Wheel of Vitality
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Contents
Purpose
The purpose of this tool is to enable a rapid assessment of community language vitality through the assignment of an EGIDS score between 8 and 6b.
Materials
- blank label for community to write their language name on
- blank label for community to write their village name on
- marker pen
- photos that typically represent community demographics. There should be one each of middle-aged wo/men, elderly wo/men, fathers and mothers and two of children<ref>It is recommended that you pilot test a range of photos for each category and have local people choose which they think is most representative. The photo you end up using will be the most popular choice.</ref>. These should be laminated or otherwise made durable and preferably in colour to engage the community.
- 5 x 1m (3ft) lengths of string
- 5 x single-headed arrows
- 5 x double-headed arrows
- 6 x red plastic chips
- 6 x yellow plastic chips
- orange (or other bright colour) card. This is used for backing the main photo in focus during Part 3 and so should be large enough to frame it.
Resources
A video of the tool being administered is available on YouTube.
Procedure
In the following tables, a phrase in italics means that the tool leader can vary the phrase depending on the context. Also, V = vernacular and LWC = Language of Wider Communication e.g. a lingua franca such as French or Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea.
Part 1: Introducing the Photos
| Step | What you do and why | What you say | What you may observe and do in response |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1a | To introduce social categories to the community, show the community all photos one by one. Make sure everyone in the community sees photo. Then give it to a representative member of that group. NOTE: make it clear that outsiders are not represented by these photos but only people in their community. | We’d like you to look at this photo. It represents children in your community. It does not represent children from other communities, but only your own. This photo represents elderly women, etc. | The community show engagement with the photos and understanding of what they represent. There should be no one in the group who wants to see the photos that has not seen them. There will be two children cards. |
| 1b | Collect in the photos and put them on the ground. To enable the community to demonstrate their understanding, pick up each photo one at a time until all have responded. | Okay now we’d like to check you understand what the photos represent. If I hold one photo up, please tell me what it represents. Etc... | People say "fathers" etc... |
A community leader indicating which sections of the community use vernacular with fathers. This was in an earlier version of the tool which used different coloured string, not arrows, to indicate which party initiated vernacular use. This was deemed less intuitive than arrows which are familiar objects in PNG culture. Simbali language area, East New Britain Province, Papua New Guinea. April, 2012.
Part 2: Clarifying Context and Key
| Step | What you do and why | What you say | What you may observe and do in response |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2a | To confirm the name of the village and define the social context for communication, give a volunteer a card and green pen. | What’s the name of your village? Can someone write this on a card? When you’ve written it, please put it on the ground. | They provide the name of the village and write it in green on a card which they place on the ground. |
| 2b | To confirm the name of the V used in this location, give a volunteer a card and black pen. | What’s the name of your language? Can someone write this on a card? When you’ve written it, please put it on the ground. | They write the name of their V in black on the card and place it on the ground. |
| 2c | To check whether they use other languages, ask them this. As long as they say anything from one other language to "lots," give them the "other language" card. | Do you use any other languages such as other or LWC as well in village? | They put this card on the ground next to their V card. |
| 2d | To key the V with a colour, give volunteer a red chip. | Now we’d like to mark these two language cards with colours. Please put this red chip on the card with your language. | Volunteer puts red chip on the V card. |
| 2e | To key the "other language" with a colour, give volunteer a yellow chip. | This yellow chip will mark the “other languages” card. Please put it on top of that card. | Volunteer puts yellow chip on the "other language" card. |
| 2f | Check understanding of the key. Call out the name of the V and use gestures to elicit a response. Repeat this for other languages e.g. Kuanua, Tok Pisin, English, interspersing them with V until people are indicating the correct colours. | Now we’d like to check that you understand what these two colours mark. If I say a language, you tell me what colour represents it. | People say "red" etc. |
Community leaders coming to the end of Part 3 with the children photo at the centre. Lungalunga, East New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Still from YouTube video taken in May, 2012.
Part 3: Checking languages fathers use
| Step | What you do and why | What you say | What you may observe and do in response |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3a | Retain fathers, mothers and extra children photos Give out all other photos. They spread them out in a circle. | Please put all the photos on the ground in a big circle. | Volunteer takes all photos except fathers, mothers or one children photo and forms a circle. |
| 3b | To check the vernacular use of the fathers begin by focussing on the fathers photo. Place it against the orange card backing. | We’d like you to think about what languages fathers use. Please put this fathers photo in the middle of the circle. | Volunteer takes fathers photo on orange card and puts it in the centre of the circle. You then put village name card above photo and V and "other language" card under photo. |
| 3c | To show communication between fathers and elderly men, put string between the fathers photo and the elderly men photo. | Okay first, think about when fathers and elderly men talk. | The string between the fathers photo and the elderly men photo creates the first spoke of the wheel. |
| 3d | Ask if V or other languages are used between these two groups or not and mark this accordingly. Repeat steps 3c-3d for relationships fathers have with all other social groups represented by photos. NOTE: make sure you randomise the sequence you work in to minimise pat answers. | In these conversations, do they use V or not? If they do, put a red chip on the string. Do they use other languages too? If so, please put a yellow chip on the blue string. If they don’t use V, just put a yellow chip. | Volunteer marks string with red chip if V is used between fathers and old men and yellow if they use something else. If no V, just use yellow. A complete wheel is formed randomly with
strings between the fathers card and all other photo cards, and at least a yellow chip on every spoke. |
| 3e | Before you proceed, you need to be certain that you have accurately recorded all uses of V and not missed any. | Now I’d like to check. When fathers talk to photo, they don’t use V. Is that right, or...? | If unsure, repeat steps 3c-3d to clarify if V is used. If no red chips anywhere, confirm no V and go to part 5. For each spoke with no red chip, confirm no V is used in these interactions and then go to step 4a. |
Part 4: Checking vitality of fathers' vernacular
| Step | What you do and why | What you say | What you may observe and do in response |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4a | To clarify the extent of vernacular use of fathers, you first need to make sure that the community are thinking only about V and not other languages. NOTE: do not proceed to 4b until you are certain that the community understand you no longer want them to think about other languages. Make sure they are only focussed on V. | Now we’d like you to think about when fathers use only V. We’d like you to forget about all other languages. Look at the circle. We’re now looking at everything to do with V only. Even if you sometimes use other languages with V, forget about all other languages; we’d like you to think about V only. | Remove spokes with only yellow chips and remove all yellow chips. Remove photos that do not have a spoke. Remove "other language" card. Ultimately, you should still have only photos of people who use V. There should be only spokes with red chips on them remaining. There should be no yellow chips. |
| 4b | To find out who initiates V, ask who uses it. | When fathers talk to photo, who uses V? | If they say both go to step 4c. If they say only one of either fathers or the photo category uses V, go to step 4d. |
| 4c | Offer them the collection of single-headed and double-headed arrows. | If both use V, please put a double-headed arrow on the string. | Volunteer takes arrows and puts double-headed arrow on the string pointing to both fathers and photo. Repeat step 4b with all the other photos randomly leaving the peer photo last (e.g. if fathers, then leave the middle-aged men last). If fathers do use V at some point, this must be a double-headed arrow. If they do not, leave this string blank. When all finished go to step 4e. |
| 4d | Indicate the collection of arrows they are holding. | If only one uses V, please put an single-headed arrow on the string pointing away from the person who uses V. | Volunteer places single-headed arrow on the string pointing away from the initiator of V. Repeat step 4b with all the other photos randomly leaving the peer photo last (e.g. if fathers, then leave the middle-aged men last). If fathers do use V at some point, this must be a double-headed arrow. If they do not, leave this string blank. When all finished go to step 4e. |
| 4e | Once you have check that they understand what the diagram represents ask... | Okay, fathers do/not use V with photo. Is this right? etc. | Community confirm diagram. If they seem unsure, repeat step 4b for any they seem uncertain about. |
Part 5: Checking vitality of language of children/mothers & children
| Check the Wheel of Vitality Decision Tree below as to what step you take next. You will either repeat Parts 3 and 4 with the children photo or with mothers photo and then with children photo. If Part 3 has resulted in no red chips being placed on a string, you will skip Part 4 for that category.
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