Dr. Aroline Seibert Hanson, associate professor of Spanish and Linguistics, published “Reexamining the classification of an endangered language: The vitality of Brunca” with the University of Hawaii Press this summer. 

In the article, Dr. Hanson details her research with the indigenous people of Boruca, Costa Rica, and their usage of their native language, Brúnkajk (Brunca). While linguists declared the language extinct in 2010, Dr. Hanson reports that community leaders and schools are using systematic methods to revitalize the language. Overall, her study analyzes the measures used to determine linguistic vitality and the process of reviving an indigenous language.

Dr. Hanson’s research was funded by the Marie-Louise and Eugene Jackson International Fund for Student and Faculty Development, supported by the Fourjay Foundation.

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