Book
Sociolinguistic determinants of native language vitality: a comparative study of two Oklahoma Cherokee communities
Xerox University Microfilms • Ann Arbor, Michigan • Published In 1987 • Pages:
By: Guyette, Susan.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
The objective of this study is to determine the factors affecting native language vitality among the Cherokees of northeastern Oklahoma, the basis for which is a comparison of communicative networks in the Oklahoma Cherokee communities of Greasy Creek and Marble City. Greasy Creek is a rural, dispersed community of 500 mostly full-blood Cherokees located in the Ozark foothills; there is no formal town government, rather several Baptist churches provide the organizational focus of the community. Marble City is a centralized, flatland community of 600 residents; there is a formal town government, controlled by the half of the population that is non-Indian. Not too surprisingly, Guyette finds that native language vitality is greatest in Greasy Creek and that native language retention is declining in Marble City. Based on her examination of the communicative networks in these two communities Guyette defines several factors as significant in native language vitality. One factor is the degree of community isolation, which is to say that as contact with 'Anglo' culture diminishes, native language vitality increases. Equally as important according to Guyette is the continuity and homogeneity of community religious organization. She finds that the local churches and religious groups are a primary domain for native language interaction and that where there is continuity and homogeneity in religious organization, church participation is high. Interestingly, with respect to native language vitality it seems not to matter if the religion is traditional or non-traditional (Christian). Other factors that Guyette finds to be important in the maintenance of the native language are stability of the extended family and inter-generational interaction and positive attitudes towards cultural pluralism and bilingualism.
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Culture summary
- Linguistic identification
- Research methods
- History
- Cultural participation
- cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
- Cherokee
- HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
- 2019
- RegionThe area the document pertains to
- North America
- Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
- Eastern Woodlands
- Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
- Book
- Evaluation
- Creator TypesThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- Linguist
- Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
- 5: Excellent Primary Data
- AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
- Gerald Reid ; Richard Wagner ; 1988
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1974
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Greasy Creek and Marble City, Oklahoma, United States
- NotesAdditional notes
- Susan Marie Guyette
- Thesis (Ph.D.) - Southern Methodist University, Dallas, 1975
- UM76-04583
- Includes bibliographical references
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Cherokee Indians