Learning and Teaching Inuktitut: Best Practices and Methods - Jackson Mitchell

The Inuktitut language is facing many challenges in the present day. Despite a relatively large population of speakers in Inuit Nunangat, intergenerational transmission of the language appears to be slowing down (StatsCan, 2017). Revitalisation efforts are underway or in development across Inuit Nunangat and it is in this context that the present study aims to contribute language planners' knowledge of how learners acquire Inuktitut as a second language. This qualitative case study will interview second language (L2) speakers of Inuktitut and analyse their specific language learning context with the aim of identifying common elements. The data collected from the interviews will be analysed with a modified version of Gardner's Socio-Educational Model of Second Language Acquisition (Gardner, 2006). Using the Socio-Educational Model, this study will provide an analysis on a wide range of factors which can influence how learners acquire Inuktitut as an L2 in various contexts. These factors will include, but are not limited to, motivation to learn Inuktitut, attitudes towards the target language and aptitude

for learning new languages. The information gathered in this study will help language planners identify factors in successful acquisition of Inuktitut in L2 speakers. Language planners may use the findings of this study to inform their decisions regarding language revitalisation initiatives.