Language Revitalization through Arts: Evidence across Media Including Film, Music, and Theatre

Nyiramukama Diana Kashaka

Faculty of Education, Kampala International University, Uganda

                                                                 ABSTRACT
Arts-based initiatives have emerged as significant instruments for language revitalization across diverse communities and cultural contexts worldwide. This study examines the role of film, music, and theatre in supporting endangered and minority languages through culturally grounded and community-driven practices. Evidence from multiple regions demonstrates that artistic expression creates meaningful opportunities for language transmission, strengthens intergenerational communication, increases public awareness of language loss, and fosters community participation in revitalization efforts. The study explores the theoretical foundations of language revitalization, emphasizing the importance of local ownership, cultural continuity, and alignment with everyday social practices. It further analyzes methodological approaches used in evaluating arts-based revitalization programs and identifies key indicators of effectiveness across media forms. Film contributes to revitalization by enhancing language visibility, prestige, and outreach, while music reinforces cultural identity, emotional attachment, and socialization through multilingual and intergenerational engagement. Theatre provides interactive spaces for language learning, community participation, and performance-based transmission that strengthen both linguistic competence and cultural continuity. Comparative analysis reveals that these artistic modes operate in complementary ways: film expands audience reach, music facilitates repeated language use across social settings, and theatre promotes collective participation and immersive learning experiences. Despite increasing interest in arts-based revitalization, significant gaps remain in the evidence base, particularly regarding long-term outcomes, comparative assessment frameworks, and systematic evaluation criteria. The study argues that arts-based approaches represent flexible, culturally resonant, and sustainable mechanisms for revitalization that move beyond classroom-centered models of language instruction. Future research should focus on developing rigorous indicators of effectiveness, documenting community experiences across contexts, and strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration between language revitalization scholars, artists, educators, and policymakers.

Keywords: Language Revitalization, Arts-Based Interventions, Indigenous Languages, Cultural Transmission and Intergenerational Communication.

CITE AS: Nyiramukama Diana Kashaka. (2026). Language Revitalization through Arts: Evidence across Media Including Film, Music, and Theatre. INOSR HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES 12(1): 16- 19. https://doi.org/10.59298/INOSRHSS/2026/121.1619