Developing Indigenous scholars, curriculum and language documentation

For languages with a small number of speakers remaining, there is an urgent need not only to document the linguistic knowledge of these speakers, but also to make both new and existing linguistic knowledge readily available to the community, scholars, and the public, while supporting the next generation of speakers. This project addresses these needs for an endangered Indigenous language.

First, this project contributes to documentation through linguistic work with living speakers of the language, and through curating and annotating audio and written historical language materials that have not been previously accessible to scholars or the public. These materials will expand a widely-used online dictionary and will be used to create the first annotated open-access linguistic corpus of the language. Second, the project will expand and improve existing materials and make them more accessible, while supplementing with additional audio and written materials from work with fluent speakers. Finally, the project focuses on mentoring and training Indigenous language workers by providing linguistic training and research experience for graduate students and recent undergraduates, developing a workshop for prospective Indigenous college students, and developing linguistics coursework. Beyond the creation of accessible language materials and curriculum development, the project will facilitate the broader scientific contributions of Indigenous project personnel, giving them an opportunity to explore linguistic topics related to their own research interests through direct elicitation with speakers and close study of conversational texts.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.