Chess Redesign for Tlingit Language Learning. Created at the University of California, Davis while learning Tlingit, my great-grandmother's heritage language.
Concept
Aawahein is a Tlingit language learning tool by way of positive reinforcement, interactive learning, and conversational gameplay with
yoo x̱atánk x̱ooní, or language partner. The purpose of Aawahein is to bridge the gap between the familiar and unfamiliar by using a recognizable game – chess – and using it as a conduit for knowledge.
Process + Final Design
This product was developed while taking Indigenous Language Revitalization at the University of California, Davis. The majority of this course was independent study on a dying language of your choosing. I chose to take this course to familiarize myself with my matrilineal line's heritage language, Tlingit. The final for this course was to design a lesson plan for your language's revitalization. I chose to create an interactive lesson.
I first identified my audience as English speakers residing within the United States. By adapting a Western game, I was able to conceptualize the appropriate learning path of someone that is familiar with English linguistics.
The game was then adapted to a new language learner. I focused on animal, direction, and size vocabulary. With knowledge on the cultural aspects of the Tlingit language, I decided to rename the black and white teams. Black was now Yeil, or Raven clan, and white was Ch'aak, or Eagle clan. I then simplified the game to adapt to direction and size terms, establishing three heights of pieces and five directional terms. These terms are readily available for the learners to reference in the instruction manual. Within the instruction manual I have translated common Tlingit sounds into English sounds, as well as incorporated conversational phrases for use between turns.
Aawahein is translated to "claimed" in the English language, and is used in place of "checkmate".
The goal of this product is to teach through positive reinforcement, and therefore there is no point system associated with language recall. Rather, the learners are meant to support one another in their learning as they build a relationship with the Tlingit language through movement and repetition.
