Håfa adai yan Tirow! This blog is dedicated to sharing digital learning materials for the Chamorro language. Everything I post is designed to be a complete, asynchronous learning resource so that anyone, anywhere, at any level can learn the language. Each post includes Chamorro audio files that are available for you to download. All resources here also support our weekly, Chamorro language practice groups so that everyone can study along!
More about me
My name is Schyuler Lujan and I started this blog to document my Chamorro language learning journey and organize the content I’m learning. I started learning in April 2020 and am proud to say that the Chamorro language is now a daily part of my life. However, I am and always will be learning this beautiful, musical language of our people.
I created this blog because I wanted a better way to store, organize and easily access the content I was learning. I like to think of this blog as my digital, Chamorro language-learning notebook. On this blog you will find my language learning notes about grammar and sentence structure, vocabulary and phrase lists, links to online resources, and study-tips. I also like to re-share songs, stories, interviews and other content from native or near-native speakers because I’ve found that studying the language as it comes from our elders is the best way to immerse ourselves in the language and learn.
Although I started this blog for myself, I hope it can help any of you who are wanting to learn the Chamorro language. I also apologize in advance for any mistakes I make and try to keep my posts updated with any feedback I receive! Please make sure you cross-reference with the native speakers or highly fluent speakes in your life if you are unsure about anything. I also welcome comments and feedback from those of you who are more knowledgeable than me. Si Yu’os Ma’ase 🙂
My background with the language
I am from Tacoma, WA and was born and raised in the States. There was practically no Chamorro spoken in my home while growing up, despite being raised by my grandmother who was a native speaker. When I started learning Chamorro as an adult, I knew nothing. I could not understand any spoken Chamorro, the language was not in my head, and I did not know the sounds of the language.
Since starting in 2020, 95% of my learning has happened while living in the States, mostly with other learners or speakers who also live in the States. But my journey to get where I am was rough. In 2020 I started learning in a weekly online class, but left after a few months due to harmful experiences with a mentor from that space, and I almost quit learning Chamorro. And at first, I felt too afraid to leave that class because it seemed to be my only way to learn the language. But the internet and an amazing community of fellow-learners and speakers proved me wrong! Since leaving that space, I’ve used a combination of self-study and group study approaches to support my learning and deepen my ability and knowledge.
My self-study methods are informed by the online polyglot community – many of them learn languages to a high proficiency without leaving their home countries, and they have a deep understanding of the learner experience since they are also language learners. For myself, their advice, approaches, tools and techniques actually work, bringing a more modern, technology and data-driven approach to learning Chamorro that centers around how learners actually learn languages.
For group study, I am fortunate to have an amazing group of learners and speakers that I study with on a regular basis. We’ve been meeting weekly on Zoom for the past 3 years to practice together, and we also have groups in WhatsApp and Marco Polo where we text each other or send video messages in Chamorro, sharing our thoughts and asking questions. The songs and stories I share on this blog are materials that we use in our study groups. With my friends, the Chamorro language comes to life, and also becomes my own.
Although it’s not an easy task to learn Chamorro because of the scarcity of modern tools and lack of quality support for adult learners, the last few years taught me that living in the Mariana Islands is not a requirement to learn Chamorro to a high level. Living in the Mariana Islands does not guarantee that you will become fluent in Chamorro, and living in the States does not preclude you from it, either.
And because I know how hard it can be to learn Chamorro, I am committed to sharing all of my notes and learning materials on this blog. In this, I feel inspired by my background in analytics – I’ve benefitted so much from so many people in the world I will never meet, who have shared their knowledge in tutorials, forums, blogs, guides, asynchronous courses, books, etc. In that same spirit that has done so much for me professionally, I want to carry that forward with the Chamorro language here, on this blog. I hope that Chamorro language learners everywhere will know and feel the language to be within reach, regardless of where they live or how busy life gets. No matter where we are, no matter our starting ability, we can learn Chamorro. We really can 🙂
A note of gratitude
To get where I am today in my language knowledge and ability, I owe so much to so many people, near and far, past and present, who have given me and our people so much because they have created content in the Chamorro language and decided to share it with the world. The work of educators, language nerds, singers and songwriters, storytellers, cultural practitioners, academics, researchers, priests, dreamers, and activists have all enabled me to learn Chamorro – even though I have not met the majority of them! I am also increasingly grateful to the speakers in my life who, with great love, guide my learning and correct my (at times hilariously embarrassing!) mistakes.
And to my fellow language learners and study buddies – thank-you for being on this journey together. It would be so much more depressing, and definitely way less fun, without all of you. Hu guaiya hamyo.
Shoutout to my narrator
Here’s my special shoutout to Jay Che’le. He is the voice behind the stories I post on this blog, the facilitator of our Saturday evening sessions, and an invaluable source of knowledge and support for our study groups. He started learning Chamorro in high school by listening to Chamorro music, and eventually became fluent with support from family and his friend group from Tinian and Saipan. His sense of humor ensures that we have fun and don’t take ourselves too seriously, while his genuine love for the Chamorro language pushes us to improve.
On a personal note, Jay has been my number one cheerleader on my language learning journey these last few years. When I thought about quitting back in 2020, and whenever I doubted my ability to learn or improve, he gently encouraged me to continue and to believe in myself. My Chamorro wouldn’t be what it is today without him 🙂
Lengguahi-ta 