Unraveling the Mystery of Language: An Interpersonal
Language Learning Demonstration
Presenter: Elizabeth (Betsy) Barbour, Global SKILLS, Ft. Myers, FL
Demonstration time: up to 2 hours
Description: After a brief introduction to the components of language and culture learning, Ms.
Barbour interacts with a mother tongue speaker of a language that she does not know. No shared
language (which both know) is used during the initial elicitation of a small corpus of lexical
items and grammatical structures in the speaker’s language. The presenter then introduces what
she has learned of the language to the audience (in English), with input from the native speaker
when requested. The audience is also invited to offer their interpretations of what they have
learned of the new language. Looking at aspects of the phonetic, phonological, and grammatical
systems as revealed by the data, Ms. Barbour demystifies commonly held beliefs about the
impenetrability or impossibility of language and culture acquisition. She accomplishes this by
demonstrating basic skills and techniques anyone can access to facilitate successful language and
culture learning.
Pioneered by Dr. Kenneth L. Pike, master field linguist (University of Michigan – see
bibliography at http://www-01.sil.org/klp/klp_biblio.htm), this demonstration presents a brief but
broad picture of how language and communication work.
Biographical sketch: Presenter - Elizabeth (Betsy) Barbour
An American with training in field linguistics, Ms. Barbour first arrived in West Africa in 1980.
She completed field orientation in Cameroun (1980), conducted language research, and received
an MA in Côte d’Ivoire (1982). She was then based in Senegal for 25 years working on a variety of
language development programs. Her linguistic work was conducted under the auspices of an
international, non-profit, language development organization (SIL International, www.sil.org)
and the Senegalese government. During her early years with SIL, she had the privilege of
studying under, and later teaching with, Dr. Kenneth L. Pike.
Ms. Barbour’s specializations in the general domain of autonomous, non-traditional learning
include strategic planning leading to integrated language program administration and assessment
through onsite and distance coaching. She has worked with all age and proficiency levels, from
managing multiple language projects with adult learners to homeschooling her two sons for
fourteen years, including working with various cooperative non-traditional education programs.
Having retired from SIL after 33 years, she started her own consulting firm, Global SKILLs, in
2009. In addition to several US-based projects, she is currently working with clients in West and
North Africa. She also has a keen interest in how language and culture acquisition tie into
sustainable economic development and conservation, and has worked closely with several
national and international efforts for the protection of Senegal’s fragile environment.
For more information, please contact Betsy Barbour at betsy.barbour@gmail.com or visit her
website at global-skills-partners.com