Kaska language socialization, acquisition and shift Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Meek, Barbra Allyn Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 06/10/2021 22:38:22 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/290390 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has t)een reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter foce, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Ml 48106-1346 USA 800-S21-0600 KASKA LANGUAGE SOCIALIZATION, ACQUISITION AND SHIFT by Barbra Allyn Meek A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the JOINT DEGREE IN ANTHROPOLOGY AND LINGUISTICS In Partial Fulfilhnent of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 200 I UMI Number 3023484 UMI_J® UMI Microform 3023484 Copyright 2001 by Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. Bell & Howell Information and Leaming Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA « GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee. «e certify that we have read the dissertation prepared by Barbra A. Meek entitled Kaska Language Soctalization. Acquisition and Shift and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Jane H. Hill ^ Date^ ljlQ J2L±J_0J_ Mary Willie^ Date Susan/^IJ^ps ai Ceclle McKeeJ Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under ay direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. Dissertation Director jane H. Hill l>»te 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertadon has been sabmitted in partial fidfiUment of requiiements for an advanced degree at The UniversiQr of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to bixrowers under rules of the Lihtary. Brief quotations finrn this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement ofsource is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in wtole or in part may be granted by the head of the major department or the Dean of the Graduate College ^en in his or herjudgment the propo^ use ofthe material is in Ae interests of scholarship, hi all other instances, however, permission must be obtained from the author. SKSNED:^^^ , ^ 7^^./ 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I gratefully acknowledge sqipoit fiom the following: the National bstitute for General and Medical Sciences, the Wenner-Gien Foundation for Anthropological Research, the Social and Bdiavioral Sciences Research bistitute (the University of Arizona^ the Northern Research Institute (Whitehorse, YT.), the Departments of Anthropology and Linguistics (the University of Arizoiia) awl the Department of Anthropology (the University of A^chigan. lalsoi^ipreciatediesi^portoftheKaska Tribal Council, Liard First Nation, and Aboriginal Language Services. Special thanks go to the directors of Aboriginal Language Services, Mike Smith and Lesley Carbeny; to the director of Liard First Nation's Aboriginal Head Start program, Olive Cochrane; to the coordinators of the Kaska languid woricshops, Patrick Moore and ^^e Skidmore; to Jeannette Poyton, Linda McDonald and Ann ^yne; to the Kaska Elders and the fionilies who asasted with this research. I am also grateful to my friends and colleagues who have helped me through diis process, eq)eciaUy: J. Dickmson, Rosemary Emery, Amy Fountain, Karen Hebert, Sean Hendricks, Judy Irvine, Webb Keane, Alaina Len^ Bruce Mannheim, Andrea Massar, Laura MoU, Meghan ODcnmell, DiaM Riskedahl, TaniaZamuner and the linguistic anthropology lab participants and the staff at the University of Michigan. Iparticulariy wi^ to thank Nbs. Leda Jules, Aggie Magun, Mrs. Eileen Van Bibber a^ Mrs. Alice Brodhagen for their (continuing) patience, love and wisdom. I also wish to thank my committee, Jane Hill, Cecile McKee, Susan Philips and Mary Willie, for their knowledge, encouragement and enthusiasm. Finally, I wish to thanic Jerry and Addie for their understanding, reassurance, love and inspiration. 5 To my parents and grandparents 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS UST OF E.LUSTRATIONS 8 LIST OF TABLES 9 ABSTRACT 10 1. INTRODUCTION 12 Motivations for Reseaich Methods 18 Aboriginal Languages of the Yukon Tenitory 21 Description of Research Project 2A Overview of Dissertation 33 2. SHIFTING CONTEXTS. SHIFTING LANGUAGES 37 Geogrqihical Context 37 Demogtaidiic Context .40 Historical Context .45 Discussion 58 Changing Political Conditions 60 Changing Economic Conditions 63 Summary 69 3. SITUATING KASKA IN EVERYDAY LIFE 71 Language Choice in Media 73 Language Choice: Kaska Contexts 76 A Day in the Life (of aChild) .79 Morning: A Home Settmg 79 An Elementary School Setting 81 A Preschool Setting 87 Evening: A Home Setting. 92 Kaska Language Woricshops 95 Summary 97 4. THE STRUCTURE OF KASKA 100 Litroduction 100 A Brief Kaska Grammar. 104 Kaska Verb Complex 108 Kaska Word Order. 119 Kaska CbssificatoryHandlmg Verbs 128 Summary. 141 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS - Continued 5. PATTERNS OF KASKA AND ENGLISH LANGUAGE USE 143 Children's Discourse 145 Child-directed Discomse. 154 A Conqparison of Child-directed and AduH-directed Utterances 170 Adult-directed Discourse 173 A Comparison of Kaska Verb Forms across Speech 183 Summary of Language Use Patterns across Speakers 187 Summary 191 6. IDEOLOGY AND KASKA LANGUAGE SHIFT 193 Knowledge, Audiority and the Role of Elders 197 DeneA'Nezen 200 The Impact of A'i on Language Choice 206 hiteractionData: Kaska Language Use bdexes Status 207 Practicing Rennet, Learning Kaska 213 Summary 217 7. CONCLUSION 219 APPENDDC A: LIST OF ACRONYMS 233 APPENDK B: GRAMMATICAL ABBREVIATIONS 234 APPENDDC C: LIST OF PSEUDONYMS 235 APPENDK D: TRANSCRIPTION NOTATION 237 REFERENCES 238 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRAHONS HGURE 1.1: Map of Canada 25 FIGURE 1.2: Map of the Yukon Teiritoty 26 9 LIST OF TABLES TABLE l.l: Distribution of Aboriginal Languages across some Yukon Communities 23 TABLE 2.1: First Nations Population Comparison 41 TABLE 2.2: Kaska Language Distribution for the Watson Lake area 43 TABLE 2.3: Comparison of Percentages of Aboriginal Language Acquisition 44 TABLE 2.4: Distribution of Employment by Sex 66 TABLE 2.5: Distribution of Employment across Employers 66 TABLE 2.6: Overall Distribution of Employment 67 TABLE 4.1a: Kaska Phonological Inventory: Consonants 105 TABLE 4.1b: Kaska Phonological Inventory: Vowels 105 TABLE 4.2: A List of Some Athabaskan Verb Research 107 TABLE 4.3: Kaska Verb Prefix Classes 109 TABLE 4.4: Organization of Word Order Section 119 TABLE 4.5: Semantic Features of Classificatory Verbs across some Athabaskan Languages 131 TABLE 4.6: Classificatory Verb Roots across some Athabaskan Languages 133 TABLE 4.7: Kaska Verb Stems and Corresponding Objects 135 TABLE 5.1: Kaska Verb Stems across Child- and Adult-directed Speech 184 10 ABSTRACT Languags maintenance and le-cieation are burning issues for many indigenous communities around tiie world. Child language acquisiti(m and socialization aie processes integral to understanding these issues, bi order to design realistic language re­ creation projects, research must first address the many fintors impacting the acquisition and maintenance ofa language by children. This dissertation shows how different contexts, historical, environmental, interactional, relate to Kaska language socialization and acquisition. Kaska is aNorthem Athabaskan language ^ken in the Yukon Territory (Canada). In particular, it shows how the shift fiom Kaska being a language of everyday communication to one associated with authority and respect constrains children's Kaska production. To examine this shift, a combination of linguistic and ethnographic methods are used. Linguistic description identifies the grammaticai structures