Accent and Language Training for the Indigenous Performer: Results of Four Focus Groups
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Innu-Aimun Legal Terms Kaueueshtakanit Aimuna
INNU-AIMUN LEGAL TERMS (criminal law) KAUEUESHTAKANIT AIMUNA Sheshatshiu Dialect FIRST EDITION, 2007 www.innu-aimun.ca Innu-aimun Legal Terms (Criminal Law) Kaueueshtakanit innu-aimuna Sheshatshiu Dialect Editors / Ka aiatashtaht mashinaikannu Marguerite MacKenzie Kristen O’Keefe Innu collaborators / Innuat ka uauitshiaushiht Anniette Bartmann Mary Pia Benuen George Gregoire Thomas Michel Anne Rich Audrey Snow Francesca Snow Elizabeth Williams Legal collaborators / Kaimishiht ka uitshi-atussemaht Garrett O’Brien Jason Edwards DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE GOVERNMENT OF NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR St. John’s, Canada Published by: Department of Justice Government of Newfoundland and Labrador St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada First edition, 2007 Printed in Canada ISBN 978-1-55146-328-5 Information contained in this document is available for personal and public non-commercial use and may be reproduced, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Department of Justice, Newfoundland and Labrador. We ask only that: 1. users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the material reproduced; 2. the Department of Justice, Newfoundland and Labrador be identified as the source department; 3. the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Department of Justice, Newfoundland and Labrador. Cover design by Andrea Jackson Printing Services by Memorial University of Newfoundland Foreword Access to justice is a cornerstone in our justice system. But it is important to remember that access has a broad meaning and it means much more than physical facilities. One of the key considerations in delivering justice services in Inuit and Innu communities is improving access through the use of appropriate language services. -
Press Release for Spoken Here Published by Houghton Mifflin
Press Release Spoken Here by Mark Abley • Introduction • A Conversation with Mark Abley • Glossary of Threatened Languages • Praise for Spoken Here Introduction Languages are beautiful, astoundingly complex, living things. And like the many animals in danger of extinction, languages can be threatened when they lack the room to stretch and grow. In fact, of the six thousand languages in the world today, only six hundred may survive the next century. In Spoken Here, journalist Mark Abley takes us on a world tour — from the Arctic Circle to the outback of Australia — to track obscure languages and reveal their beauty and the devotion of those who work to save them. Abley is passionate about two things: traveling to remote places and seeking out rarities in danger of being lost. He combines his two passions in Spoken Here. At the age of forty-five, he left the security of home and job to embark on a quixotic quest to track language gems before they disappear completely. On his travels, Abley gives us glimpses of fascinating people and their languages: • one of the last two speakers of an Australian language, whose tribal taboos forbid him to talk to the other • people who believe that violence is the only way to save a tongue • a Yiddish novelist who writes for an audience that may not exist • the Amazonian language last spoken by a parrot • the Caucasian language with no vowels • a South Asian language whose innumerable verbs include gobray (to fall into a well unknowingly) and onsra (to love for the last time). Abley also highlights languages that can be found closer to home: Yiddish in Brooklyn and Montreal, Yuchi in Oklahoma, and Mohawk in New York and Quebec. -
Kanien'keha / Mohawk Indigenous Language
Kanien’keha / Mohawk Indigenous Language Revitalisation Efforts KANIEN’KEHA / MOHAWK INDIGENOUS LANGUAGE REVITALISATION EFFORTS IN CANADA GRACE A. GOMASHIE University of Western Ontario ABSTRACT. This paper gives an overview of ongoing revitalisation efforts for Kanien’keha / Mohawk, one of the endangered Indigenous languages in Canada. For the Mohawk people, their language represents a significant part of the culture, identity and well-being of individuals, families, and communities. The endanger- ment of Kanien’keha and other Indigenous languages in Canada was greatly accelerated by the residential school system. This paper describes the challenges surrounding language revitalisation in Mohawk communities within Canada as well as progress made, specifically for the Kanien’keha / Mohawk language. EFFORTS DE REVITALISATION LINGUISTIQUE DE LA LANGUE MOHAWK / KANIEN’KEHA AU CANADA RÉSUMÉ. Cet article offre une vue d’ensemble des efforts de revitalisation linguis- tique réalisés pour préserver la langue mohawk / kanien’keha, une des langues autochtones les plus menacées au Canada. Pour la communauté mohawk, cette langue constitue une part fondamentale de la culture, de l’identité et du bien-être des individus, des familles et des communautés. La mise en péril de la langue mohawk / kanien’keha et des autres langues autochtones au Canada a été grandement accentuée par le système de pensionnats autochtones. Cet article explore les défis inhérents à la revitalisation de la langue en cours dans les communautés mohawks au Canada et les progrès réalisés, particulièrement en ce qui a trait à la langue mohawk / kanien’keha. WHY SAVING ENDANGERED LANGUAGES IS IMPORTANT Linguists estimate that at least half of the world’s 7,000 languages will be endangered in a few generations as they are no longer being spoken as first languages (Austin & Sallabank, 2011; Krauss, 1992). -
Indigenous Languages
INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES PRE-TEACH/PRE-ACTIVITY Have students look at the Indigenous languages and/or language groups that are displayed on the map. Discuss where this data came from (the 2016 census) and what biases or problems this data may have, such as the fear of self-identifying based on historical reasons or current gaps in data. Take some time to look at how censuses are performed, who participates in them, and what they can learn from the data that is and is not collected. Refer to the online and poster map of Indigenous Languages in Canada featured in the 2017 November/December issue of Canadian Geographic, and explore how students feel about the number of speakers each language has and what the current data means for the people who speak each language. Additionally, look at the language families listed and the names of each language used by the federal government in collecting this data. Discuss with students why these may not be the correct names and how they can help in the reconciliation process by using the correct language names. LEARNING OUTCOMES: • Students will learn about the number and • Students will learn about the importance of diversity of languages and language groups language and the ties it has to culture. spoken by Indigenous Peoples in Canada. • Students will become engaged in learning a • Students will learn that Indigenous Peoples local Indigenous language. in Canada speak many languages and that some languages are endangered. INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES Foundational knowledge and perspectives FIRST NATIONS “One of the first acts of colonization and settlement “Our languages are central to our ceremonies, our rela- is to name the newly ‘discovered’ land in the lan- tionships to our lands, the animals, to each other, our guage of the colonizers or the ‘discoverers.’ This is understandings, of our worlds, including the natural done despite the fact that there are already names world, our stories and our laws.” for these places that were given by the original in- habitants. -
We Are the Wuikinuxv Nation
WE ARE THE WUIKINUXV NATION WE ARE THE WUIKINUXV NATION A collaboration with the Wuikinuxv Nation. Written and produced by Pam Brown, MOA Curator, Pacific Northwest, 2011. 1 We Are The Wuikinuxv Nation UBC Museum of Anthropology Pacific Northwest sourcebook series Copyright © Wuikinuxv Nation UBC Museum of Anthropology, 2011 University of British Columbia 6393 N.W. Marine Drive Vancouver, B.C. V6T 1Z2 www.moa.ubc.ca All Rights Reserved A collaboration with the Wuikinuxv Nation, 2011. Written and produced by Pam Brown, Curator, Pacific Northwest, Designed by Vanessa Kroeker Front cover photographs, clockwise from top left: The House of Nuakawa, Big House opening, 2006. Photo: George Johnson. Percy Walkus, Wuikinuxv Elder, traditional fisheries scientist and innovator. Photo: Ted Walkus. Hereditary Chief Jack Johnson. Photo: Harry Hawthorn fonds, Archives, UBC Museum of Anthropology. Wuikinuxv woman preparing salmon. Photo: C. MacKay, 1952, #2005.001.162, Archives, UBC Museum of Anthropology. Stringing eulachons. (Young boy at right has been identified as Norman Johnson.) Photo: C. MacKay, 1952, #2005.001.165, Archives, UBC Museum of Anthropology. Back cover photograph: Set of four Hàmac! a masks, collection of Peter Chamberlain and Lila Walkus. Photo: C. MacKay, 1952, #2005.001.166, Archives, UBC Museum of Anthropology. MOA programs are supported by visitors, volunteer associates, members, and donors; Canada Foundation for Innovation; Canada Council for the Arts; Department of Canadian Heritage Young Canada Works; BC Arts Council; Province of British Columbia; Aboriginal Career Community Employment Services Society; The Audain Foundation for the Visual Arts; Michael O’Brian Family Foundation; Vancouver Foundation; Consulat General de Vancouver; and the TD Bank Financial Group. -
Halkomelem Denominal Verbs' 1 Denominal Verbs
Halkomelem denominal verbs' Donna B. Gerdts and Thomas E. Hukari Simon Fraser University and University of Victoria Halkomelem has four denominal verb prefixes: c- 'have, get, make, do', I-'ingest, partake', txW- 'buy', i- 'go to'. These prefixes attach to nominal bases to form intransitive verbs. The noun to which the prefix attaches is usually unspecified, generic, or non-individuated and can be doubled with a free standing nominal of more specific meaning. Syntactically, this nominal is an oblique object, parallel to patients of antipassive or applicative constructions. Denominal verb constructions are widely used, especially for denoting possession. As in the case of denominal verbs in other languages, they can be formed quite freely, as long as the situation allows for an interpretation. 1 Denominal verbs Some intransitive verbs in Halkomelem are composed of a noun base, such as stiqiw 'horse', 8X wimel 'store', or sqew8 'potato', together with a verbalizing prefix.2 These forms appear in a denominal verb construction, where the derived form serves as an intransitive verb.3 I We would like to express our appreciation to the speakers of Island Halkomelem who have provide data for this paper, especially Arnold Guerin, Ruby Peter, and Theresa Thome. We appreciate editorial assistance from Kaoru Kiyosawa, Todd Peterson, and Charles Ulrich. Thanks to audiences at BLS, CLA, and WSCLA for comments on earlier versions of this paper. Funding for our research comes from a Jacobs Fund Grant and SSHRC Standard Research Grants #410-2001-1335 and #410-96-1247. 2 The nominal prefix s- disappears after c- and /- but not after tx w_ and i-. -
Bare Nouns in Innu-Aimun: What Can Semantics Tell Us About Syntax?1
Bare nouns in Innu-aimun: what can semantics tell us about syntax?1 Carrie Gillon Arizona State University The structure of bare nouns has long been controversial. Many researchers argue that bare nouns involve a covert determiner (e.g., Longobardi 1994, Progovac 1998); many others argue that bare nouns are truly bare (e.g., Chierchia 1998, Rullmann and You 2003, Bošković (2008), Bošković and Gajewski to appear). Others argue that bare nouns can vacillate between NP and DP structures (Franks and Pereltsvaig 2004, Ajíbóyè, 2006). In this paper, I use semantic diagnostics to shed light on the structure of bare nouns in Innu- aimun (Algonquian). In previous work, I argue that, crosslinguistically, determiners are associated with a particular semantics: domain restriction (Gillon 2006, 2009b). Using this as a starting point, I investigate the behaviour of bare nouns in Innu-aimun and show that they must involve two different structures: DP and NP. I also argue that the covert determiner must be associated with a non-definite semantics. 1 Introduction This paper addresses two related questions. First, this paper addresses the question of whether semantics can provide us with insight into the structure of bare nouns.2 I explore the idea that the semantics can help us uncover the structure of bare nouns. Bare nouns have no overt functional superstructure. The question is whether bare nouns in languages that lack articles have covert determiners; that is, whether they are covert DPs or simply NPs.3 I argue that there is a covert determiner in Innu-aimun, but that it is not always present, based on the semantic variability of bare nouns. -
Language Teaching and Learning Software For
Natural Language Generation for Polysynthetic Languages: Language Teaching and Learning Software for Kanyen’keha´ (Mohawk) Greg Lessard Nathan Brinklow Michael Levison School of Computing Department of Languages, School of Computing Queen’s University Literatures and Cultures Queen’s University Canada Queen’s University Canada [email protected] Canada [email protected] [email protected] Abstract Kanyen’keha´ (in English, Mohawk) is an Iroquoian language spoken primarily in Eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec).´ Classified as endangered, it has only a small number of speakers and very few younger native speakers. Consequently, teachers and courses, teaching materials and software are urgently needed. In the case of software, the polysynthetic nature of Kanyen’keha´ means that the number of possible combinations grows exponentially and soon surpasses attempts to capture variant forms by hand. It is in this context that we describe an attempt to produce language teaching materials based on a generative approach. A natural language generation environment (ivi/Vinci) embedded in a web environment (VinciLingua) makes it possible to produce, by rule, variant forms of indefinite complexity. These may be used as models to explore, or as materials to which learners respond. Generated materials may take the form of written text, oral utterances, or images; responses may be typed on a keyboard, gestural (using a mouse) or, to a limited extent, oral. The software also provides complex orthographic, morphological and syntactic analysis of learner productions. We describe the trajectory of development of materials for a suite of four courses on Kanyen’keha,´ the first of which will be taught in the fall of 2018. -
Native American Languages, Indigenous Languages of the Native Peoples of North, Middle, and South America
Native American Languages, indigenous languages of the native peoples of North, Middle, and South America. The precise number of languages originally spoken cannot be known, since many disappeared before they were documented. In North America, around 300 distinct, mutually unintelligible languages were spoken when Europeans arrived. Of those, 187 survive today, but few will continue far into the 21st century, since children are no longer learning the vast majority of these. In Middle America (Mexico and Central America) about 300 languages have been identified, of which about 140 are still spoken. South American languages have been the least studied. Around 1500 languages are known to have been spoken, but only about 350 are still in use. These, too are disappearing rapidly. Classification A major task facing scholars of Native American languages is their classification into language families. (A language family consists of all languages that have evolved from a single ancestral language, as English, German, French, Russian, Greek, Armenian, Hindi, and others have all evolved from Proto-Indo-European.) Because of the vast number of languages spoken in the Americas, and the gaps in our information about many of them, the task of classifying these languages is a challenging one. In 1891, Major John Wesley Powell proposed that the languages of North America constituted 58 independent families, mainly on the basis of superficial vocabulary resemblances. At the same time Daniel Brinton posited 80 families for South America. These two schemes form the basis of subsequent classifications. In 1929 Edward Sapir tentatively proposed grouping these families into superstocks, 6 in North America and 15 in Middle America. -
Nunavut Utilities Technical Guide, Version 2.1, June 2, 2005 1 CONTENTS
Nunavut Utilities Technical Guide Prepared by Multilingual E-Data Solutions For the Nunavut Department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth Nunavut Utilities Technical Guide, Version 2.1, June 2, 2005 1 CONTENTS 1. Introduction................................................................................................................... 4 2. Syllabic Font Conversions............................................................................................ 4 2.1 Using Unicode as a Pivot Font.................................................................................. 5 2.2 Conversions to Unicode............................................................................................ 6 2.3 Conversions back to “Legacy” fonts......................................................................... 6 2.4 Special Processing Routines ................................................................................. 6 2.4.1 Placement of Long vowel markers .................................................................... 6 2.4.2 Extra Long vowel markers................................................................................. 7 2.4.3 Typing variations and collapsing characters...................................................... 7 3. Roman/Syllabic Transliteration Conversions ............................................................ 8 3.1 Introduction............................................................................................................... 8 3.2 Inuit Cultural Institute (ICI) Writing System........................................................... -
1 the Phonology of Wakashan Languages Adam Werle University
1 The Phonology of Wakashan Languages Adam Werle University of Victoria, March 2010 Abstract This article offers an overview of the phonological typology and analysis of the Wakashan languages, namely Haisla, Heiltsukvla (Heiltsuk, Bella Bella), Oowekyala, Kwak’wala (Kwakiutl), Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka), Ditidaht (Nitinaht), and Makah. Like other languages of the Northwest Coast of North America, these have many consonants, including several laterals, front and back dorsals, few labials, contrastive glottalization and lip rounding, and a glottal stop with similar distribution to other consonants. Consonant-vowel sequences are characterized by large obstruent clusters, and no hiatus. Of theoretical interest at the segmental level are consonant mutations, positional neutralizations of laryngeal features, vowel-glide alternations, glottalized vowels and glottalized voiced plosives, and historical loss of nasal consonants. Also addressed here are aspects of these languages’ rich prosodic morphology, such as patterns of reduplication and templatic stem modifications, the distribution of Northern Wakashan schwa, alternations in Southern Wakashan vowel length and presence, and the syllabification of all-obstruent words. 1. Introduction The Wakashan language are spoken in what are now British Columbia, Canada, and Washington State, USA. The family comprises a northern branch—Haisla, Heiltsukvla, Oowekyala, and Kwa kwala—and̓ a southern branch—Nuu-chah-nulth, Ditidaht, and Makah— that diverge significantly from each other, but are internally very similar. They are endangered, being spoken natively by about 350 people, out of ethnic populations of about 23,000 whose main language is English. At the same time, most are undergoing active revitalization, with about 1,000 semi-speakers and learners ( First Peoples’ Language Map ). -
LSA 2016 Annual Meeting Handbook.Pdf
Meeting Handbook Linguistic Society of America American Dialect Society American Name Society North American Association for the History of the Language Sciences Society for Pidgin and Creole Linguistics Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas The Association for Linguistic Evidence 90th Annual Meeting Marriott Marquis Washington, DC 7-10 January, 2016 NATIVE AMERICAN ANALYZED ORAL TEXTS NOW AVAILABLE DOWNLOADABLE PDF e-BOOKS – $10 EACH Available titles: Mayan Texts I, II, and III; Louanna Furbee (1976, 1979, 1980) Otomi Parables, Folktales, and Jokes; H. Russell Bernard and Jesús Salinas Pedraza (1976) Yuman Texts ; Margaret Langdon (1976) Caddoan Texts ; Douglas R. Parks (1977) Northern California Texts ; Victor Golla and Shirley Silver (1977) Northwest Coast Texts ; Barry F. Carlson (1977) Coyote Stories; William Bright (1978) Crow Texts ; Dorothea V. Kaschube (1978) Northern Iroquoian Texts ; Marianne Mithun and Hanni Woodbury (1980) Coyote Stories II; Martha B. Kendall (1980) ORDER ONLINE AT WWW.PRESS.UCHICAGO.EDU INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AMERICAN LINGUISTICS Editors: David Beck and Donna Gerdts IJAL is a world forum for the study of all languages native to North, Central, and South America. SSILA member rate now available at www.ssila.org SIGNS AND SOCIETY – OPEN ACCESS Editor: Richard J. Parmentier Signs and Society is a new multidisciplinary journal in the humanities and social sciences focusing on the study of sign process (or semiosis) in the realms of social action, cognition, and cultural form. www.journals.uchicago.edu