Instituciones: Universidad Ricardo Palma