What we do

C hamorro Linguistics International Network (CHiN) provides a forum for all those scholars who take an interest in the Chamorro language. CHiN aims at facilitating the exchange of ideas among the members of the world-wide community of linguists studying Chamorro. The network is designed to make it easier for specialists and amateurs of Chamorro to combine their efforts in joint projects. CHiN will contribute to establishing Chamorro Studies as an academic discipline also outside the Marianas. It encourages and welcomes projects in the realm of descriptive linguistics, historical linguistics, language-contact studies, socio-linguistics, language policy, language revitalisation and language planning and many more fields of linguistic interest. Moreover, CHiN will also promote Chamorro literacy (original texts as well as translations). To this end, a new book series (“Chamorrica”) will be created soon with a publisher in Germany.

CHiN does not intend to interfere with the on-going internal debate about the proper form and position of Chamorro on Guam and the Northern Marianas. However, CHiN is ready to meet the request of the Chamorro speech-community to help if action – be it linguistic or political – is called for.