Language

Master-Apprentice Programming

The Master-Apprentice program was developed in California so that young adults – teachers and young parents, who are so crucial to language transmission – could be come proficient in their language.

The strategy features a one-on-one learning relationship between a “master” (elder, speaker) and an “apprentice” (language learner), who work together intensively for between twenty and forty hours per week, speaking only a First Nations / Aboriginal language.

The program is based on the concept that people learn a language best by being immersed in it for significant amounts of time, without translation to English. The master and apprentice go about their daily lives in their language – working together at home, around the community, or wherever they want, and doing everyday or special activities together.

The FPHLCC supported a language mentoring program for adult students who were at an intermediate level in their language and had a good level of understanding already. Students were paired one-on-one with fluent speakers of the language, and each pair met at least once a week for a total of 75 hours over 25 weeks. The sessions were full immersion, with only the First Nations language being spoken. This focus on oral fluency will enable the adult speakers to pass the language on to younger generations. Sample Objectives

In addition, the FPHLCC has recently supported a pilot Master-Apprentice program. The pilot community also expects the apprentices will become an important component of language revitalization, since they will work with their families to teach the younger generations.

Ten Points for Successful Language Learning – Leanne Hinton
About the California Master-Apprentice Model

Examples of Master-Apprentice Programs:
Danny Ammon's Hupa Language Web Page
This site is designed and maintained by Danny Ammon, who was an apprentice in the California Master-Apprentice language program and is now a second language speaker of Hupa. He has an alphabet chart, and a list of numbers and verb forms, but what is truly creative is his use of images on the Hupa Words page. There are no English translations - only pictures! This is important, because it frames language learning in Hupa.