Tsotsil bats’i k’op in Ts’omolton, Chalchihuitán: monolingualism, identity and education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31391/JRGE4412Keywords:
bats'ik'op tsotsil, identity, indigenous educationAbstract
This article analyzes the symbolic system represented by bats’ik’op (“true” or “authentic” language, used to refer to Tsotsil and Tseltal) in the construction of identity among Tsotsil students in the community of Ts’omolton, municipality of Chalchihuitán, Chiapas. The study focuses on a monolingual community where language constitutes a highly valued identity marker. The objective is to examine the linguistic situation of the students and to understand the system of identity representation that language provides to its speakers. From an ethnographic perspective, the study seeks to capture the link between language and identity in the primary school context. The research is grounded in historical and sociopolitical processes that have strengthened Tsotsil identity in Chalchihuitán. It shows how local circumstances have contributed to preserving linguistic identity, as well as the debates surrounding the relevance of Tsotsil as the language of instruction. Among the findings, it is identified that the expulsion of Spanish speakers, isolation from urban influence, and the persistence of Tsotsil use within the community have helped prevent threats to its original linguistic identity.
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