Benjamin Chung

Linguistics master's student in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Tell us a little about yourself, including what inspires you to learn and continue in your chosen field

I am a linguist and partner in Indigenous language revitalization. As a non-Indigenous person, I am constantly learning in these spaces and am fortunate to be able to lend my support in the uplifting of communities and their language initiatives. This work is intrinsically collaborative and has taken me across the province, to urban, rural, and remote Nations, all with diverse needs and visions for their languages. I am continuing to broaden my understandings of linguistics and language as a whole and hopefully will apply these backgrounds to contribute to ongoing efforts and other language documentation and mobilization partnerships, at SFU and beyond!

Why did you choose to come to SFU?

SFU's Department of Linguistics is impressive and includes faculty with a range of expertise that interests me (e.g., Computational Linguistics, Linguistic Variation, and Applied Linguistics). The thesis-based MA's focus on self-directed research also appeals to me as someone who enjoys the fieldwork-to-resource development process. I am excited to learn more from leaders and experts in this field here like Drs. Marianne Ignace, Peter Jacobs, and Heather Bliss (to name a few). SFU also has a well-established and interconnected First Nations Language Centre and Indigenous Languages Program (INLP), the latter through which friends and colleagues have gone on to do great work and improve their language proficiencies. These good relationships are essential as well as show SFU's capacity to support community members in their language journeys and futures.

How would you describe your research or your program to a family member?

My prior research and projects have related to representations of languages online, in curriculum, and more broadly in documentation processes themselves. I additionally have worked with communities to digitize and mobilize archival records and assets into contemporary language materials. A major aspect of this work has looked at orthographies or writing systems. My MA research aims to focus on dialectology and the cues and influences we can recognize today that distinguish Indigenous speech communities in the province. While language vitality has been more regularly assessed in BC, the extent and ways that dialectal vitality still manifests is less so clear, especially in acknowledgement of the linguistic diversity regionally. I am curious about how speakers and learners describe and recognize their own speech forms and what patterns may appear in these distinctions.

What three (3) keywords would you use to describe your research?

Speech variation, language ideologies, dialectology

How have your courses, RA-ships, TA-ships, or non-academic school experiences contributed to your academic and/or professional development?

As I progress in my studies, I look forward to taking on TA- and RA-ships to round out my experience at SFU through the support of Drs. Donna Gerdts, Nancy Hedberg, and Marianne Ignace. I have worked on research projects in the past, and these periods were foundational in my academic and professional growth. I was able to build the technical skillsets needed for audio-editing and transcription and foster lasting connections with Knowledge Holders, Elders, and community members through protocol, 1:1 meetings, and just time together. I also had a lot of mentorship from professors and other more experienced RAs. Aside from gaining valuable direction and insights into reporting, logistics, and funding, I learned about working within differing timelines, expectations, and how to better facilitate understanding between myself and others.

Have you been the recipient of any major or donor-funded awards? If so, please tell us which ones and a little about how the awards have impacted your studies and/or research

I am grateful to have received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Canada Graduate Scholarship - Master's (SSHRC CGS-M) and departmental Graduate Fellowships to support my research and time at SFU.

How do you approach networking and building connections in and outside of your academic community?

To contribute to Indigenous language revitalization and documentation as a guest, it begins as being a respectful one from the start. The people I work with academically are also the individuals who I sometimes have the privilege to connect with out on the water after work, at potlatches for a week, or community gatherings in the city. These relationships really are holistic and approached that way too. (Sharing a meal is also very important.)

If you could dedicate your research to anyone (past, present and/or future), who would that be and why?

I owe everything I have learned and where I am (and wherever I may end up) to the Indigenous Knowledge Holders, Elders, and colleagues, now friends, who have allowed me to enter into this space to support the ongoing language revitalization work with their communities. I especially want to acknowledge former teachers, late Rita Barnes (Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw), late Mḷína Marina Humchitt (Haíłzaqv), late Kvíkvṇ̓áx̌nuxv Margaret Brown (Haíłzaqv), for sharing their kindness and time with me in language classes and sessions. I raise my hands to them always.

Contact Benjamin:bmc17@sfu.ca

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