DOCSLIB.ORG

Translation and Multilingualism in Development Work

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Translation and Multilingualism in Development Work SIEGMUND Kerstin, BSc Translation and Multilingualism in Development Work. Evaluating the Presence of Indigenous Languages in the Planning Process of Development Projects Masterarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Master of Arts in der Studienrichtung Global Studies Eingereicht an der Umwelt-, Regional- und Bildungswissenschaftlichen Fakultät Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz Gutachterin: PENZ, Hermine, Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr.phil. Institut für Anglistik 2021 Acknowledgements I would like to thank Prof. Penz for her inspiring teaching, her time, patience, guidance and support, and for introducing me to the field of ecolinguistics. I wish to express my gratitude and acknowledgement to all the authors of the works consulted for this thesis. I would also like to thank my partner, my family and my friends for their unwavering support during the writing of this thesis. My special thanks goes to my grandmother, who was not able to see the finished version of this thesis but has supported me so much through my studies. 2 Table of contents List of Figures 5 Abbreviations 6 1 Introduction 9 1.1 Problem statement 9 1.2 Currency and relevance of the research 10 1.3 Structure of the thesis 11 1.4 Literature review 12 1.4.1 Translation and multilingualism in development work 12 1.4.2 Relevance of Indigenous languages in development projects 15 1.5 Aim of the study 17 1.6 Research question 17 2 Conceptualisation, methods, methodology 18 2.1 Conceptualisation 18 2.1.1 Indigenous peoples 18 2.1.2 Language 19 2.1.3 Multilingualism 21 2.1.4 Development 21 2.1.5 Participation 24 2.1.6 Translation 24 2.2 Methodology and methods 24 2.2.1 Using discourse analysis to evaluate the presence of Indigenous languages and perspectives in development projects 25 2.2.2 Brief background on the case studies 31 2.2.3 Defining a framework for the discourse analysis 33 2.2.3.1 Language awareness and availability of project communication and information in Indigenous languages 35 2.2.3.2 Use of Indigenous language terminology 37 2.2.3.3 References to Indigenous languages and perspectives 39 2.2.3.4 Reflection of Indigenous worldviews and concepts in the language used 40 2.2.4 Online searches for translations of the SDGs into Indigenous languages 43 2.3 Ethical considerations and limitations 44 3 3 Translation and multilingualism in development work 45 3.1 Background on translation and multilingualism in development work 45 3.1.1 EU on translation and multilingualism in development work 47 3.1.2 UN on translation and multilingualism in development work 50 3.2 The relevance of Indigenous languages in development work 52 3.2.1 Indigenous rights 52 3.2.2 Indigenous preferences 56 3.2.3 Indigenous knowledges and perspectives: an ecolinguistic lens on development 59 3.3 Indigenous languages and the SDGs 65 3.3.1 Background on the SDGs 65 3.3.2 Translations of the SDGs into Indigenous languages 67 3.3.3 Presence of Indigenous languages and perspectives in the SDGs 71 4 Case studies showing the presence of Indigenous languages in development projects 83 4.1 Case study Australia: Yugul Mangi Faiya En Sisen Kelenda 83 4.2 Case study Europe: the website of the Laponia World Heritage Site 97 5 Discussion 111 6 Conclusions 121 7 List of References 124 Appendix: Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 167 4 List of Figures Figure 1. Yugul Mangi Faiya En Sisen Kelenda (Yugul Mangi Fire and Season Calendar) (McKemey et al. 2019: 1).. .................................................................................................. 89 Figure 2. Biocultural indicators August. (McKemey et al. 2019: 1).. ................................ 92 Figure 3. Biocultural indicators dry season – right time for burning. (McKemey et al. 2019: 1). ............................................................................................................................... 94 5 Abbreviations 2030 Agenda 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development AAAA Addis Ababa Action Agenda ABA Arctic Biodiversity Assessment AHRC Australian Human Rights Commission AIATSIS Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies AIPP Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact ALA Atlas of Living Australia ANU Australian National University ARC Australian Research Council ATD Fourth World All Together in Dignity Fourth World ATSISJC Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner CBO Community-Based Organisation CDA Critical Discourse Analysis CoE Council of Europe CSIRO Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation EC European Commission ECML European Centre for Modern Languages ECOSOC United Nations Economic and Social Council ECRML European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages EEAS European External Action Service EPRS European Parliamentary Research Service EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FCNM Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities FIT Fédération Internationale des Traducteurs / International Federation of Translators 6 FPIC Free, prior and informed consent GEO Global Environment Outlook IDIL International Decade of Indigenous Languages IEF Indigenous Education Foundation ILO International Labour Organization INGO International non-governmental organisation INPI Instituto Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas [National Institute of Indigenous Peoples] INTRAC International NGO Training and Research Centre IPA Indigenous Protected Area IPBES Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change IPMG Indigenous Peoples’ Major Group for Sustainable Development IWGIA International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs IYIL2019 2019 International Year of Indigenous Languages LIANZA Library and Information Association of New Zealand Aotearoa MDGs Millennium Development Goals NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NLP National Language Policy NRCS Natural Resources Conservation Service NT Northern Territory OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights 7 OWG Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals PAME Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment PDA Positive Discourse Analysis SDGAC United Nations SDG Action Campaign SDG(s) Sustainable Development Goal(s) SDWG Sustainable Development Working Group SEAL IPA South East Arnhem Land Indigenous Protected Area SNAICC Secretariat of National Aboriginal and Islander Child Care UK United Kingdom UN United Nations UNDP United Nations Development Programme UNDRIP United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples UNE University of New England UNEP UN Environment Programme UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization UNGA United Nations General Assembly UNIC United Nations Information Centres UNPFII United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues UNRCO United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office UNRIC United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe UNV United Nations Volunteers WA Western Australia WCED World Commission on Environment and Development WHS World Heritage Site 8 1 Introduction 1.1 Problem statement In recent years, there has been an increased awareness of linguistic diversity and the role that language plays in development work (cf. Marinotti 2017: 2; Schultz et al. 2016: 36; The Congress of Local and Regional Authorities 2010: 1; United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO] 2017: Online; UNESCO 2018: 4). There has also been more awareness of Indigenous languages and the need for effective participation of Indigenous peoples in development projects (cf. Campbell 2019: Online; Indigenous Peoples Major Group for Sustainable Development [IPMG] 2019: 2; Lawrence & Larsen 2019: 5; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [OECD] 2019: 21; Schultz et al. 2016: 117). However, in practice, Indigenous languages and perspectives have been largely excluded from the planning of development projects, including in the formulation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (DeLuca 2017: 28-29; Footitt et al. 2018: 27; Taylor-Leech & Benson 2017: 342-346). Cristina Diez, the United Nations (UN) representative of All Together in Dignity Fourth World (ATD Fourth World), for example, “highlighted that 99% of negotiations on the SDGs were done in English, and 100% of negotiation outcomes were written in English” (Tesseur 2017: Online). The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (2030 Agenda) was adopted by the UN in 2015 and includes 17 so-called Sustainable Development Goals or SDGs, which are meant to be universal and should be achieved through global partnerships (United Nations General Assembly [UNGA] 2015b: 1). These goals are aimed at creating a better world for all, through such measures as eradicating poverty, protecting biodiversity, ensuring gender equality, tackling climate change and addressing other important global matters (UNGA 2015b: 14). A central theme of the 2030 Agenda is the motto ‘that no one will be left behind’ (UNGA 2015b: 1). Those who often have been and still often are left behind are so-called vulnerable groups of people, such as women, children, minority groups and Indigenous peoples (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP] 2018: 7). As such, Indigenous peoples would also be among those benefiting the most from the realisation of the SDGs (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [OHCHR] & United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues [UNPFII] 2017: 2; IPMG 2019: 2). At the same
Load more

Recommended publications
  • On Numeral Complexity in Hunter-Gatherer Languages
    On numeral complexity in hunter-gatherer languages PATIENCE EPPS, CLAIRE BOWERN, CYNTHIA A. HANSEN, JANE H. HILL, and JASON ZENTZ Abstract Numerals vary extensively across the world’s languages, ranging from no pre- cise numeral terms to practically infinite limits. Particularly of interest is the category of “small” or low-limit numeral systems; these are often associated with hunter-gatherer groups, but this connection has not yet been demonstrated by a systematic study. Here we present the results of a wide-scale survey of hunter-gatherer numerals. We compare these to agriculturalist languages in the same regions, and consider them against the broader typological backdrop of contemporary numeral systems in the world’s languages. We find that cor- relations with subsistence pattern are relatively weak, but that numeral trends are clearly areal. Keywords: borrowing, hunter-gatherers, linguistic area, number systems, nu- merals 1. Introduction Numerals are intriguing as a linguistic category: they are lexical elements on the one hand, but on the other they are effectively grammatical in that they may involve a generative system to derive higher values, and they interact with grammatical systems of quantification. Numeral systems are particularly note- worthy for their considerable crosslinguistic variation, such that languages may range from having no precise numeral terms at all to having systems whose limits are practically infinite. As Andersen (2005: 26) points out, numerals are thus a “liminal” linguistic category that is subject to cultural elaboration. Recent work has called attention to this variation among numeral systems, particularly with reference to systems having very low limits (for example, see Evans & Levinson 2009, D.
    [Show full text]
  • Sacha Runa Research Foundatior
    u-Cultural Survival inc. and Sacha Runa Research Foundatior ART, KNOWLEDGE AND HEALTH Dorothea S. Whitten and Norman E. Whitten, Jr. January 1985 17 r.ultural Survival is a non-profit organization founded in 1972. It is concerned with the fate of eth.. nic minorities and indigenous people throughout the world. Some of these groups face physical ex­ tinction, for they are seen as impediments to 'development' or 'progress'. For others the destruction is more subtle. If they are not annihilated or swallowed up by the governing majority, they are often decimated by newly introduced diseases and denied their self-determination. They normally are deprived of their lands and their means of livelihood and forced 'o adapt to a dominant society, whose language they may not speak, without possessing the educational, technical, or other skills necessary to make such an adaptation. They therefore are likely to experience permanent poverty, political marginality and cultural alienation. Cultural Survival is thus concerned with human rights issues related to economic development. The organization searches for alternative solutions and works to put those solutions into effect. This involves documenting the destructive aspects of certain types of development and describing alter­ native, culturally sensitive development projects. Publications, such as the Newsletter and the Special Reports, as well as this Occasional Paper series, are designed to satisfy this need. All papers are intended for a general public as well as for specialized readers, in the hope that the reports will provide basic information as well as research documents for professional work. Cultural Survival's quarterly Newsletter, first published in 1976, documents urgent problems fac­ ing ethnic minorities and indigenous peoples throughout the world, and publicizes violent infringe­ ments of human rights as well as more subtle but equally disruptive processes.
    [Show full text]
  • “Our Land Is Not for Sale!” Contesting Oil and Translating Environmental Politics in Amazonian Ecuador by Casey High University of Edinburgh RESUMEN
    Edinburgh Research Explorer “Our land is not for sale!” Citation for published version: High, C 2020, '“Our land is not for sale!”: Contesting oil and translating environmental politics in Amazonian Ecuador', Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.1111/jlca.12494 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1111/jlca.12494 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Published In: Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Anthropology General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 31. Jul. 2020 “Our Land Is Not for Sale!” Contesting Oil and Translating Environmental Politics in Amazonian Ecuador By Casey High University of Edinburgh RESUMEN En abril de 2019 el pueblo Waorani en la Amazonía ecuatoriana ganó una batalla le- gal contra planes de vender concesiones petroleras en su territorio indígena. En este artículo analizo sus relaciones con petróleo como parte de un emergente “middle ground” politico que se caracteriza por hombres Waorani trabajando en las empre- sas petroleras y nuevas alianzas contra la extracción de petróleo.
    [Show full text]
  • Political Representation for Indigenous Peoples in the Andes
    City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works Dissertations and Theses City College of New York 2020 Political Representation for Indigenous Peoples in the Andes Jessica Yepez CUNY City College How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/829 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Political Representation for Indigenous Peoples in the Andes Jessica Yepez May 2020 Master’s Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of International Affairs at the City College of New York COLIN POWELL SCHOOL FOR CIVIC AND GLOBAL LEADERSHIP Advisor: Jean Krasno Second Reader: Sherrie Baver Yepez 1 Table of Contents Abstract 3 Chapter One: Introduction 4 Chapter Two: Literature Review 8 Chapter Three: Ecuador 15 Chapter Four: Bolivia 23 Chapter Five: Ecuador and Bolivia, A Comparison 32 Chapter Six: Conclusion 46 Bibliography 47 Yepez 2 Abstract For years, there has been a lack of representation for indigenous peoples in communities, and most importantly in parliament. This is a very common trait in the South American Andes, which houses the largest number of indigenous groups in the continent. This thesis focuses on Ecuador and Bolivia due to their indigenous population and their history, or lack thereof, with indigenous people in parliament. For my hypothesis, I argue that parliamentary representation of indigenous peoples, can help ensure that their rights are protected, and their unique interests are heard and translated into relevant policies, while at the same time preventing conflict.
    [Show full text]
  • Abstracts: Critical Language Research
    ‘Critical Language Research: Applied Linguistic and Anthropological Approaches’ Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) / School of Modern Languages Newcastle University Friday 25 October 2019 Abstracts Key note: Translanguaging in the City Adrian Blackledge and Angela Creese, University of Stirling This presentation reports outcomes of a research project which investigates everyday communicative practice in a superdiverse UK city. The Arts and Humanities Research Council-funded project, Translation and Translanguaging. Investigating Cultural and Linguistic Transformations in Superdiverse Wards in Four UK Cities generates new knowledge about how people communicate in changing urban spaces. The research team conducted detailed linguistic ethnographic studies in sixteen public settings across four cities, and built up a comprehensive account of the means by which people make meaning in migration and post-migration contexts. Research sites included a busy city market, cosmopolitan corner shops, public libraries, community centres, advice and advocacy offices, and sports clubs. Researchers wrote field notes, audio-recorded and video- recorded participants in interaction, took photographs, collected digital and online posts, conducted interviews, and made recordings in domestic and social settings. Analysis of data demonstrated that when people bring into interaction different biographies, histories, and trajectories, they often ‘translanguage’. That is, they deploy whatever resources are available to them in that time and
    [Show full text]
  • Genomic and Climatic Effects on Human Crania from South America: a Comparative
    Genomic and Climatic Effects on Human Crania from South America: A Comparative Microevolutionary Approach Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Brianne C. Herrera, M.A. Graduate Program in Anthropology The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee Mark Hubbe, Advisor Clark Spencer Larsen Debbie Guatelli-Steinberg Jeffrey McKee Copyrighted by Brianne C. Herrera 2019 Abstract Cranial morphology has been widely used to estimate phylogenetic relationships among and between populations. When compared against genetic data, however, discrepancies arise in terms of population affinity and effects of microevolutionary processes. These discrepancies are particularly apparent in studies of the human dispersion to the New World. Despite the apparent discrepancies, research has thus far been limited in scope when analyzing the relationship between the cranial morphology and genetic markers. This dissertation aimed to fill this void in research by providing a necessary broad comparative approach, incorporating 3D morphological and climate data, mtDNA, and Y-chromosome DNA from South America. The combination of these data types allows for a more complete comparative analysis of microevolutionary processes. Correlations between these different data types allow for the assessment their relatedness, while quantitatively testing microevolutionary models permit determining the congruence of these different data types. I asked the following research questions: 1) how consistent are the patterns of population affinity when comparing different regions of the crania to each type of DNA for populations in South America? 2) If they are not consistent, why not? How are different evolutionary forces affecting the affinities between them? Collectively, both the cranial and genetic data demonstrated patterns of isolation-by-distance when viewed from a continent-wide scale.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Movements As Source of Constitutional Law: The
    SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AS SOURCE OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: THE CASE OF THE INDIGENOUS MOVEMENT IN PLURINATIONAL STATE OF ECUADOR A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of the Science of Law by David Alberto Cordero Heredia December 2018 © 2018 David Alberto Cordero Heredia SOCIAL MOVEMENTS AS SOURCE OF CONSTITUTIONAL LAW: THE CASE OF THE INDIGENOUS MOVEMENT IN PLURINATIONAL STATE OF ECUADOR David Alberto Cordero Heredia, J.S.D. Cornell University 2018 ABSTRACT In 2008, a new Constitution of Ecuador was enacted with a novel definition of the state as “plurinational.” The plurinational state is a concept created and widely discussed inside the CONAIE (the most prominent indigenous peoples social movement); one of the most successful social movement in Latin America in conventional and contentious politics. This dissertation is a demosprudential study of the plurinational state for it underlines how the modern Ecuadorian indigenous social movements were sources of the Constitution and the law. This dissertation tries to answer why one of the most successful social movement in Latin America (regarding legal reform) has not achieved significant effectiveness in the implementation of their interpretations of the law? To achieve that goal, the first part will show how autonomy and self-determination has been the interpretation of justice if indigenous peoples in Ecuador since the clash with the Spaniards colonizers, how that interpretation took the form of the idea of the plurinational state, and the way that that concept followed from the movement to the text of the Constitution.
    [Show full text]
  • Raoul Zamponi
    DOI: 10.26346/1120-2726-112 First-person n and second-person m in Native America: a fresh look Raoul Zamponi Macerata, Italy <[email protected]> Appendix A: Tables 1-8 Table 1. Reconstructed proto-languages of American language families FAMILY REFERENCE(S) NOTES Algic Proulx (1984, 1985, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2004) Arawakan Matteson (1972), Payne (1991) Arawan Dixon (2004) Athabaskan-Eyak-Tlingit Leer (2010), Nikolaev (2014) Aymaran Emlen (2017) Cf. Hardman (1978) for the reconstruction of various personal designators of Proto-Aymaran. Barbacoan Curnow & Liddicoat (1998) Boran Seifart & Echeverri (2015) Bororoan Camargos (2013) Caddoan Taylor 1963 Cariban Girard (1971a) Meira (2002) is specifically dedicated to the reconstruction of the Proto- Cariban personal pronouns. Gildea (1998) presents the reconstruction of the Proto- Cariban personal markers used with nouns and verbs. Chapakuran Angenot-de Lima (1997) Chibchan Wheeler (1972), Constenla Umaña (1981), Holt (1986) Chimakuan Powell (1974) Chocoan Constenla Umaña & Margery Peña (1991) Chumashan Klar (1977) Guahiboan Christian & Matteson (1972) Guaicuruan Viegas Barros (2013a) Huavean Suárez (1975) Huitotoan Aschmann (1993) Italian Journal of Linguistics, 29.2 (2017) Online appendix (received March 2017) Raoul Zamponi Iroquoian Julian (2010) Jicaquean Campbell & Otrogge (1980) Kakua-Nukak Epps & Bolaños (2017) Kalapuyan Shipley (1970) Kamakanan Martins (2007) Keresan Miller & Davis (1963) Kiowa-Tanoan Hale (1967), Sutton (2014) Lencan Arguedas Cortés (1988) Maiduan Ultan (1964) Cf.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecuador's Yasunı Biosphere Reserve: a Brief Modern History and Conservation Challenges
    IOP PUBLISHING ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS Environ. Res. Lett. 4 (2009) 034005 (15pp) doi:10.1088/1748-9326/4/3/034005 Ecuador’s Yasun´ı Biosphere Reserve: a brief modern history and conservation challenges Matt Finer1,6, Varsha Vijay2, Fernando Ponce3, Clinton N Jenkins2,4 and Ted R Kahn5 1 Save America’s Forests, Washington, DC, USA 2 Duke University, Durham, NC, USA 3 Ciudadanos por la Democracia, Quito, Ecuador 4 Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA 5 Neotropical Conservation Foundation, Washington, DC, USA E-mail: [email protected] Received 3 June 2009 Accepted for publication 14 July 2009 Published 24 August 2009 Online at stacks.iop.org/ERL/4/034005 Abstract Ecuador’s Yasun´ı Man and the Biosphere Reserve—located at the intersection of the Amazon, the Andes mountains, and the equator—is home to extraordinary biodiversity and a recently contacted Amazonian indigenous group known as the Waorani (or Huaorani). Relatives of the Waorani, the Tagaeri and Taromenane, still live in voluntary isolation deep in the reserve, with no peaceful contact with the outside world. The Yasun´ı Biosphere Reserve also sits atop large reserves of crude oil, Ecuador’s chief export, and contains an abundance of valuable timber species. This volatile combination has led to intense conflicts, and subsequently, increased international interest and concern. To make the issues confronting Yasun´ı more accessible to a growing audience of interested parties, we synthesized information on the biological, social, and political issues of the region, providing a concise overview of its modern history and conservation challenges.
    [Show full text]
  • Bodies That Speak
    Edinburgh Research Explorer Bodies that speak Citation for published version: High, C 2018, 'Bodies that speak: Languages of differentiation and becoming in Amazonia', Language and Communication. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langcom.2018.02.005 Digital Object Identifier (DOI): 10.1016/j.langcom.2018.02.005 Link: Link to publication record in Edinburgh Research Explorer Document Version: Peer reviewed version Published In: Language and Communication General rights Copyright for the publications made accessible via the Edinburgh Research Explorer is retained by the author(s) and / or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing these publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. Take down policy The University of Edinburgh has made every reasonable effort to ensure that Edinburgh Research Explorer content complies with UK legislation. If you believe that the public display of this file breaches copyright please contact [email protected] providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. Download date: 26. Sep. 2021 Bodies That Speak: Languages of Differentiation and Becoming in Amazonia Casey High, University of Edinburgh Abstract In this article I consider the metaphysical underpinnings of a specific language ideology in Amazonian Ecuador by comparing Waorani ideas about the agency of speech in shamanism and funerary practices to their engagements in language documentation. I relate the notion of language as a force inseparable from the bodies of speakers to concepts of language as “culture” in research to document their language. By considering how Waorani consultants have come to see certain features of their language in video recordings, such as sound symbolism, I examine the differences and interconnections between Waorani language ideology and multiculturalist understandings.
    [Show full text]
  • Bound Nominal Roots in Waorani
    Bound nominal roots in Waorani Michael Fiddler, former GIAL student Abstract: The Waorani language contains a set of morphemes which has previously been described as “classifiers.” This paper examines data from a 377-sentence corpus of interlinear Waorani texts and concludes that the so-called “classifiers” are actually bound nominal roots which are used in various compounding processes. The paper also addresses the question of diachronic development and suggests possible historical sources for these morphemes. 1. Introduction The term “classifier” traditionally refers to a morpheme within a noun phrase (NP) that categorizes the head noun. Classifier systems in a large number of languages have been identified and described. In her volume on noun categorization systems, Alexandra Aikhenvald states, “[Noun classifiers] are a type of non-agreeing noun categorization device, their choice being determined by lexical selection, and not by matching any inflectional properties of nouns with any other constituents of a noun phrase” (2000:81). Usually classifiers are not obligatory in all noun phrases; in some languages, they are used only when quantifying nouns. They normally co-occur with the head noun, though they are known to function anaphorically once the head noun has been mentioned. Prototypical noun classifier systems are found in languages of Australia, Mesoamerica, East and Southeast Asia, and Austronesia. Gender systems are another way of categorizing nouns. In a gender system, one or more constituents of the noun phrase agree in gender with the head noun. In short, a gender system is distinguished from a classifier system by the presence of inflectional morphology in the former.
    [Show full text]
  • Raoul Zamponi
    DOI: 10.26346/1120-2726-113 First-person n and second-person m in Native America: a fresh look Raoul Zamponi Macerata, Italy <[email protected]> The presence of a pronominal set with n in the first person and m in the second person in numerous Native American languages has been known for more than one century. The number (also approximate) of language families involved and the precise geographical distribution of the n- and m-forms, however, are still unclear. In addition, since the n : m mini-paradigm seems to refer to a historical relatedness which lies beyond the reach of the scientific methods of historical-comparative linguistics, some Americanist linguists cur- rently believe that it is impossible, if not useless, to try to provide a precise explanation of its wide geographical diffusion in the New World. The goals of this article are (i) to examine the presence/absence in all proven linguistic families of the Americas of n- and m-pronominal forms for first person or first person singular and second person or second person singular that do not result, as far as it is known, from secondary phonological developments occurred in individual branches; (ii) to reconstruct, as far as it is possible, the geographical distribution of the two forms in pre-European conquest times; and (iii) to attempt to offer a new interpretation of their (apparently robust) geographical diffusion. This article has two appendices published online only: Appendix A (Tables 1-8) and Appendix B (Linguistic data).* 1. Introduction The presence of a widespread
    [Show full text]