Fort Simpson (Mar 10/06) - In the quest to keep aboriginal languages alive in the younger generation, the biggest obstacle can be found at home.

Valerie Wood stands ready to show people how to teach an aboriginal language as a second language. She held a two-week workshop in Fort Simpson to provide techniques to maintain the language to seven participants. - Roxanna Thompson/NNSL photo

When students are learning Slavey or another aboriginal language in school, returning home to English speaking parents and English media is a large challenge, said Valerie Wood.

Wood provided techniques to counter this influence to seven participants in a course on teaching an aboriginal language as a second language. The program was offered between Feb. 20 and March 3 by the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education in Fort Simpson.

Yvonne Jumbo, a language instructor from Trout Lake, agrees that Slavey instruction has to start at home.

Many children only hear Slavey spoken by their grandparents, said Jumbo, who was taking the course. When the students come to school, they can understand Slavey, but have difficulty speaking the language.

In Fort Liard, language instructor Corrine Sassie said she has seen a noticeable decline in children speaking Slavey in class in the past five years. But once they start to learn, students pick it up quickly, she said.

Andy Norwegian, the language specialist with the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education, has also seen a decline in the number of children who are fluent in Slavey.

"It's difficult right now," said Norwegian.

Many students are entering school only speaking English although both parents are of Dene descent. The question is how to reinforce the language at home, he said.

One of the concerns is the shortage of language instructors.

Many instructors are nearing retirement age and the people who are interested in replacing them don't always have the same level of fluency, said Norwegian. Some applicants also don't have teaching experience.

To help find new instructors, the two-week course, which is an Aurora College credit, was opened to anyone who was interested.

One of the goals of the course was to help speakers develop an awareness of how the culture is embedded in the language, said Wood. She also drew attention to why learners have difficulty producing sounds accurately.

Most of the problem comes from the fact that English doesn't contain some of the sounds, she said.

Despite the challenges facing aboriginal languages, Wood said she has seen progress in some areas.

"It's slow but every little bit is a step in the right direction," said Wood.