ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the Yugtun language. Sociolinguistic descriptions and general approaches usually focus on language utterances and the analysis thereof in correlation with well-known social factors, such as age, gender and class. The chapter presents the education as a sociolinguistic factor, particularly the conflicting educational ideologies between the community and the dominant, Western culture. It describes the way to incorporate sociolinguistic information in determining who 'speaks' Yutan. The Yup'ik educational framework of using Yugtun as a medium keeps the language maintenance strong in the community. The chapter explains the village autonomy as well as the role of the individual in the community, the role of elders and leadership, life orientation, ceremony and rituals. The language revitalization process is successful in the community because children and their collaborators speak Yugtun fluently and they still can communicate with elders and local experts efficiently.
