Development and initial validation of a yes/no vocabulary test for North Sámi

Abstract

Abstract This paper accounts for the development and initial validation of a yes/no vocabulary test of North Sámi called North Sámi Vocabulary Test (NSVT). North Sámi (NS) is an Indigenous language spoken in northern Scandinavia. Being an endangered language, NS is in need of revitalisation efforts. One contribution is the provision of proficiency assessment tools. We administered a 75-item NSVT version (50 real verbs and 25 pseudoverbs) to users of North Sámi in Sweden and Norway (N = 289). Evidence of high item- and person-based reliability and separation indices were observed, as well as support for a number of validity facets. High correlations existed between NSVT scores and self-reported and rated spoken proficiency. The NSVT provides quick and reliable assessment of vocabulary knowledge and an indication of overall language proficiency in North Sámi.