Among the steps taken by the agency’s DCCA’s Language Policy Commission in coordination with other agencies is the formulation of an updated Carolinian dictionary under the Carolinian and Related Language Assistance, or CARLA, project which aims to mass reproduce the Carolinian dictionary for the young generation.
Faisao said his department is drafting a grant application that will be submitted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration of Native Americans.
The proposed grant, he added, will help fund the preservation of the CNMI’s indigenous languages.
The local Arts Council and the Carolinian Affairs Office, for their part, have initiated many cultural exhibits and workshops aimed at language preservation, Faisao said.
“In 2003, DCCA conducted a proficiency survey in the commonwealth’s community and schools on the NMI descent languages,” he said. “What was alarming about the result is that it indicated that native languages are at an alarming risk of not proficiently being utilized in homes and communities.”
To address this concern, the Public School System adopted a Heritage Studies curriculum that teaches students Chamorro and Carolinian in elective classes at the elementary level.
DCCA also initiated a television show, Abiba lenguahita and Muareiti Mwaliyaasch, to promote the local languages.
Next month, Saipan will host the third Chamorro conference.
Early this year, a Carolinian symposium was held on island.
Both events are expected to submit recommendations for the development of the Chamorro and Carolinian languages on the islands.
