乱伦视频

Melissa Borgia-Askey

Assistant Professor, English Department

Since 2002, Melissa Borgia-Askey, Ph.D. has worked with members and friends of the Seneca Nation in the important area of language revitalization. Borgia-Askey began working in the field when she was earning her master’s degree. She explained that a classmate suggested she seek out a staff archaeologist named Cathy Pedler. Pedler was working with one of the elders of the Seneca Nation of Indians, Sandy Gajehsöh Dowdy. The pair was working on creating the Ganöhsesge:kha:’ Hë:nödeyë:stha, which roughly translates to “the teachings of our longhouse.”

Borgia-Askey’s background in English as a Second Language (ESL) and Teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) assisted in creating a curriculum matrix and courses. Her experiences lead her to also work with the Tribal Historic Preservation Office (THPO). Borgia-Askey worked with THPO to transcribe interviews and complete legal paperwork establishing the significance of many places such as cemeteries, old schools and homes of prominent community members for the Seneca Nation of Indians.

Borgia-Askey continues to work with language revitalization and explained its importance.

“Estimates list anywhere from 274-500 indigenous languages that were spoken in what is now the United States before European colonization,” said Borgia-Askey. “Of these, it is believed that approximately 175 languages are now extinct. Efforts to document, preserve and revitalize these languages are ongoing but face significant challenges due to historical factors, such as forced assimilation, cultural suppression and the intergenerational transmission of languages being disrupted."

As groups continue to reverse language loss and promote intergenerational transmission, Borgia-Askey shared, “In some areas, there is a bit of a language-culture ‘renaissance’ as communities coalesce to preserve and promote. There are so many benefits to preserving languages and cultures, such as preservation of identity of worldview, history and unique cultural practices; transmission of knowledge that encodes traditional knowledge about ecosystems, medicinal plants, spiritual practices and oral histories that are not always fully translatable into dominant languages; cultural continuity including ceremonies, storytelling and arts; empowerment and well-being; sovereignty, legal and political rights; educational benefits for indigenous children; and linguistic diversity of unique ways of thinking and expressing ideas.”

Borgia-Askey’s interest in language was born from a desire to understand her father’s Italian family.

 “The closest I could get to satisfy my curiosity was to study linguistics, language acquisition, Spanish and other cultures,” said Bogia-Askey. “I also had been interested in indigenous cultures as I had grown up with a few friends who were indigenous. When I finally met Cathy (Pedler) and Sandy (Dowdy) and told them my story, Sandy’s (Dowdy’s) response was to explain that while Italian is a language spoken by tens of millions of people who also enjoyed a homeland, most indigenous languages like Seneca enjoy no such privilege. This sealed the deal for me.”