From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:21:00 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:21:00 -0700 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner (fwd link) Message-ID: fyi, Language fieldworkers might be interested in this.  Phil ILAT ~~~ Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner The CRD310 combines hard drive and CD recording http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=getpage&kw=ART-Marantz&Q=newsLetter/pro_audio_marantzaug2006.jsp&O=RootPage.jsp -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:33:37 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:33:37 -0700 Subject: Congressional hearing focuses on native languages (fwd) Message-ID: 6:53 am: Congressional hearing focuses on native languages By ASSOCIATED PRESS September 1, 2006 http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/48631.html# ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The chairman of the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee has warned educators and members of the American Indian community that only 20 indigenous languages are expected to remain viable over the next four decades. To lose these languages is to lose a significant piece of American history, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., said Thursday during a hearing that highlighted the decline of Indian languages and efforts to reverse the trend. "As a result of this rapid decline, some communities across the country have made language recovery and preservation one of their highest priorities," he said. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., hosted Thursday's hearing. She is sponsoring legislation _ the Native American Languages Preservation Act _ that would establish grants for Indian language educational organizations, colleges, governments and groups that work to preserve native cultures and languages through immersion programs. Wilson said native languages, once lost, can never be recovered. "Native languages are part of our rich heritage as New Mexicans," she said. Amadeo Shije, chairman of the All Indian Pueblos Council in Albuquerque, said access to education through immersion programs can help preserve Indian culture. "For the 19 pueblos (of New Mexico), the link between education, language and culture is fundamental and cannot be stressed enough as we preserve to maintain our identities," Shije said. Ryan Wilson, president of the National Indian Education Association, told committee members that Indians continue to use their native languages for ceremonies, prayers, stories and sons. "Our languages connect us to our ancestors, our traditional ways of life and our histories. For us, the survival of our cultures and identities is inextricably linked to the survival of our languages," he said. "If our languages die, then it is inevitable that our cultures will die next." Christine Sims, professor of language literacy at the University of New Mexico, told the committee there is a growing number of community-based education systems that are helping recover native languages. She pointed to New Mexico, where statutory laws support the establishment of heritage language programs as a new category of state-funded bilingual programs. She added that tribes also are developing their own processes for certifying tribal members as language instructors in the public schools. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:38:53 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:38:53 -0700 Subject: Ten Canoes sail to Oscar (fwd) Message-ID: Ten Canoes sail to Oscar Michael Bodey September 02, 2006 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20332247-16947,00.html THE first feature film to be shot entirely in an Aboriginal language, Rolf De Heer's Ten Canoes, has been chosen for consideration as Australia's entry for best foreign-language film at next year's Academy Awards. The film, set before the coming of white settlers to Australia and in a mythical past, predominantly uses the Ganalbingu language. While Australia has never secured a nomination in this category, Ten Canoes can be considered a realistic chance for a nomination, given its exotic story and visuals. It was shot at the Arafura Swamp in northeast Arnhem Land. Ten Canoes has been well-received at home and abroad after being selected for the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it won a jury prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Ten Canoes won a silver medal at the Telluride Film Festival in the US this week, and will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival this month. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:48:15 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:48:15 -0700 Subject: Russia Moves to Ban Religious Rites of Indigenous Finno-Ugric People Mari (fwd) Message-ID: Russia Moves to Ban Religious Rites of Indigenous Finno-Ugric People Mari Created: 29.08.2006 15:45 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:45 MSK MosNews http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/08/29/mari.shtml A pagan priest is on trial in Russian Volga region for allegedly inciting religious, national, social and linguistic hatred. Vitaly Tanakov, a descendant of the ancient priests family, has written a book dedicated to the traditions and religion of Mari, a Finno-Ugric people numerous in the region. He distributed the book, entitled “The Priest Speaks”, at ethnic gatherings and celebrations. However the authorities saw the book as violating the constitution, and charged Tanakov with inciting hatred and hostility as well as humiliating the dignity of a group of people for their nationality, language and religion. Experts analyzing the book reported nothing criminal about its contents, and said the charges were totally groundless. Moreover, human rights activists said that if Tanakov is sentenced for describing the Mari national characteristics in his book, the trial will actually outlaw thousands of the people in the republic for speaking their own language, practicing their own religion and performing their rites. The Mari people have often voiced concern about discrimination they suffer from the Slavic population. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 1 18:14:23 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 11:14:23 -0700 Subject: At Your Finger Tips Message-ID: http://leaderadvertiser.com/articles/2006/08/31/news/news02.txt Tribal languages, at your fingertips Posted: Thursday, Aug 31, 2006 - 03:08:16 pm PDT By Nate Traylor Leader Staff  Salish, Kootenai keyboards coming to a school near you Students across the reservation will have the languages of the Salish and Kootenai tribes right at their finger tips. Modified keyboards featuring unique characters will soon be available in area schools and will enable students to type in traditional Salish and Kootenai languages -- the result of hard work by a former SKC technology director. Something that was once blamed for taking a toll on tribal languages and customs could actually help preserve the native tongue. "When modern technology first arrived here, it started taking our language and culture away from us," said Tony Incashola, director of the Salish Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee, in a prepared statement. "But now we're learning how to take that same technology and turn it around, using it to teach our children our language and culture." Using the newest creation of software, former Salish Kootenai College technology director Jim Ereaux has created two new fonts that will work on both PC and Mac platforms. To have fonts that work on both Mac and PC was critical, he explained. While most of the world uses PCs, Macintosh computers are still used in many educational settings, and Ereaux said the program had to work with both operating systems to be effective. "We needed to bring standardization to it," he said. The keyboards are like any other, he explained, only the English letters have been replaced with either Salish characters or Kootenai characters. The Salish language has more characters than the English language so it doesn't quite fit on the standard English keyboard. The solution? Use the numerical buttons on top and replace them with Salish characters, Ereaux said. Also, with the simple tap of the caps lock button, people can switch between writing in a native language or English. Plus, the keys are removable, allowing you to place more commonly used characters within comfortable reach of your fingers, allowing for more efficient typing. But what really allows for quicker typing speed is the OpenType technology. Many languages use require several glyphs to compose one character. Rather than type two or three glyphs per character, one key stroke is all it will take for the glyphs to be assembled automatically, he explained. (However, if you're accustomed to punching each glyph, you will still have that option.) Because the project largely aims to educate students in Salish and Kootenai Languages, the new fonts also allow for use of teaching programs like crossword puzzles and software that creates teacher user plans. Native language fonts are nothing new, he explained, but what makes this program unique is that it can spellcheck documents written in both tribal languages. It also has a find /replace feature, which is also a new option for programs of this kind. The new fonts were created using two new technologies called Unicode and OpenType. Unicode is the global standard for multi-language word processing and houses thousands of languages and is capable of supporting over one million possible characters. The Salish and Kootenai Tribes have had access to a variety of computer fonts and applications in the past to produce publications and historical documents, but these programs are antiquated and becoming more and more obsolete as computer technology advances, Ereaux explained. The Salish and Kootenai Culture Committees tapped Ereaux to help develop the new software last year. Since then, he estimates he has put in about 400 hours on the project. With the coordination of Culture Committees, several linguists and the typographic community on the Internet, the project was underway. Tony Incashola, Shirley Trahan and Thompson Smith provided guidance from the Salish Culture Committee while Vernon Finley and Dorothy Berney provided guidance from the Kootenai Culture Committee. In April 2006, a grant was written through Salish Kootenai College, from both Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative and the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation to support the creation of customized keyboards for both languages. Both organizations donated nearly $6,000 to the project. The idea behind this new word processor is that it will be compatible with more advanced systems. The minimum operating requirements are Windows XP and higher on the PC and OS 10.4 on the Macintosh. "We knew there was this globalization with other processors and that is the direction we wanted to head," he said -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: news02.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 37837 bytes Desc: not available URL: From annier at SFU.CA Fri Sep 1 21:30:10 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 14:30:10 -0700 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner (fwd link) Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU Sat Sep 2 16:13:02 2006 From: scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU (Serafin M Coronel-Molina (scoronel@Princeton.EDU)) Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 12:13:02 -0400 Subject: Don Quixote in Quechua Message-ID: DON QUIXOTE IN THE QUECHUA LANGUAGE Translator: Tupac Yupanqui, Demetrio. Title: Yachay sapa wiraqucha dun Quixote Manachamantan / Miguel de Servantes Saavedra Qilqan [translation and adaptation by Demetrio Tupac Yupanqui] Published/Created: Lima, Peru : El Comercio, 2005. Description: 379 pp. : color. illustrations; 35 cm. Notes: "Duque de Bejarpah Kamarispa, Gibraleonmanta Marques, Conde de Benalcac̨ar, Pañaresmantapuwan, alcozer llahtamantapis Vizconde, Capilla villasmantapis Wiraquchan, curiel, Burguillosmanta ima. Watapi, Manchay sapanchcasqa, Madridpi, Juan de la Cuestah." Language(s): Introduction in Spanish; text in Quechua; translated from Spanish. Subject(s): Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de, 1547-1616 --Adaptations. Related name(s): Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de, 1547-1616. Other title(s): Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote da la Mancha ISBN: 9972021289 ------------------------------ Serafín M. Coronel-Molina Department of Spanish & Portuguese Languages and Cultures 401 East Pyne Building Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544 http://spo.princeton.edu/ From scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU Sat Sep 2 16:47:53 2006 From: scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU (Serafin M Coronel-Molina (scoronel@Princeton.EDU)) Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 12:47:53 -0400 Subject: Website entirely in Quechua Message-ID: Peruvian Congress' Website entirely in the Quechua language: http://www.congreso.gob.pe/qu/index.asp ------------------------------ Serafín M. Coronel-Molina Department of Spanish & Portuguese Languages and Cultures 401 East Pyne Building Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544 http://spo.princeton.edu/ From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Sep 3 07:18:56 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 00:18:56 -0700 Subject: Phraselator Message-ID: http://ruphus.com/blog/2006/08/29/phraselators-for-cherokee/ Phraselators for Cherokee August 29th, 2006 CITIZEN-TIMES.com: High-tech language lessons from tribe The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will use a federal grant to buy hand-held computers that translate English into Cherokee. The computers, called Phraselators and made by Maryland-based VoxTec International, will help the tribe teach members how to speak Cherokee. The Phraselator is a small hand-held translation device. In the articles I’ve read about the device, it’s mostly been used in combat (if I recall correctly it was first developed for the military). It’s nice to see it being used in a language preservation situation. With about 20,000 speakers, Tsalagi, the Cherokee Language, is one of the most-spoken Native American languages. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Sep 3 07:22:47 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 00:22:47 -0700 Subject: language Reunion Message-ID: http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp? action=displayarticle&article_id=8107 The 900-year reunion Separated by distance, united by language Sam Lewin 8/22/2006 A coalition that existed a century ago will be replicated in a mid- sized Oklahoma town next month. The Shoshonean Language Reunion takes place Sept. 25-27 at the Comanche Nation’s tribal complex in Lawton. The reunion stems from the Snake Tribe, a partnership located in what is now the state of Montana and made up of “Shoshone, Paiutes, Utes and Comanches,” according to Comanche historian Reaves Nahwooks of Indiahoma, OK. Nahwooks tells the Native American Times that he became interested in the Snakes while living at the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Idaho during the 1960s and seeing how close his Comanche language is to the dialect spoken by the Shoshone of the region. Years of research led Nahwooks to continually contemplate one tantalizing mystery: Why did the Snakes split? Various theories abound and many are passed off as fact. One idea is that the groups separated because of a “fight over meat or a fight between kids where one was killed while they were playing, so the families left,” Nahwooks said. But he discounts that theory, saying that the tribes involved “don’t forget, and they hold grudges. There would be some very prevalent stories [about the feud] still around.” Another thought, which Nahwooks give more credence, is that the Comanches left in order to follow the buffalo, moving south into Mexico then north to Texas and Oklahoma. The idea for a reunion had been bandied about for many years but it wasn’t until that late 1990s that the ball really got rolling, motivated primarily by the fact that there remained a group of tribes living 3000 miles apart yet speaking the same language. The Comanches today number about 10,000, with roughly half living in Oklahoma. Some historians believe the tribe may have once numbered 20,000. With a dwindling membership, the desire to learn more about the past apparently became even more pressing. Another factor in creating an annual reunion is use of peyote, which created a “more intense reason to promote communication,” according to a write-up in the Comanche Nation News attributed to the Reunion Committee Staff. Up until the reunions began, “most information has been put together by non-Indian anthropologists, teachers, explorers, linguists, writers and others. Though this is a valuable service, it does not include in-depth information about tribal customs and traditions,” the article states. The reunion places a strong emphasis on the cultural, Nahwooks said, featuring “storytelling, singing and talking about the cultures. Every tribe there does that.” “Highlighted in every reunion was the hospitality that each tribe extended to visitors,” the Comanche Nation News article relates. “The histories began to come together and the tribes seemed to become comfortable with each other.” The first and second reunions were held in Fort Hall, with the Comanches hosting the third. Subsequent reunions have taken place in Wyoming and Nevada. With the seventh incarnation returning to Oklahoma, reunion organizers are seeking to pull out all the stops. The Comanche newspaper account is accompanied by an announcement that the reunion committee is putting out bids for caterers. “We are one people in language and tradition, but learn more customs in food and practices which makes us more knowledgeable and proud to be together,” the reunion staff says. You can contact Sam Lewin at sam at okit.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU Sun Sep 3 07:35:51 2006 From: thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU (Nick Thieberger) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 17:35:51 +1000 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner (fwd link) In-Reply-To: <200609012130.k81LUA6Q029353@rm-rstar.sfu.ca> Message-ID: Transcribing from a digital file is so much easier than from a cassette! You transcribe directly from the digital file on your computer, and can use a foot pedal if you want. If you use software for time-alignment (software such as Transcriber or Elan) then you end up not only with a transcript, but with a transcript that will allow you to search the text and hear the media at the same time because the software inserts timecodes everytime you declare a chunk (utterance unit or sentence or whatever). I have been using time-aligned transcripts to work with my recordings and can now access over 20 hours of recordings of narratives by searching the transcript. Nick On Sat, September 2, 2006 7:30 am, annie ross wrote: > hello dear friends: > > i apologize if this question has already been answered, but how does one > transcribe the field recordings when it is on a CD? > > cassette-tapingly yours- > annie > > On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:21:00 -0700 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: >> fyi, Language fieldworkers might be interested in this. >> Phil >> ILAT >> ~~~ >> Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner >> The CRD310 combines hard drive and CD recording >> > http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=getpage&kw=ART-Marantz&Q=n > ewsLetter/pro_audio_marantzaug2006.jsp&O=RootPage.jsp > > > annie g. ross > First Nations Studies > School for the Contemporary Arts > Simon Fraser University > 8888 University Drive > Burnaby, British Columbia > V5A 1S6 > annier at sfu.ca > Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 > From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 07:49:35 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 00:49:35 -0700 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner Message-ID: Nick's experience makes the use of digitized files sound very attractive. Presumably one does not have to invest hundreds of dollars in a Marantz, however, but can simply re-record data from a tape to a CD and use that? One other question I have: I have never seen any discussion of the quality of the audio captured/preserved on a DVD vs various formats of videotape (here I am thinking of digital video cameras vs older VHS cameras or VCRs). On VHS, the video quality varies with the speed, but the audio quality is laid down as a hi-fi track in any case and should not vary, so far as I know. It is possible to record DVDs at varying speeds, and the video quality varies (the six-hour rate I have found to be almost unwatchable) with the speed, but I don't know anything about how audio quality is determined, or how it is recorded along with the video signal. Perhaps someone has some information on that, or could point us to a useful source. Thanks, Rudy Troike From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 08:09:19 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 01:09:19 -0700 Subject: Phraselator Message-ID: Once again the White Man is ripping off Indian tribes by flim-flamming them with the idea that their languages can be preserved by recording the equivalent of a phrase-book on a high-tech hand-held device. These devices are obviously useful in situations where there is no common language for communication, and where communication usually consists of a fairly predictable and restricted number of expressions (customizable for, e.g., house-to-house searches for terrorists or surgeons in a field hospital trying to save Lebanese children brutally injured by Israeli cluster bombs). However, a good way to test the utility of the device in a community setting would be to use one, set up with another well-documented language such as Spanish, and have someone who knows Spanish use it to simulate conversation with other community members in English. My guess is that patience would quickly wear thin with the person looking up the Spanish phrase or sentence in order to produce the appropriate English expression. If there were Cherokee speakers who knew no English, the device could come in handy if a doctor in an emergency room had to communicate with them, but it is difficult to imagine English-only grandchildren having long conversations with their Cherokee-only grandparents (if many exist). Even granted the possible utility of the device in emergency situations, the wide-spread adoption of it might actually hasten language death by leading people to think that this would relieve them of the tedium and effort of actually learning the language -- just like telling students in school that they no longer need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide since their calculators will do all of that drudgework for them (fine until the batteries run out, or the wiring goes screwy and produces inaccurate results -- as I've seen happen -- and could not be checked). Rudy Troike From rzs at TDS.NET Mon Sep 4 16:10:04 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Smith) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:10:04 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060904010919.gc4g0g40o8g8c48g@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Rudy, these are really good points you bring up Technology for all its promise has an edge, A side we must be watchful of. For all their promise, these kind of technologies might actually impregnate cultures forming a hard-edged gold-standard, to measure cultural "correctness" Our Cultural committees need to be aware of this darker side since we know a healthy living culture has motion. Flux is not only important but essential for life. Everything has its seasons This Hi-tech age we live in now will have its season. Who will hear these CDs when there is no way to play them? Our current technological age is only a mere speck (maybe just an interruption) on thousands upon thousands of years Of continual earth-based circle societies. If we are truly working towards the 7th generation, We must prepare ourselves for the possibility that these generations May not be so "fortunate" to have these oil-driven technologies And gadgets that we take for granted as normal living. >From this moment of time,maybe they seem everlasting. We can easily live as if there will always be a Walmart, oil-based asphalt to repair highways,plastics and computers, But its an untested unproven belief in human intelligence. I suggest we look further Even beyond our children's children's children... And realistically use these now-tools to shore up a generation That may not even have the luxury of remembering them. Because we were all born during an age of technological advancement Its almost automatic for us to assume this will always be real. Will our indigenous societies survive to outlive this current "technological interruption?" I think this should be the goal of all of us Who are working hard for the survival of our nations. Richards Zane Smith Wyandotte, Oklahoma On 9/4/06 1:09 AM, "Rudy Troike" wrote: > Once again the White Man is ripping off Indian tribes by flim-flamming them > with the idea that their languages can be preserved by recording the > equivalent > of a phrase-book on a high-tech hand-held device. These devices are obviously > useful in situations where there is no common language for communication, and > where communication usually consists of a fairly predictable and restricted > number of expressions (customizable for, e.g., house-to-house searches for > terrorists or surgeons in a field hospital trying to save Lebanese children > brutally injured by Israeli cluster bombs). However, a good way to test the > utility of the device in a community setting would be to use one, set up with > another well-documented language such as Spanish, and have someone who knows > Spanish use it to simulate conversation with other community members in > English. > My guess is that patience would quickly wear thin with the person looking up > the Spanish phrase or sentence in order to produce the appropriate English > expression. If there were Cherokee speakers who knew no English, the device > could come in handy if a doctor in an emergency room had to communicate with > them, but it is difficult to imagine English-only grandchildren having long > conversations with their Cherokee-only grandparents (if many exist). Even > granted the possible utility of the device in emergency situations, the > wide-spread adoption of it might actually hasten language death by leading > people to think that this would relieve them of the tedium and effort of > actually learning the language -- just like telling students in school that > they no longer need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide since > their calculators will do all of that drudgework for them (fine until the > batteries run out, or the wiring goes screwy and produces inaccurate results > -- as I've seen happen -- and could not be checked). > > Rudy Troike From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 18:34:29 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 11:34:29 -0700 Subject: MSU professor aims to save at-risk language (fwd) Message-ID: MSU professor aims to save at-risk language By Matthew Miller, Lansing State Journal Grant to enable linguist's task in Tanzania http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=60681 Deogratias Ngonyani does not speak Kikisi. His only exposure to the language, spoken by fewer than 10,000 people in Tanzania, is a list of about 1,000 words from the early 1970s. But his work over the next nine months could be what keeps Kikisi from slipping into the linguistic boneyard. "There are indications that the number of speakers is declining very rapidly," said Ngonyani, a linguist and a professor of Swahili at Michigan State University. The reason, he said, is pressure from "more dominant languages" such as Swahili, the official language of Tanzania, and regional languages, such as Kinyakyusa. Experts estimate that about half of the 7,000 human languages used today will be extinct within a century. When they go, the culture and the worldviews of their speakers could disappear too, said Joan Maling, linguistics program director of the National Science Foundation. It sponsors a program that gave a $40,000 grant to Ngonyan. "Language preserves all kinds of really unique cultural information," Maling said. For example, in some East Asian languages, such as Japanese, social hierarchies are encoded into language. "You can't even decide sometimes what verb to use without knowing whether the person you're talking to is higher or lower on the social hierarchy than you are," she said. "In that sense, language is kind of a window into the human mind and how different groups, different cultures organize themselves." The foundation's program also works to learn more about humans' capacity for language, she said - more about the possibilities. Ngonyani will create a record of Kikisi and, in doing so, preserve both the words and the culture of the people who speak it. He is a native speaker of Kindendeule, another Tanzanian language. He turned to Kikisi, he said, because it was unfamiliar, because he wanted to get "new light" on the Bantu family of languages and because it is endangered. He'll travel to the northeastern shore of Lake Malawi later this month. It's an area that has a traditional lifestyle and communication methods, he said. There are no paved roads, no infrastructure for telephones. There, he will observe how the Kikisi language is used, document its vocabulary, describe its grammar, and make audio and video recordings of conversations, poems, stories, songs and rituals. His work will add data to the field of Bantu linguistics, clarifying the relationship of Kikisi to neighboring languages. It will say something about Kikisi's speakers as well. "Understanding the different languages helps us to understand not only ourselves," Ngonyani said, "but also different people, their history, their worldview and so on. That's why it's very important that we safeguard linguistic diversity." Contact Matthew Miller at 377-1046 or mrmiller @lsj.com. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 18:43:20 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 11:43:20 -0700 Subject: Linguists' indigenous mission Message-ID: Published: 09.04.2006 Linguists' indigenous mission By Shelley Shelton ARIZONA DAILY STAR http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/145053 Just off the main drag in Catalina, in far northern Pima County, a group of linguists has quietly worked for almost three decades at a craft that combines their love and knowledge of language with a humanitarian and spiritual journey. Members of the Mexico branch of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, headquartered at 16131 N. Vernon Drive in Catalina, devote their lives to traveling the Mexican countryside, identifying indigenous languages and working to formulate an alphabet and dictionary for those languages. Their ultimate goal is to provide each group of indigenous people with a translation of the Bible or the New Testament in their native tongue. The group's origins date to the 1920s, when Cameron Townsend discovered selling Spanish-language Bibles in Guatemala was difficult because so few people spoke Spanish, said Judy Oas, executive secretary to the Mexico branch director. Townsend began studying the native dialect of the Guate-malans so he could translate the Bible. Mexican officials invited him to go to Mexico when his work in Guatemala was finished, Oas said. Townsend founded his first summer language course in Arkansas in the mid-1930s, and in the early 1940s his growing organization formed another group, called Wycliffe Bible Translators, to recruit more members and raise money for living expenses and health insurance. Since then, linguists have identified about 280 minority languages in Mexico, with about 100 of them translated. It takes an average of 20 to 25 years of work on each language from the time the linguists immerse themselves in the local culture to when the Bible translation is complete, said Albert Bickford, a linguistic consultant who has worked with the group since 1978. For much of the existence of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, workers used visas they renewed each year to stay on-site in Mexico, working with local people. The institute runs three facilities in Mexico, the biggest of which is in Oaxaca, where linguists go to process the information they gather. The Catalina facility was built in the late 1970s, after the Mexican government began limiting foreigners' long-term visas. The Wycliffe members looked for places near the Mexican border to build a sort of home-away-from-village where they could continue working when their visas expired in Mexico, but they settled on Catalina — about 90 miles north of the border — because the rural surroundings were similar to the setting in many of the villages where they worked. If members brought villagers from Mexico to help them, those villagers were more likely to feel at home, said Carol Zylstra, a translator who also has been with the group since 1978. Required training varies depending on what a volunteer plans to do for the organization, but translators need to have a bachelor's degree in any subject and two additional semesters or summer sessions in linguistics and anthropology, Bickford said. The main emphasis is to let volunteers into the field to get real-life experience before they come back and work on master's degrees, he said. Though Wycliffe recruits members and provides some financial support in the form of keeping the linguistics centers open, individual volunteers must solicit their own financial support, which often comes from their local churches. In 1990, the Mexican government began to ease its visa restrictions, and most of the linguists again began to spend most of their time in Mexico. Now the Catalina center serves mainly as a research hub for the workers, as well as the headquarters for sending the Bibles out to be printed. On the Net | For more information on the work of the Mexico branch of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, visit www.sil.org/mexico | To find out how you can assist with the institute's linguistics work, call 825-6000. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 18:48:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 11:48:46 -0700 Subject: Taking Christ to the Cree (fwd) Message-ID: Jamaica Gleaner Online Taking Christ to the Cree published: Saturday | September 2, 2006 Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060902/news/news7.html Cree Indians of Wemindji enjoying themselves in the snow. - Contributed Wemindji, a small community off James Bay at the mouth of the Maquatua River in Quebec, Canada, is home to about 1,200 Cree Indians. For many it would represent one of the uttermost parts of the earth. But it was home for many years to Christopher and Winsome Davis who did Christian ministry there. Christopher, an Anglican minister, hails from Hamilton, Ontario. He did graduate studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. There he met fellow student,Winsome Gibson, the sixth daughter of the late Harold & Mary Gibson of Mandeville in Jamaica. Winsome is also the sister of Children's Advocate, Mary Clarke. Christopher and Winsome married in 1981 and they have two children. In the past 25 years, they have served in various ecclesiastical parishes in Ontario and Quebec. However, beginning in 1987, they devoted most of their time - 19 years in fact - to ministry among the Cree, a tribe of native Indians. Last month they got a new posting to a place called Kugluktuk - there they will serve Eskimos that make up the Inuit community. The joys In an interview with The Gleaner conducted just before the couple relocated, Rev. Davis, 56, focused on the joys he and his wife experienced doing ministry to the Cree. He said, "When I married Winsome, I thought, 'Oh good, the Lord is going to send us to some hot country with palm trees and beaches.' "Well, either the Lord has a sense of humour, or He gets His wires crossed. Instead of Jamaica, we are in James Bay, Northern Quebec, one of the coldest, most sparsely populated places on earth. We are at the 53rd latitude, which corresponds in England to Liverpool, but there the similarity ends. "We are in the interior of the North American continent with a severe continental climate like Siberia. In January and February we have to be prepared for -30°, -35°, -40° Celsius. And when it is that cold it doesn't matter whether you think in Celsius or Fahrenheit, because at -40° the two sets of mercury meet. "When it is that cold, or when there is an Arctic blizzard, one hardly ventures outdoors. Winter is exceptionally beautiful when the sun is shining, but it is very long, and brings on a state of mind called 'cabin fever.' By March and April Winsome and I are desperate for spring to come." Being Canadian and married to a Jamaican was in some senses a cross-cultural learning experience for him. Furthermore, he found that the Cree people felt comfortable talking with Winsome because she isn't white. Rev. Davis explained: "Any similarity between Cree people and the image of Indians in westerns is purely accidental. We have German tourists who want to see Indians wearing feathers and riding horses, but they are sorely disappointed. Today's Indians drive American-style pickup trucks and vans and Canadian snowmobiles, and listen to the latest country & western hits on their radios and CD players. "When it comes to religion, Cree people are overwhelmingly Christian. The evangelical wing of the Church of England, the Church Missionary Society, sent missionaries 150 years ago to James Bay, and an Anglican church was built in every village. Roman Catholics and Pentecostals came along much later, but my village is still a solid 99 per cent Anglican. State religion "Anglicanism is the state religion supported by the chief, Band Council and village elders. No other church has been allowed to establish itself. The village of 1,200 people is basically one huge extended family, and everyone is related by both blood and marriage. The sense of unity in the community is highly prized, and that is why no other church is allowed. They want no interdenominational theological controversies dividing them." Among the Cree people of James Bay, the Anglican Church is seen as a rock of stability, part of the glue holding the community together. Many Cree, Rev. Davis said, "have a simple, uncluttered faith, and they are quite sure that the Bible is the Word of God." Cree people love their church, and they don't want it to change much. Sure, add some lively country & western style guitar music, but leave the rest alone. Rev. Davis, an evangelical, is unhappy that sections of his denomination have opted to endorse same-sex marriage and homosexual conduct among clergy. His convictions are shared with the Cree community. He said, "The Cree people who watch the news are not pleased with these developments. Cree society is very family-oriented, and at a recent parish council meeting a motion was passed unanimously to uphold the Church's traditional teaching on man-woman marriage. The Cree parishes of our diocese have made it clear that they don't like the way the Anglican Church of Canada is going on these issues. Though the village where the couple served had 1,200 persons, this translated into average Sunday attendance of 115. Rev. Davis conducted three services on a Sunday - each service in a different language. For the Sunday morning service it was Moose Cree, the dialect spoken in Northern Ontario. The Sunday afternoon service was in Wemindji Cree. And the Sunday evening service was in English. Mother tongue Rev. Davis said almost all Cree young people have Cree as their mother tongue - nevertheless, most of them cannot read or write their own indigenous language. Many of these youngsters choose to worship in English. There exists in the village, he said, a cultural tension as the elders don't like to see the young people moving to English. "Personally, as an outsider, I stay out of that controversy. I can't really speak Cree, but I do the liturgy and prayers and hymns in their language as much as I can, and the elders appreciate that," Rev. Davis said. The Canadian wilderness is immense, and it has an awesome, silent majesty, Rev. Davis said. "When I am there, I am so aware of the God who created all this. It is almost untouched by human hands. Our family home is in Kingston, Ontario, and to get to my parish up on James Bay we drive north for two days through 1,500km of mostly forest. In the last 600km of our trip there is only one petrol station and restaurant with indoor toilet. One has to have a relatively new and reliable car, because if one has a breakdown up there, it could be a matter of life and death. You don't want a breakdown in January when it is -40°. Freezing to death is not my cup of tea, thank you very much. You always travel with blankets, newspaper and matches, so that you can start a fire to keep warm. Last summer I was changing a flat tyre in the wilderness, busy cursing under my breath, but then I remembered to thank God this wasn't happening in January. "It is hard for many Southern Canadians to grasp that the largest part of Canada's land mass does not speak the country's official languages - English and French, but all the various Native Indian and Inuit languages. Our village, Wemindji, has 1,200 people and it is 99 per cent Cree. Almost all Cree people are mixed. Some are dark like Indians in Mexico or Peru, and some look like they would easily fit in back in Scotland." In 1670, King Charles II signed the Hudson's Bay Company charter, and ever since then mainly Scottish fur traders have traded with the Cree people. As a result, English is the second language for most of the Cree. That Scottish influence, Rev. Davis observed, has had a profound influence on Cree culture. The Scottish influence is still evident as: The Cree national drink is tea. The Cree national bread is bannock. At a Cree wedding you will see all the traditional Scottish reels. The Cree national musical instrument is the fiddle. A few years ago a troupe of James Bay Cree fiddlers went to the Scottish Highlands and were a big hit. The Cree people had preserved some fiddle tunes that had been lost in Scotland. Many Cree people have Scottish surnames inherited from fur trader ancestors. Common surnames in James Bay are Gilpin, Sutherland, McLeod, Archibald, Hardisty, Stewart and Spence. Some of the old ladies in Rev. Davis' church still wear tartan dresses down to their ankles. It was not harder to minister to the Cree than to white Canadians, Rev. Davis said. However, in many ways, the Cree were more open to the Gospel than their Caucasian Canadian counterparts who are increasingly resistant and event hostile. "One thing one must always remember with a tribal group, they think more collectively than individually. A whole family will get saved together, rather than one individual in the family. (Continues next week) Send feedback to mark.dawes at gleanerjm.com Copyright Jamaica-Gleaner.com From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 19:22:39 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 12:22:39 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060904010919.gc4g0g40o8g8c48g@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: For the past week, I have been flooded with emails from people who are redistributing this news article and others like it.  The news is also spreading in the community where I am currently doing language fieldwork (Colville Indian Reservation, Washington).  People who would normally not be interested in learning a language have also taken an interest in this new device and are telling me all about it.  Thus, it is quite facinating how community people are responding to "new technologies" like the Phraselator.  The fact that indigenous communities are actually using it really excites people, never mind that it costs 3.5k!   I wonder if part of the interest that people are taking stem from the perception that new technologies like this tend to relieve of us of the complexities of face-to-face interaction and instead offer a more "private," unburdened form of learning.  If so, then it certainly fits the trend where "self-directed" learning styles have become the norm in technology-rich learning environments.  Or maybe we have become so technology-saturated that any new device that can "talk back" to us is our fix...wow. People like to talk in $$ metaphors, so I will add my "two cents" worth here.  The high price we pay for technology is when we remove the living breathing fluent speaker from our learning experience and replace them with language-based technology.  For communities that have no speakers this may not be an issue, but for others it certainly is if you have a living breathing fluent speaker in your community who is willing to speak to you in your indigenous language.   I admit though that learning language is different from documenting the language and in doucmentation situations technology can be very useful, sometimes vitally necessary.  But how often do you hear from our/your language teachers "where are our language learners?"  Perhaps busy watching TV, DVDs, crusing the internet, listening to iPods, and fantasizing about using a Phraselator.  I tease.  Phil Cash Cash UofA ILAT -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:10:14 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:10:14 -0700 Subject: Latest by Inuit director Zacharias Kunuk opens 2006 Toronto film festival (fwd) Message-ID: Latest by Inuit director Zacharias Kunuk opens 2006 Toronto film festival John Mckay Canadian Press Thursday, September 07, 2006 [photo inset - The great shaman Avva, played by Pakak Innukshuk. (CP/HO/Norman Cohn)] http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html?id=d79622e8-77e1-44e1-b3d5-3413f4202444&k=14128 TORONTO (CP) - In 2001, Nunavut filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk and his Montreal-based co-producer Norman Cohn burst onto the film scene with "Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner". While opening up a third language - Inuktitut - in Canadian cinema, the $2 million indie film also won a Genie Award and the Camera d'or at Cannes. And it sold a lot of tickets. At the time, Kunuk promised that his next project would be about "a man in a dress" who came to the Arctic and changed everything, a reference to the first missionaries, a sort of northern version of "Black Robe." On Thursday, the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival opens with that promised feature, "The Journals of Knud Rasmussen," a $6.3 million co-production with Denmark based on real accounts by 1920s Danish explorer Rasmussen. His expedition to the Canadian north brought an anthropologist who wanted to record details of a pure native culture that would soon disappear in the face of white civilization and Christianity. But while based on the chronicles of that expedition, the film plays out from the Inuit perspective, with many of the same aboriginal actors who appeared in "Atanarjuat", again speaking in their native Inuktitut, with subtitles. "This is a film that is designed to be a kind of healing experience for native audiences (who) tend to be excluded from the film distribution process," explains Cohn in a recent interview from Montreal. "At the same time there's no question that this is a film for the non-native audience also because everybody in Canada is part of this same story." "Atanarjuat" was set in the 16th century, and plays out like a modern thriller, with love, sex, betrayal and murder. "Knud Rasmussen", however, while also a "re-lived cultural drama," is set in 1922 and has a markedly different narrative structure. Through dialogue, not action, audiences learn that the tribe onscreen has been resisting the white man's incursions, refusing to work for them. But as the camera pans around their igloos, we see the changes already in effect ... modern tin cups, knives, even wedding rings. The man in a dress isn't actually present on the tundra yet, but a converted shaman is already waving a copy of the Holy Bible. It's only a matter of time. The plot is anchored by a lengthy soliloquy from Avva, the last of the great Igloolik shamans, as recorded by the Danes. Avva is portrayed by Pakak Innukshuk, whose wizened face commands the screen for the duration of the scene in which he lays out his people's doomed ancestral beliefs and spiritualism. "Avva's story, once he converted to Christianity, is never told again because as Christians, Inuit were forbidden to talk about those things," Cohn explains. "So we have the character playing Avva speak Avva's words for the first time in 85 years." Kunuk has said that he wanted to make the film for Inuit elders who are still alive and for a desperate younger generation that sees little promise in the future. "It tries to answer two questions that haunted me my whole life: Who were we? And what happened to us?" Asked how the film will play for white audiences, whether in Canada or Copenhagen, Cohn stresses that this is a film about universal human experiences, especially loss. "Whether it's a belief system being lost or a way of life being lost, the 20th century is full of it and it's not just aboriginal people." Cohn says his 20-year collaboration with Kunuk - one is Inuk and born in an Arctic sod house, the other born in New York City's Washington Heights - is not unusual. Both are credited as directors, screenwriters and producers. Cohn even handles the digital video camera. "Our collaboration is based on seeing filmmaking through similar pairs of eyes," he says. "Basically I'm looking after the image and he's looking after the content of what's in the frame." As for the honour of kicking off the Toronto festival, Cohn says it'll be the first time voices of aboriginal people speak to an audience of Canada's most powerful and privileged. "You know, most people in the opening night audience have never sat and spent two hours listening to what aboriginal people have to say." © The Canadian Press 2006 From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:14:13 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:14:13 -0700 Subject: Mohawk immersion program gaining acceptance (fwd) Message-ID: Mohawk immersion program gaining acceptance Posted: September 06, 2006 by: Shannon Burns / Today correspondent http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413577 [photo inset - Top photo by Shannon Burns; Bottom photo courtesy Margaret Peters -- (Top) Mohawk Nation Chief Eddie Gray visited the immersion program to teach the school children practices of the Longhouse. Gray spoke exclusively in the Mohawk language during his visit. (Bottom) In the Tsi Snaihne district's language immersion program at Akwesasne, all first- through fourth-grade students stay in the same classroom, learning the language as ''one family'' in a home-like environment.] AKWESASNE, Quebec - An elementary immersion program for Mohawk students will be returning this fall under an innovative program that was implemented last year. The program has been a success and it has received more praise than criticism in the Akwesasne community in the past year. The immersion program is for students in first through fourth grades, with a separate, less intensive program for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. Part of the program's uniqueness is that the children are kept in one double-sized classroom, learning the language together and enforcing the one family - one nation way of life. ''It was tough in the beginning, but it got easier as the year went on,'' said Margaret Peters, the Akwesasne Mohawk Board of Education's kanienkeha (Mohawk language) specialist. The program is held at one of the AMBE school district's three elementary schools in the Tsi Snaihne district of Akwesasne. Teachers and program coordinators did their best last summer to turn the classroom into a home-like environment, with sofas and home decorations, which they believe is crucial to the children's ability to pick up Mohawk as a second language to English. ''It made a big difference,'' said Peters. ''I think it really helped the kids learn the language on a daily basis.'' Most of the children entering the immersion program have had only minimal exposure to the Mohawk language which, like many other Native languages, faces extinction if programs like the immersion program aren't successful. AMBE's immersion program was first implemented in 1995 with some success stories, but none as profound as this year. Children have begun to converse with one another in Mohawk, and parents and community members have been nothing short of impressed by the fluency that is emerging. A video produced by Peters through AMBE was made specifically to show how the students use the language with little need for translation during the day. The video features classroom footage, a music video and other clips that illustrate what's going on at AMBE's Mohawk immersion program. ''We wanted to show that our students are speaking the Mohawk language,'' Peters said. ''We're showing that. They are speaking and using the Mohawk language.'' A typical day of school for students in the immersion program begins with the traditional Mohawk opening address. Students sit as they would in a Mohawk longhouse, with boys on one side and girls on another, according to clan. As is the tradition of the longhouse, the girls choose which boy will be the speaker. Several teachers assigned to the immersion program converse with each other and the students in Mohawk, teaching them the same subjects being learned by the non-immersion program students. Whenever possible, culture is incorporated into the lesson plan, as culture and language go hand in hand, Peters said. For instance, everyone in the school is required to have a few minutes of physical activity at the start of each day. In the immersion classroom, this time is spent doing traditional social dancing. ''There's culture consistently going on in our classroom,'' Peters said. In the past year, the way the immersion program is viewed has changed and it has earned more and more respect in the school system and with community members and parents. ''The attitude is getting better and teachers are noticing that these kids are speaking Mohawk,'' Peters said. The program still faces opposition from some parents who fear their child will be behind academically by being in an immersion program, a belief with which Peters strongly disagrees. ''The fact that they're learning two languages already puts them ahead,'' she said. ''They're becoming bilingual.'' Other children in the community have completed immersion programs within the AMBE district or at the Akwesasne Freedom School - a Mohawk immersion school - and have proven that academic success is just as attainable for them as for English-language students. Many have gone on to college where they have continued to succeed, and a number of them have returned to the community to pass the language on to other children in immersion programs. ''For a long time the speaking skills of Kanienkehaka students have been criticized because they mispronounce words,'' Peters said. ''The saddest part is the criticism is usually by people who are already naturally fluent in their language. People have to understand that it is different to learn a second language. Our Hotinonshon:ni languages are difficult to learn, as many adults know. It's difficult but not impossible. The best advice I can give to speakers is to be more patient and helpful to all learners, instead of critical; and to the learners, don't give up. Fluency is a lifelong learning process.'' AMBE's immersion program is gaining acceptance, but is still growing and changing to find the best possible curriculum and format. Peters hopes to see the program grow to include children up to sixth grade - something AMBE is still holding off on. ''They want to see us have success with these kids first,'' Peters said. However, with growing support for the effort, more funds are made available for the immersion program to develop resources. The video showing what's going on at the program was just one in a series Peters and others in the language field have been developing. Another video teaches viewers the traditional Iroquois social dances, and a new video in the works will feature puppet shows performed in the Mohawk language. ''There are no resources for teaching the Mohawk language,'' Peters said. Word of Akwesasne's immersion program has been spreading, and it often receives visitors from other tribes and Native communities where loss of language is also a threat. Each community is seeking new ways to preserve its dying language and many are willing to work together to find successful programs. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:22:05 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:22:05 -0700 Subject: APTN Celebrates Seventh Year as National Broadcaster (fwd) Message-ID: Daily News Thursday, September 07, 2006 APTN Celebrates Seventh Year as National Broadcaster http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=59864&issue=09072006 Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) proudly announces the seventh anniversary of its launch as the first and only national Aboriginal broadcaster in the world, with programming by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples. The launch of APTN on September 1, 1999, represented a significant milestone for Aboriginal Peoples across Canada; for the first time in broadcast history, First Nations, Inuit and Métis people have had the opportunity to share their stories with the rest of the world on a national television network dedicated to Aboriginal programming. "In just seven short years APTN has grown from a fledgling network with bold ideas to an established, reputable player on the national broadcasting scene," says Jean LaRose, APTN Chief Executive Officer. "This fall, our implementation of a third feed, described video and alternate language programming capabilities, and our commitment to being HD–ready by the fall of 2007, puts us at par with or ahead of our competitors." Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, APTN offers an unprecedented opportunity for Aboriginal producers, directors, actors, writers and media professionals to create innovative, reflective and relevant programming for Canadian viewers. 70% of APTN programming originates in Canada, with 55% of the programs broadcast in English, 15% in French and 30% in a variety of Aboriginal languages. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:27:42 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:27:42 -0700 Subject: UNM Looking for Nominations for Navajo Innovators and Navajos Making a Difference (fwd) Message-ID: UNM Looking for Nominations for Navajo Innovators and Navajos Making a Difference http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/001403.html The University of New Mexico and the Indigenous Nations Library Program are seeking nominations for a “Navajo Innovation Award” and a “Navajo Making a Difference Award.” The awards will be highlights of the 16 th Navajo Studies Conference to be hosted by UNM in the Student Union Building on the UNM main campus on Nov. 1-4, 2006. Nominees for the Navajo Innovation Award should: • Be a person of Navajo origin • Have demonstrated leadership in creating services, programs or products that improve Navajo education, research and commerce • Have demonstrated success from innovation in any area that benefits native people • Be involved in a technological innovation Nominees for the “Making a Difference” Award should: * Be a person of Navajo origin or can be groups/organizations/businesses * Demonstrate “making a difference” in any area that is improving lives, conditions and environment for the Navajo people, youth to elders Nomination letters should include name, address, email, telephone and description. The letter should include information on the nominator so that they can be contacted. Letters can be submitted by e-mail or fax, but a hard copy must be mailed to: Mary Alice Tsosie, Conference Coordinator Indigenous Nations Library Program (INLP) University Libraries MSCO5 3020 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131-0001 Email: dineconf at unm.edu Fax: 505-277-0397 The awards will be presented during the Navajo Studies Conference banquet on Friday evening, Nov. 3, at UNM in Albuquerque , New Mexico . The deadline for submissions is Oct. 1. For more information about the awards please contact Mary Alice Tsosie, Conference Coordinator at (505) 277-8922 or (505) 277-7433. This is the third time UNM has hosted the conference. The purpose of the conference is to promote Navajo Studies of language, culture, history and all aspects of Navajo life. This year's theme is Diné daniidíigo hózhóogo nideikai, “In the sacred manner we walk as Diné.” Anyone who is interested in attending can register online at http://elibrary.unm.edu/inlp/navajo_studies-conf.php. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:29:53 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:29:53 -0700 Subject: Why Bhoti language should be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian (fwd link) Message-ID: Why Bhoti language should be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution? http://www.timesoftibet.com/articles/950/1/Why-Bhoti-language-should-be-included-in-the-8th-Schedule-of-the-Indian-Constitution%3F From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Thu Sep 7 20:47:16 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:47:16 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060907122239.c4isoosgsocsws8o@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Ah, Phil, So well said--and all of this discussion should be a reminder that technology is a powerful tool -and its use needs to be carefully calculated so as not to over-power the central purpose of the task at hand. Language and language learning are the most human of activities and language exchange is the richest part of that experience. We take much away from that when we subsititute technology for real human interaction. The message coming through all of this is to not be too quick to jump 'on the band wagon' -- but to carefully consider not just the immediate impact but the long-term results of reliance on technology. That said, in situations where there are few remaining speakers, technology can support some of the pedagagical tasks, and certainly can be of value -- but the overall perspective must not be lost. and that is my two cents $$ Susan On 9/7/06, phil cash cash wrote: > > For the past week, I have been flooded with emails from people who are > redistributing this news article and others like it. The news is also > spreading in the community where I am currently doing language fieldwork > (Colville Indian Reservation, Washington). People who would normally not be > interested in learning a language have also taken an interest in this new > device and are telling me all about it. > > Thus, it is quite facinating how community people are responding to "new > technologies" like the Phraselator. The fact that indigenous communities > are actually using it really excites people, never mind that it costs 3.5k! > > > I wonder if part of the interest that people are taking stem from the > perception that new technologies like this tend to relieve of us of the > complexities of face-to-face interaction and instead offer a more "private," > unburdened form of learning. If so, then it certainly fits the trend where > "self-directed" learning styles have become the norm in technology-rich > learning environments. > > Or maybe we have become so technology-saturated that any new device that > can "talk back" to us is our fix...wow. > > People like to talk in $$ metaphors, so I will add my "two cents" worth > here. The high price we pay for technology is when we remove the living > breathing fluent speaker from our learning experience and replace them with > language-based technology. For communities that have no speakers this may > not be an issue, but for others it certainly is if you have a living > breathing fluent speaker in your community who is willing to speak to you in > your indigenous language. > > I admit though that learning language is different from documenting the > language and in doucmentation situations technology can be very useful, > sometimes vitally necessary. > > But how often do you hear from our/your language teachers "where are our > language learners?" Perhaps busy watching TV, DVDs, crusing the internet, > listening to iPods, and fantasizing about using a Phraselator. > > I tease. > > Phil Cash Cash > UofA ILAT > > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Associate Director, Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) Second Language Acquistion &Teaching Ph.D. Program (SLAT) Deptartment of Language,Reading and Culture Department of Linguistics The Southwest Center (Research) Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 8 02:31:57 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 19:31:57 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060907122239.c4isoosgsocsws8o@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: ok here is my two beads worth. It is pricey, that is a given. But it is a tool, and as such has the capability to be a wonderful resources, much like any tool, in the hands of the right person. I imagine it being used to facilitate conversations in an immersion setting when you cant think of what you want to say, there it is. It certainly is not the be all and end all. But I think that every tribal language department ought to have one and see how they make use of it. maybe get the gates foundation to do a mass purchase or better yet purchase the rights and distribute them free of charge. From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Fri Sep 8 08:02:12 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 04:02:12 -0400 Subject: Phraselator Message-ID: When they're free mark me down for 100- thanks! Jess Tauber phonosemantics at earthlink.net From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sun Sep 10 17:31:11 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 10:31:11 -0700 Subject: Device may help preserve languages (fwd) Message-ID: Published Sept. 09, 2006 Device may help preserve languages Technology was originally developed for use by Army By Diane Huber The Olympian http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060909/NEWS01/609090306/1003 SHELTON - A hand-held electronic device could help the Squaxin Island Indians - and tribes throughout the country - preserve their native language. "After the elders pass on, that's it," said Corey (Bear) O'Lague, who lives on the Squaxin reservation and grew up speaking a southern dialect of the language. He was one of about a dozen people who came to the Squaxin Island Tribe Museum, Library and Research Center Friday for a demonstration of the Phraselator, a tool for revitalizing American Indian languages. "We could take it to the elders, who still speak the language," O'Lague said. The Phraselator was developed by a defense company after the Sept. 11 attacks and was first used strictly for soldiers to communicate with non-English speakers. Don Thornton of California-based Thornton Media Inc. thought the technology would apply well to American Indian tribes, inspired by his own Oklahoma Cherokee background. Now he and his wife, Kara, travel the country showing off the $3,300 device. They're working with more than 40 tribes. "If your kids aren't learning the language, then the language is in trouble," Thornton said. The device looks like an oversized calculator with a computer screen. The user can speak an English phrase or select one on the screen, such as "Hello, how are you?" and "My name is.' " A male or female recorded voice then speaks the phrase in the tribal language. It also can play back entire prayers or songs. The tribe hopes to purchase some of the devices, museum Director Charlene Krise said. "It will be important because we have language that has been so diminished" by the introduction of English, she said. "The language for our tribal people has always been extraordinarily important because the language is connected to the land." Many families speak the tribe's language with their children at home, and preschoolers learn the dances, songs, numbers and ABCs in school, she said. But people her age - from 40 to 60 - have trouble speaking the language. "We hear it and can understand it, but it's very difficult to speak," she said. Peter Boome, an Upper Skagit Indian who lives on the Squaxin Island reservation, said he'd like to use the device to teach his four children the tribe's language. "Language conveys a way of thinking. ... You view the world through your language," he said. "And English is very different than American Indian languages, the thought processes and philosophy." Words for "fire," for example, convey that it has different forms and is living and moving, he said. He knows little of his own language, Ute, because his parents' generation went to boarding school and were disciplined for speaking their tribal languages, he said. Thornton told a similar story about his mother. Valerie Bellack, a coordinator for the Muckleshoot Language Program, said she will take information on the Phraselator back to her tribe in Auburn. "I think it's a tool. I don't think in itself it can create a fluent speaker," she said. "With the children, they learn a language by hearing it, so I believe this will be a useful tool for the younger generation." On the Web For information on the Phraselator, go to www.ndnlanguage.com For information on the Squaxin Island Tribe Museum, Library and Research Center, go to www.squaxinislandmuseum.org Diane Huber covers the city of Lacey and its urban growth area for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber at theolympian.com. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sun Sep 10 17:37:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 10:37:46 -0700 Subject: Indigenous Ways In A Digital Age (fwd link) Message-ID: At Blogcritics.org Indigenous Ways In A Digital Age: Bill Gates Takes Bolivia Under Microsoft's Wing http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/09/09/065521.php From anggarrgoon at GMAIL.COM Sun Sep 10 22:03:43 2006 From: anggarrgoon at GMAIL.COM (Claire Bowern) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:03:43 -0500 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060907122239.c4isoosgsocsws8o@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: I'm going to be a bit of a devil's advocate here, although do let me preface these comments with a note that I am very sceptical of the use of the phraselator, in either its original intended use or in language revitalisation. One thing I saw a lot in one of the communities I worked with was a very negative reaction by elders to young people making any attempt to speak the language. I lost count of the times I heard "you can't speak your own language but look at the way this White person can speak so well". It was awful - it made it impossible for me to make friends my own age in the community and it was a real turn-off for people who would have otherwise been very interested in the work. But at the same time I was being employed to make language teaching materials! So, some sort of "phraselator" program - maybe on computer through the school - might actually be more useful to this community. Sure, it's not going to replace community interaction, but if there's already no community interaction, it's hardly a replacement. Claire From thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU Sun Sep 10 23:29:34 2006 From: thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU (Nicholas Thieberger) Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:29:34 +1000 Subject: Preserving Language Message-ID: This way of taking snippets of language out into the community sounds wonderful. A question though. If this is the only recording being made of these teaching materials, what quality is it being recorded at? And how easy will it be to get these recordings onto another medium when these machines no longer work? It would be a real shame if all the work being put into the collection of phrases now is lost when the machine eventually fails. Are there archival versions of these sound files from which phraselator takes a copy or is it the only copy? Nick At 2:37 PM -0700 10/9/06, Andre Cramblit wrote: >Device may help preserve languages >Technology was originally developed for use by Army > >By Diane Huber >The Olympian >http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060909/NEWS01/609090306/1003 > >SHELTON - A hand-held electronic device could help the Squaxin Island >Indians - and tribes throughout the country - preserve their native >language. > >"After the elders pass on, that's it," said Corey (Bear) O'Lague, who >lives on the Squaxin reservation and grew up speaking a southern >dialect of the language. > >He was one of about a dozen people who came to the Squaxin Island Tribe >Museum, Library and Research Center Friday for a demonstration of the >Phraselator, a tool for revitalizing American Indian languages. > >"We could take it to the elders, who still speak the language," O'Lague >said. > >The Phraselator was developed by a defense company after the Sept. 11 >attacks and was first used strictly for soldiers to communicate with >non-English speakers. > >Don Thornton of California-based Thornton Media Inc. thought the >technology would apply well to American Indian tribes, inspired by his >own Oklahoma Cherokee background. > >Now he and his wife, Kara, travel the country showing off the $3,300 >device. > >They're working with more than 40 tribes. > >"If your kids aren't learning the language, then the language is in >trouble," Thornton said. > >The device looks like an oversized calculator with a computer screen. >The user can speak an English phrase or select one on the screen, such >as "Hello, how are you?" and "My name is.' " A male or female recorded >voice then speaks the phrase in the tribal language. It also can play >back entire prayers or songs. > >The tribe hopes to purchase some of the devices, museum Director >Charlene Krise said. > >"It will be important because we have language that has been so >diminished" by the introduction of English, she said. "The language for >our tribal people has always been extraordinarily important because the >language is connected to the land." > >Many families speak the tribe's language with their children at home, >and preschoolers learn the dances, songs, numbers and ABCs in school, >she said. But people her age - from 40 to 60 - have trouble speaking >the language. > >"We hear it and can understand it, but it's very difficult to speak," >she said. > >Peter Boome, an Upper Skagit Indian who lives on the Squaxin Island >reservation, said he'd like to use the device to teach his four >children the tribe's language. > >"Language conveys a way of thinking. ... You view the world through your >language," he said. "And English is very different than American Indian >languages, the thought processes and philosophy." > >Words for "fire," for example, convey that it has different forms and is >living and moving, he said. > >He knows little of his own language, Ute, because his parents' >generation went to boarding school and were disciplined for speaking >their tribal languages, he said. > >Thornton told a similar story about his mother. > >Valerie Bellack, a coordinator for the Muckleshoot Language Program, >said she will take information on the Phraselator back to her tribe in >Auburn. > >"I think it's a tool. I don't think in itself it can create a fluent >speaker," she said. "With the children, they learn a language by >hearing it, so I believe this will be a useful tool for the younger >generation." > >On the Web > >For information on the Phraselator, go to www.ndnlanguage.com > >For information on the Squaxin Island Tribe Museum, Library and Research >Center, go to www.squaxinislandmuseum.org > >Diane Huber covers the city of Lacey and its urban growth area for The >Olympian. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber at theolympian.com. -- Project Manager PARADISEC Pacific And Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures http://paradisec.org.au nicholas.thieberger at paradisec.org.au Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics University of Melbourne Vic 3010 Australia Ph 61 (0)3 8344 5185 From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 11 16:29:12 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:29:12 -0700 Subject: Language immersion schooling can restore 'confidence in learning' (fwd) Message-ID: Language immersion schooling can restore 'confidence in learning' © Indian Country Today September 11, 2006. All Rights Reserved by: Jerry Reynolds http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413639 [AP Photo/Joshua Duplechian -- Michele Hernandez, shown above in her classroom in Blackfoot, Idaho, in November 2005, teaches English to American Indian pupils. A recent congressional field hearing in Albuquerque, N.M., on Native languages explored testimony, oral and written, that examined the links between language and the survival of Native cultures throughout several tribal communities.] ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - An Aug. 31 congressional field hearing in Albuquerque on Native languages generated a wealth of testimony, oral and written, that underscored the links between language and the survival of cultures, dual language learning and academic achievement, and federal funding and the language immersion schooling programs that have shown promising results among Native Hawaiians, the Maori of New Zealand and approximately 75 tribal communities. But perhaps three brief words - ''confidence in learning'' - said as much as all the rest. They appeared in the testimony of Christine Sims, of Acoma Pueblo and the Institute for American Indian Education at the University of New Mexico, as she described the impact of learning a heritage Native language, in addition to English, on other academic studies. A fair amount of evidence offered at the hearing suggests that this ''confidence in learning'' may be the lost link to lifelong learning ability for Native students, and that language immersion schooling can restore it. To compress a good deal of the Aug. 31 testimony - and of Indian educational history for that matter - into one expository paragraph: Under assault by settler policies opposed to just about any expression of Native culture, Native languages lost much of their traction in Native communities. As intended by the settler states and their federal administrators, the void in language opened the door to English and with it a kind of assimilationist psychology that was no doubt a requisite of survival in times that were hard indeed for most tribes. The threat of assimilation to Indian culture has been thoroughly recognized since then. But although in better times the Indian-controlled education movement fueled the larger drive for tribal self-determination as federal policy - as recognized in the title of the touchstone law, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act - still the few decades of Indian-controlled schooling have not thrown off a psychology of assimilation realized in educational practice, to the ongoing detriment of Native students. Learning the Native language of their heritage, alongside English as a daily reality, may restore Native students to an adaptive psychological stance, both individually and on the whole. Confidence in learning, as reflected in across-the-board academic achievement, is its public signature. Sims touched on all this in another part of her testimony, concluding that Native priorities, local school support and congressional interest ''have set in motion a whole new set of precedents concerning the treatment of Native languages in schools.'' But history is still with us, as recognized time and again on Aug. 31. Tribal language loss is at an acute stage. Only 10 Native speakers are left alive among the Mescalero Apache, according to Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Carol Cornelius of the Oneida Cultural Heritage Department said that only five fluent speakers who learned Oneida as a first language remain among the Oneida of Wisconsin; two are over 95 years of age and no longer able to help convey the language, while three of over 86 years assist with eight tribal language trainees for two to seven hours a week. Amadeo Shije, chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council representing 19 New Mexico pueblos, estimated that only 20 percent of present Native languages will still be viable 50 years from now. Sam Montoya, a language and cultural resources administrator for Sandia Pueblo, noted that the scarcity of fluent Tiwa speakers there makes it difficult to create language immersion settings - ''situations where a large group of people are speaking nothing but Tiwa in order to teach the language as it was traditionally passed down: orally.'' A prominent theme of the hearing was that after helping to destroy Native languages through misguided policy decisions for so long, Congress must now help to restore them while that is still possible. Ryan Wilson, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, made a direct appeal to Congress, as represented by the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. ''What we're saying here, everybody in this room - and you see this huge crowd that's come out - is it really, it really exemplifies what's dear to our hearts, and that we're in a crisis ... We're really saying that it [Native language immersion schooling] belongs in our schools. Maybe not in every school. But we have to create venues in our communities where this could be taught. And we have to codify, forever, a place in the Department of Education to fund these schools.'' A bill introduced by Wilson in the House, House Bill 4766, would amend the 1990 Native American Languages Act to accomplish that - at a cost NIEA estimates to be in the range of $8 million. With fewer than 10 working days scheduled on the congressional calendar before lawmakers adjourn to campaign for the November elections, H.R. 4766 will not become law in the current 109th Congress. Rep. Howard ''Buck'' McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, acknowledged as much after the hearing. ''I'm just trying to gin up some support for the next Congress. I think that's more hopeful.'' Heading into that next Congress, McKeon; Wilson; Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M.; and Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Wis., the committee vice chairman, all made strong commitments to the purposes of the bill at the Aug. 31 field hearing. ''Time is of the essence if we want to stem the loss of these languages,'' Udall said, adding later, ''I believe we can all agree that there is an urgent need to protect and preserve Native American languages, and we must advance by implementing new immersion programs.'' From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Sep 12 18:11:35 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 11:11:35 -0700 Subject: Distance Learning Message-ID: The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a distance learning program. What models and tribes are people familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these are the various types of models that seem to be active: Broadcast Based Two-way interactive radio Video Based Two-way audio, one-way video One-way prerecorded video One-way live video Audio Based Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) Computer Based Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based technologies Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From donaghy at HAWAII.EDU Tue Sep 12 18:32:11 2006 From: donaghy at HAWAII.EDU (Keola Donaghy) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:32:11 -1000 Subject: Distance Learning In-Reply-To: <947DB633-F631-4A46-8639-D4D9254F94CB@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Aloha Andre, personally I believe that a combination of these technologies is better than selecting any individual one. We use a combination of WebCT and FirstClass for asynchronous deliver, and have added Skype over the past year to have some synchronous interaction with students, and have some streaming video now as well. We're also developing some podcasts to supplement both online classes and our on-campus students as well. The major consideration for us was the target audience. We wanted to serve the largest possible population - cross-platform support, people with dialup connections, and have people from around the world participating at the same time. That made the syncronous portion difficult, but as our student base grew and more students began to have access to broadband we have been able to find enough students available at the same time to have live group discussion and practice session. Some of this is documented in a paper I did at DigitalStream a few years ago, though the use of live audio via Skype was added later: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/eng/digitalstream2003.html My understanding is that WIMBA has worked out the problems we encountered and there are other web audio technologies that work as well, but we've stuck with FirstClass for now. HTH, Keola ======================================================================= Keola Donaghy Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Studies Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikolani keola at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu University of Hawai'i at Hilo http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/ ======================================================================= On 12 Kep. 2006, at 8:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a > distance learning program. What models and tribes are people > familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these > are the various types of models that seem to be active: > > Broadcast Based > Two-way interactive radio > Video Based > Two-way audio, one-way video > One-way prerecorded video > One-way live video > Audio Based > Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) > One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) > Computer Based > Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based > technologies > Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Sep 12 19:05:20 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:05:20 -0700 Subject: Distance Learning In-Reply-To: <78A4E1B5-D845-4117-9577-3B65114A4FF9@hawaii.edu> Message-ID: here is the link to the survey if you have the time. I think the deadline has passed but we can always use some back up data and info: http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=479088 On Sep 12, 2006, at 11:32 AM, Keola Donaghy wrote: Aloha Andre, personally I believe that a combination of these technologies is better than selecting any individual one. We use a combination of WebCT and FirstClass for asynchronous deliver, and have added Skype over the past year to have some synchronous interaction with students, and have some streaming video now as well. We're also developing some podcasts to supplement both online classes and our on-campus students as well. The major consideration for us was the target audience. We wanted to serve the largest possible population - cross-platform support, people with dialup connections, and have people from around the world participating at the same time. That made the syncronous portion difficult, but as our student base grew and more students began to have access to broadband we have been able to find enough students available at the same time to have live group discussion and practice session. Some of this is documented in a paper I did at DigitalStream a few years ago, though the use of live audio via Skype was added later: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/eng/digitalstream2003.html My understanding is that WIMBA has worked out the problems we encountered and there are other web audio technologies that work as well, but we've stuck with FirstClass for now. HTH, Keola ======================================================================= Keola Donaghy Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Studies Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikolani keola at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu University of Hawai'i at Hilo http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/ ======================================================================= On 12 Kep. 2006, at 8:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a > distance learning program. What models and tribes are people > familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these > are the various types of models that seem to be active: > > Broadcast Based > Two-way interactive radio > Video Based > Two-way audio, one-way video > One-way prerecorded video > One-way live video > Audio Based > Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) > One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) > Computer Based > Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based > technologies > Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Sep 12 21:04:55 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:04:55 -0700 Subject: Karuk Language List Message-ID: Join The Karuk Language Restoration Issues (Karuk Language) list serve Purpose: A place for those interested in the Karuk Language to discuss items, events, learning strategies, ideas etc Website URL: http://www.ncidc.org/karuk/index.html To Join: Subscribe here http://lists.topica.com/login.html? al=s&sub=1&loginMsg=12051&location=listinfo or send an email to KarukLanguage-subscribe at topica.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jtucker at STARBAND.NET Tue Sep 12 21:52:23 2006 From: jtucker at STARBAND.NET (Jan Tucker) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:52:23 -0400 Subject: Distance Learning In-Reply-To: <947DB633-F631-4A46-8639-D4D9254F94CB@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Greetings Andre, The online language class offered by http://Cherokee.org synchronous classes. The class has slides which the instructor can add notes to as he teaches. There is also a chat, so you can interact in writing to your fellow learners, and ask questions of the instructor. You can also ask questions directly to the instructor privately in another tool, and he will stop and answer periodically. Those with a web cam can see the instructor and be seen by the instructor. At the end of a class they give quizzes to help students check their understanding. There are live scheduled classes, prerecorded classes and archived classes are available. There are support materials for different aspects of language learning on their website, such as syllabary practice, hangman word games for vocabulary building, and other interactive flash games. Students have created CD's on their own of the audio and slides, and shared them with each other for study. The live online class event is the most fun since you are in a classroom with others learning the language and it's interactive. In my view the learning would improve if this wonderful live class was supported by a study guide for learning the language in a Web Based environment with practice activities laid out to build on the live lessons. I started to work on providing such a resource and have a rough model of what you could do. I've played around with some free software for course delivery and some free tools for making different kinds of audio/video quizzes. It needs a lot more work. I've often thought that if students had learning partners who they could practice speaking with that they would do better at being able to communicate in the language. Right now, I know the sounds, can pronounce what I read, but can't really converse or respond to anyone. I am not spending the time practicing conversation in between the lessons. If I had a partner to talk to that would make me study and perform. Jan Tucker -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 2:12 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Distance Learning The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a distance learning program. What models and tribes are people familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these are the various types of models that seem to be active: Broadcast Based Two-way interactive radio Video Based Two-way audio, one-way video One-way prerecorded video One-way live video Audio Based Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) Computer Based Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based technologies Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 15 17:54:58 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:54:58 -0700 Subject: Technology leads to cool fonts in Native language (fwd) Message-ID: Technology leads to cool fonts in Native language Part of effort to preserve tribes’ culture and heritage PABLO MT Native American Times 9/14/2006 http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8178 Members of the Salish and Kootenai Tribes now have their native language at their fingertips. Literally. With the help of various small grants and the donated time and effort of an area resident, the tribes now have new keyboards and an easily installed font to help in the creation of documents written in Salish and Kootenai. “When modern technology first arrived here, it started taking our language and culture away from us,” said Tony Incashola, director of the Salish Pend d’Oreille Culture Committee. “But now we’re learning how to take that same technology and turn it around, using it to teach our children our language and culture.” The new fonts work on both PC and Mac computer platforms. Word processing programs can also spell check documents written in both tribal languages. The new fonts also allow for use of teaching programs like crossword puzzles and software that creates teacher user plans. Jim Ereaux, a former employee at Salish Kootenai College, employed his technical expertise to develop the two new fonts. For many years the tribes’ cultural committee have used a variety of computer fonts and applications for language development, publications and historical documentation. The primary fonts in use were developed at Salish Kootenai College about 15 years ago, but tribal officials say it was only a partial solution because of limited technology to support multi-language development. Members of the culture committee requested that new resources be developed that fully support the languages, are usable on both Windows and Macintosh OS X, work with various publishing and language applications, and support the use of customized keyboards. Work began on the project in late 2005 in close coordination with the Culture Committees, several linguists, and the broader typographic community on the Internet. In April 2006 a small grant was written through Salish Kootenai College to both Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative and the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation to support the creation of customized keyboards for both languages. Both organizations donated nearly $6,000 to the project. The grant also provides support to purchase desktop publishing applications and distribute the customized keyboards to area schools on the reservation. The new fonts utilize two recent technologies called “Unicode” and “OpenType.” Unicode is a worldwide standard for representing glyphs, such as the letter ‘a’ or an accent symbol, for all modern languages and supports over one million possible characters. Many languages require several glyphs to compose one character, which the OpenType standard manages. Both of these technologies allow documents created with the fonts to be exchanged between PC Compatible and Macintosh OS X computers. Not all computer operating systems or applications will support these new technologies. The minimum requirements are Windows XP and higher on the PC and OS 10.4 on the Macintosh. The tribes are based in the Montana town of Pablo. From Kazuko.Obata at AIATSIS.GOV.AU Sat Sep 16 07:15:58 2006 From: Kazuko.Obata at AIATSIS.GOV.AU (Kazuko Obata) Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:15:58 +1000 Subject: ILAT Digest - 12 Sep 2006 to 15 Sep 2006 (#2006-180) (Out of office) Message-ID: I am on leave from 18 to 22 September. For an urgent matter, please contact research at aiatsis.gov.au. Thank you Kazuko Obata Language Officer From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:19:18 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:19:18 -0700 Subject: Carrier language class kicks off (fwd) Message-ID: Carrier language class kicks off By Chris Shepherd Sep 13 2006 http://www.caledoniacourier.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=11&cat=59&id=725804&more= Using the language students of a new Carrier language program want to master, Nak’azdli elder Catherine Coldwell blessed the first day of classes. “The prayer was to open [the students’s] minds and let the spirit into their hearts so they can learn,” explained Catherine Coldwell, who’s been informally teaching the language for years. Coldwell is one of the key instructors in UNBC’s new three-year program to train First Nations so they in turn can teach the Carrier language and culture in the classroom. For students and teachers alike, the new program, fulfills long-time dream. Francis Prince is one of the 27 students who’ll be studying in the classroom at Kwah Hall. He’s taught children before, but he drew on his skills in making drums and singing and admits he didn’t know enough to teach more than that. He’s excited about becoming a better teacher, but also because the program will keep Carrier culture alive. Nak’azdli Chief Leonard Thomas agrees. Thomas says the residential schools, where thousands of First Nations were sent by the federal government, damaged their culture and heritage. “I think something like this will help pick up the pieces.” That will happen because after three years, the students will be certified to teach Carrier culture and language in B.C. schools. They’ll also be able to continue on and earn a full teaching degree if they want. Learning Carrier will also connect the younger and older generations, Coldwell says. “There’s so much we want to tell [the youth.] They can’t grasp it in English or another language.” From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:35:49 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:35:49 -0700 Subject: Tewa linguist Esther Martinez dies at 94 (fwd) Message-ID: Posted on Sun, Sep. 17, 2006 Tewa linguist Esther Martinez dies at 94 HEATHER CLARK Associated Press http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/15545289.htm ALBUQUERQUE - Esther Martinez, a Tewa storyteller and linguist who worked to preserve her native tongue, was killed in a traffic accident on her way home from accepting the nation's highest honor for folk artists, her grandson said Sunday. She was 94. The car carrying Martinez, of Ohkay Owingeh, N.M., was hit Saturday night in Espanola on its way from Santa Fe, where she had flown after attending a National Endowment for the Arts celebration in Washington, D.C., Matthew J. Martinez said. Two daughters with her, Josephine Binford and Marie Sanchez, were injured but recovering. "She was a pillar in our community," Matthew Martinez said. "She embodied what it meant to be a Tewa person and lived it and practiced it and served as a role model." Details on the accident were not available Sunday night. Martinez was honored along with 11 other folk and traditional artists as a 2006 National Heritage Fellow, the NEA said in a news release. The fellowship includes an award of $20,000. She received a standing ovation in the nation's capital for her stories and life's work preserving her native Tewa language and traditions, the release said. "To lose a national treasure as beloved as Esther Martinez in such a senseless manner is truly tragic," NEA chairman Dana Gioia said. "New Mexico and the entire country have lost an eloquent link to our past. We can find solace in remembering her lifelong commitment to keeping her culture alive and vibrant." The Tewa are a linguistically related American Indian people who live in seven communities, or pueblos - one in Arizona and six in New Mexico. Martinez was born and raised in northern New Mexico, the NEA said in a biography. Her American Indian name is P'oe Tswa, or Blue Water, but she was known by many as Ko'oe Esther, or Aunt Esther. She spent much of her childhood living with her grandparents and visited her parents by traveling in a covered wagon. She was a major conservator of the Tewa language, teaching her native tongue from 1974 to 1989 at schools in Ohkay Owingeh, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo. She also helped translate the New Testament of the Bible into Tewa and compiled Tewa dictionaries for pueblos, which have distinct dialects, the NEA said. Since 1988, Martinez told her stories in English to non-Tewa audiences through Storytelling International. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:44:55 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:44:55 -0700 Subject: Gros Ventre woman, 110, a living bridge to the 'buffalo days' (fwd) Message-ID: Article published Sep 17, 2006 Gros Ventre woman, 110, a living bridge to the 'buffalo days' By KAREN OGDEN Tribune Enterprise Editor http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060917/NEWS01/609170301/1002 The family was stunned when the priest translated the careful Latin script on the baptismal certificate. They knew their grandmother, the matriarch of the Gros Ventre Tribe, was about 100. Delivered by a midwife on the Fort Belknap Reservation, she had no birth certificate. The exact date had never been an issue, until they received an invitation last spring from the governor's office. Theresa Walker Lamebull was to be honored at a banquet in Helena with other Montana centenarians. But her family had to first prove when she was born. They turned to Father Joseph Retzel at the St. Paul's Mission in Hays, where Lamebull is a devout, lifelong member. Soon after, the priest came to a family gathering with a copy of the baptismal certificate and some news. "Grandma Theresa" was not 100. She was 110. On April 4, 1897, the certificate said, a couple called White Weaselbrought their daughter to the St. Paul's Mission to be baptized. They named her Theresa. She was about 1 year old, it said, putting her birth in 1896. Lamebull has given other birth dates in the past that put her closer to 100. But Retzel said last week that he is confident the baptismal certificate he found is accurate and is hers. If so, that could make Lamebull the state's oldest person, although there is no official list, said Charlie Rehbein, Aging Services Bureau chief with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. "Anybody over 110, they are going to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest," Rehbein said. Walter Breuning, a cigar-smoking centenarian in Great Falls, is a close second. He celebrates his 110th birthday Thursday. An Ecuadorian woman considered the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records died late last month at 116. But Lamebull's significance reaches far beyond talk of numbers. As a living bridge to what her tribe calls the "buffalo days," she is a cultural and spiritual treasure to her people. "To me she is one of the few keepers of our way of life, our traditional way of life," said Terry Brockie, 36. Nine years ago, Brockie took an interest in learning his native language. He has since spent has spent countless hours with Lamebull, studying the Gros Ventre — or White Clay — language. Although young people are embracing the language, Lamebull is among fewer than five elders who spoke Gros Ventre as their first language. Brockie always visited her home in Hays, at the foot of the Little Rocky Mountains, bearing a traditional gift such as cow tongue. He believes Lamebull's longevity is a spiritual gift to the tribe. She carried the language and culture through turbulent times, holding it until younger generations were ready to learn and record it. "She's put on this Earth to keep things for our people," Brockie said. "To me she's the most important person to our tribe." Smiling across a century Though her hearing is failing and her body is frail, Lamebull is full of life. She lived alone with her beloved dog "Nuisance" until July. Her house was only a block from the old stone St. Paul's Mission Church where she was baptized. Now she's at the Northern Montana Care Center, where her good cheer and infectious giggle make her a darling of the staff. On a recent afternoon, a handful of great-grandchildren crowded into Lamebull's room, with a great-great-granddaughter, Danielle, in tow. Lamebull beamed and reached out for the toddler. Danielle beamed right back and they gazed at each other across a century. "Happy! So happy!" Lamebull cooed to the smiling little girl. "What's you got? You got feet!" Lamebull thrived on the commotion in her little room, unleashing peals of laughter as her great-grandson, Damion Walker, cracked jokes. He urged his great-grandma, his "newa," to tell them about the past. In the old days, "we never stayed in one place very long," Lamebull said. "There used to be deep snow, and they would clean a place for our camp. They'd get all the snow off the ground where they'd build their tepee." Every so often as she spoke, she pulled tight a brown blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her pink nail polish flashing from beneath. But her memories of those cold, hard winters are warm. "They used to keep fire in the middle of the tepee, and that kept the whole place warm," she said. "They used to take turns keeping up the fire." Growing up 'Indian way' Lamebull was born the year door-to-door mail delivery started in Great Falls. Grover Cleveland was president. Her people, allies of the Blackfeet, were relegated to the present-day Fort Belknap Reservation only eight years earlier. Lamebull remembers little of her father, White Weasel, who died of a war wound. "They never got that bullet out," she said. "It was poisoning him." Her mother was Kills in the Brush. Lamebull was brought up in what Brockie calls the "Indian Way" by her grandmother. "I think that was the insurance that there's always going to be that seed of a person that has that old-time knowledge," he said. Indeed Lamebull cooked traditional foods for friends and family for years. She told her grandchildren how she made pemmican with Juneberries and cherries. "You put the tallow in there and put sugar in there. ... It was like powder," she said. "Everybody liked that. Hardly anybody knew how to make it. Everybody used to come and ask me to make some. ... I wish I had some now." Hooves were a childhood favorite for Lamebull. "They'd boil them a long time," she said, sounding as if she could almost taste the words. "And gee they were good." They ate "good wild animals. Better than this beef we're getting now," she said, setting her grandchildren laughing. But cattle were already taking over the prairie. The thundering buffalo herds that sustained her people's lifestyle were gone. "After, we built a house," Lamebull said. "Everybody was building houses. My dad built a house too. ... Ohhh, I thought it was a wonderful place to live." Hard times Lamebull speaks mostly of happy memories: Christmas dances, food and her favorite girlhood horse "Roanie," who would lie down for her to climb on his back so they could roam the prairie. But her youth was a time of hardship for the Gros Ventre. Those stories are captured in a book of memoirs of Fort Belknap elders compiled in 1982. Lamebull, then in her 80s, was among 20 elders interviewed for the book, "Recollections of Fort Belknap's Past," by the Curriculum Development Project of the Fort Belknap Education Department. Only the elderly received government food rations, and not enough to last a week, her memoir says. The rest survived on their gardens and whatever wildlife they could catch: rabbits, deer, sage hens, antelope and prairie chickens. Indians were not allowed to leave the reservation without a permit. At age 12, Lamebull was sent to school at St. Paul's Mission. "We had to stay there. We had a high fence and we couldn't go home when we wanted to," she said in the memoir. "It really was a poor school. We hardly had anything to eat." When the flu epidemic struck in 1918, the survivors couldn't build coffins fast enough, she said. "Babies, women, men, and mostly women died that time." Lamebull lost two sons of her own — a day apart — to diphtheria in the 1920s, according to her granddaughter, Patty Addy. "She made it through, and then she lost adult sons: my dad and my Uncle Henry and her daughter Virginia," Addy said. "They were hard on her, but she's really something. She'll grieve and then she'll let them go. ... She just has a way of carrying on." Lamebull was about 16 when she married her first husband, John Walker, who doted on her, Addy said. He died of lung cancer in 1961. They had 10 children together. Lamebull outlived five of them and her second husband, Andrew Lamebull. Her greatest pride is that all of her children served in the military, with the exception of her daughter Virginia, whose poor health prevented it. Portraits of them hang on a wall in her room at the care center, arranged around a hologram of Jesus on the cross. "She has a marvelous spirit, and she does have a deep faith in the Lord, in Jesus, and her faith is very strong in her life," said Father Retzel, with St. Paul's in Hays. Three years ago, at 107, Lamebull fell while walking along the gravel road to the church and couldn't get up, Retzel recalled. "She just stayed there until somebody came along, and when they did, she just laughed it off," he said. "That's typical of that lady." Alcohol, drugs and gossip When others fell along the path of life, Lamebull was there to pick them up or take them in. Addy was raised by Lamebull after her parents divorced and her mother fell ill with tuberculosis. She remembers her grandparents taking in three neighbor children, the Magpie kids. Lamebull taught them all to pray, go to church, be kind to each other and stay out of trouble. "She was really against alcohol and drugs," Addy said. "She said it ruined your life. And gossip, ... She just sees how it damaged so many homes." When her children were grown, Lamebull taught arts and crafts in local schools. Her quilts are in homes across the reservation and beyond. In her 80s, she found another calling. Lamebull and fellow tribal elder Elmer Main would drive 70 miles roundtrip twice a week to the tribal college at Fort Belknap Agency to teach Gros Ventre language. Lamebull taught into her 90s. Now at the care center, she looks forward to going home for the next powwow. And everyone looks forward to seeing "Grandma Theresa," a woman who is never too tired, too frail or too old to greet you with a warm smile. "She really makes you feel good about who you are as a White Clay person," Brockie said. "She has a real goodness about her, her aura. I think that comes from being on this Earth for so long." From leopold at SI.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:59:28 2006 From: leopold at SI.EDU (Robert Leopold) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:59:28 -0400 Subject: ILAT Digest - 15 Sep 2006 to 16 Sep 2006 (#2006-181) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi, I will be out of the office until Monday, September 25. I'll reply to your message when I return. If you need to speak with someone in the National Anthropological Archives before then, please write naa at si.edu or call 301.238.1310. Thanks, Robert From CRANEM at ECU.EDU Mon Sep 18 19:39:05 2006 From: CRANEM at ECU.EDU (Bizzaro, Resa Crane) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:39:05 -0400 Subject: Positions available at Georgia Southern University Message-ID: Hi, everyone. Dr. Michael Pemberton sent me the ads listed below and asked me to encourage people to apply. I know that this area may be outside the interests of many of you on the list, but please share the information with others. Thanks. Resa Rhetoric and Composition (http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writling/) Two tenure-track assistant professor positions. Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition or related field required by appointment date, with specialization in cultural studies, literacy studies, rhetorical history, writing technologies, and/or composition theory as they relate to teaching and research in the field of writing studies. Ph.D. required by starting date of position, August 1, 2007. Experience teaching with technology and evidence of scholarly potential and excellence in teaching are required. Two to four years college teaching experience preferred. Preference may be given to candidates with publications or presentations at professional conferences and to candidates with experience working with diverse student populations. Duties will include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the department s degree concentration in Writing and Culture, as well as first-year composition. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications. Screening of applications begins November 1, 2006 and continues until the position is filled. A complete application consists of a letter addressing the qualifications cited above; a curriculum vitae; and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three professional references. Applications should be sent to Professor Michael Pemberton, Search Chair, Search #51761, Department of Writing and Linguistics, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8026, Statesboro, GA 30460-8026. Additional materials may be requested at a later date. Georgia Southern University, a member of the University System of Georgia, is the largest and most comprehensive center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia. Georgia Southern University is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Doctoral/Research institution. A residential university serving 16,646 students in Fall 2005, Georgia Southern s hallmark is a superior undergraduate experience emphasizing academic distinction, excellent teaching, and student success. Founded in 1906, the university offers 120 degree programs at the baccalaureate, master s, and doctoral levels through eight colleges. The 675-acre campus is located in Statesboro, a community of approximately 30,000 residents, 50 miles northwest of historic Savannah and 200 miles southeast of Atlanta. Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. Individuals who need reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act in order to participate in the search process should contact the Associate Provost. Georgia is an open records state. Dr. Michael Pemberton Associate Professor, Department of Writing and Linguistics Director, University Writing Center Georgia Southern University P.O. Box 8026 Statesboro, GA 30460 (912) 871-1383 http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/~michaelp/ From nflrc at HAWAII.EDU Mon Sep 18 22:54:57 2006 From: nflrc at HAWAII.EDU (National Foreign Language Resource Center) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:54:57 -1000 Subject: Final Call for Papers (deadline September 30) - 2007 Pragmatics & Language Learning Conference Message-ID: Our apologies for any cross-postings . . . -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 47 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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PLENARY SPEAKERS: * Junko Mori, University of Wisconsin-Madison * Steven Talmy, University of British Columbia INVITED COLLOQUIA: * Study Abroad Experiences from a Language Socialization Perspective (Convener: Haruko Cook, University of Hawai'i) * Negotiating the Self in Another Language: Discourse Approaches to Language Learning as Cross-cultural Adaptation (Convener: Christina Higgins, University of Hawai'i) INVITED WORKSHOPS: * Using Questionnaires in Research on Pragmatics (Facilitator: Kenneth Rose, City University Hong Kong) * Teaching and Learning L2 Pragmatics in Computer-mediated Environments (Facilitator: Julie Belz, Monterey Institute of International Studies) CALL FOR PROPOSALS (DEADLINE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2006): Proposals for presentation are welcome on topics such as * L2 talk and text * Developmental L2 pragmatics * Pragmatics in language education * Pragmatics in language assessment * Pragmatics in computer-mediated communication * Theory and methodology in pragmatics Proposals may be submitted for PAPERS (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for discussion) and POSTERS. Abstracts for all presentation formats undergo blind peer review. ONLINE ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS: DEADLINE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 For more information about the conference or to submit a proposal online, visit our website at: http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/prodev/pll/ ************************************************************************ * N National Foreign Language Resource Center F University of Hawai'i L 1859 East-West Road, #106 R Honolulu HI 96822 C voice: (808) 956-9424, fax: (808) 956-5983 email: nflrc at hawaii.edu VISIT OUR WEBSITE! http://www.nflrc.hawaii.edu ************************************************************************ * -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 2472 bytes Desc: not available URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Sep 20 16:45:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:45:46 -0700 Subject: Native languages fade as immigrant generations pass (fwd) Message-ID: Native languages fade as immigrant generations pass English is the dominant language after three generations have lived in the U.S. THELMA GUERRERO Statesman Journal September 20, 2006 http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060920/NEWS/609200320/1001 McKay High School sophomore Monique Guajardo, two generations removed from her family's arrival from Mexico, has a difficult time speaking Spanish. Fifteen-year-old Whitney Peña, on the other hand, can't speak a word of Spanish. Her ancestors immigrated three generations ago. According to a recent study, their difficulty with their native language is part of a national trend. Spanish dies out within three generations, and English becomes the dominant language. The study, conducted by the University of California at Irvine and Princeton University, found that native language-expertise tends to disappear among descendants of Hispanic immigrants at a rate similar to that of other immigrant groups, such as Asians. The findings were published in the September issue of the journal "Population and Development Review." Third-generation descendants of immigrants such as Peña are U.S.-born with U.S.-born parents and three or four foreign-born grandparents. "My dad's side of the family speaks Spanish, but we don't speak it," said Peña, a sophomore at McKay High School. In terms of daily use, the study concluded that Spanish begins to falter in the second generation of Mexican and other Latin American immigrants, such as Guajardo. "I can have a conversation in Spanish, but I kinda mess up here and there," said Guajardo, 15. Some educators lament the loss of Spanish-speaking abilities. "It affects (a) person's appreciation, if not understanding, of their culture," Nathaniel Cordova, an associate professor of Latin American studies and American ethnic studies at Willamette University. It also can result "in embarrassment for those who don't understand the language or who are not able to understand what others are saying," Cordova said. For their 10-year study, the researchers focused on language adaptation among Hispanic immigrants and their descendants in California and south Florida. "Based on analysis of language loss over the generations, English has never been seriously threatened as the dominant language in America, nor is it under threat today," the report said. The conclusion refutes the threat to U.S. culture alleged by author Samuel Huntington, who says that Hispanic immigrants endanger the core of U.S. culture because they "speak a common language, divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures and two languages." At Oregon Literacy, however, there is a large-scale demand by adult immigrants for English-as-a-second-language classes, said Elizabeth Raymond, the group's executive director. "Right now, we have people on a waiting list," she said. "We're starting six or seven new ESL programs in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties." tguerrero at StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6815 ~~~ Native-language survival Seventeen percent of third-generation descendants of Mexican immigrants speak fluent Spanish. By the fourth generation, 5 percent speak Spanish. One percent of fourth-generation descendants of European immigrants speak the groups' native languages. SOURCE: Linguistic Life Expectancies, University of California at Irvine and Princeton University Copyright 2006 Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 21 17:53:17 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:53:17 -0700 Subject: Rapping in Aymara (fwd) Message-ID: Rapping in Aymara Wednesday, September 20 2006 @ 03:34 PM PDT Contributed by: Collin Sick http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060920153446177 Art & RevolutionAt 13,000 feet, the hip hop movement in El Alto, Bolivia is probably the highest in the world. The music blends ancient Andean folk styles and new hip hop beats with lyrics about revolution and social change. As the sun set over the nearby snow capped mountains, I sat down with Abraham Bojorquez, a well known El Alto hip hop artist. We opened up a bag of coca leaves and began to talk about what he calls a new "instrument of struggle." We were at Wayna Tambo, a radio station, cultural center and unofficial base of the city's hip hop scene. Bojorquez pulled a leaf out of the bag to chew and said, "We want to preserve our culture through our music. With hip hop, we're always looking back to our indigenous ancestors, the Aymaras, Quechuas, Guarani." He works with other hip hop artists in El Alto to show "the reality of what is happening in our country. Through our lyrics we criticize the bad politicians that take advantage of us. With this style of hip hop, we're an instrument of struggle, an instrument of the people." By Benjamin Dangl, Upside Down World In Bolivia, hip-hop music and culture are becoming key parts of a larger liberation struggle. At 13,000 feet, the hip hop movement in El Alto, Bolivia is probably the highest in the world. The music blends ancient Andean folk styles and new hip hop beats with lyrics about revolution and social change. As the sun set over the nearby snow capped mountains, I sat down with Abraham Bojorquez, a well known El Alto hip hop artist. We opened up a bag of coca leaves and began to talk about what he calls a new "instrument of struggle." We were at Wayna Tambo, a radio station, cultural center and unofficial base of the city's hip hop scene. Bojorquez pulled a leaf out of the bag to chew and said, "We want to preserve our culture through our music. With hip hop, we're always looking back to our indigenous ancestors, the Aymaras, Quechuas, Guarani." He works with other hip hop artists in El Alto to show "the reality of what is happening in our country. Through our lyrics we criticize the bad politicians that take advantage of us. With this style of hip hop, we're an instrument of struggle, an instrument of the people." Bojorquez belongs to a group of rappers in El Alto, a sprawling city above La Paz which is home to around 800,000 people. His group and music is called Wayna Rap (Wayna means young in Aymara). Under the umbrella of Wayna Rap are smaller bands like Insane Race, Uka Mau y Ke, Clandestine Race and others. They often get together in freestyle events, where different singers take turns at the mike, rapping. Some of their songs are completely in Aymara, an indigenous language. Others include a mixture of Spanish, English, Quechua and Portuguese. This fusion of languages is an integral part of the group's philosophy, and adds to their appeal in El Alto, where a large section of the population speaks Aymara. "The door is open to everyone...This is our proposal for how to change society," Bojorquez said. Though they collaborate with a wide variety of people, "we don't just sing things like 'I'm feeling bad, my girlfriend just left me and now I am going to get drunk.' It's more about trying to solve problems in society." The social and political themes in the music come from the city's reality. The death and conflicts in the 2003 Gas War made a huge impact on El Alto, and many of these songs reflect that. One song which Abraham made in his own group Uka Mau y Ke deals with the October 2003 mobilizations in El Alto against the gas exportation plan and president Sanchez de Lozada. In the song, "we speak about how bullets are being shot at the people and how we can't put up with this because the people are reclaiming their rights." This song starts out with the president saying he won't resign. His voice is ominous, gruff and peppered with an unmistakable US English accent: "Yo no voy a renunciar. Yo no voy a renunciar." The sounds of street clashes in the song become louder. The roar of machine guns and helicopters come and go until the beat and lyrics begin. "We are mobilized, arming street barricades. We are mobilized without noticing that we are killing between brothers." Another singer comes in, rapping about the "corrupt governments...with closed eyes that don't look at the reality in the society. Many people are ending up in poverty and delinquency, which is why they demand justice..." The song goes on to call Sanchez de Lozada a traitor and assassin. They demand his head, along with that of Carlos Mesa, the vice president. The music fuses with a testimony from a woman whose family member was shot by soldiers. The lyrics kick back in, "We hear over there that there are dead: 80 citizens, 5 police, and mass of people gravely injured. We're in a situation worse than war, killing each other, without a solution." In many of Bojorquez's songs, Andean flutes and drums mesh with the beat. This aspect, along with the indigenous language, sets the music apart from standard hip hop. The topics covered are also distinct. In one song, they grapple with street violence and homelessness in El Alto. It deals with "children living in the street, orphans of mothers and fathers and the violence that grows every day. The lack of work, all of these things," Bojorquez explained. "We try to show the true reality of what is happening in the country, not hide it." One of the most moving experiences Bojorquez said he's had within his musical career came when he was invited to perform at the office of the Neighborhood Organizations (Fejuve) of El Alto. He was nervous at first because the place was full of older people. His music is directed more toward a younger audience. After the first song, people clapped weakly. "Then we sang in Aymara and people became very emotional, crying. This was a very happy event for us. It made us think that what we are doing isn't in vain, that it can make an impact on people." The title of his next CD is "Instrument of Struggle", referring to his musical philosophy. "More than anything our music is a form of protest, but with proposals. We unite, we organize. We look for unity, not division. We want to open the eyes of people with closed eyes...The music is a part of life." When Bojorquez and I met months later, it was clear that El Alto's hip hop movement was growing. More people were calling Bojorquez for pointers on their music or for help with CD recordings. Others were starting their own groups and showing up at Wayna Tambo for concerts. "Today this music is arriving to many young people who identify with the songs and lyrics," Bojorquez said. "In El Alto there is a lot of poverty and in the lyrics we talk about this. People identify with it." He had recently helped initiate hip hop classes in a large prison in La Paz which focuses on prisoners that are between 16-18 years old. The idea started when Bojorquez and others did a concert there. The reception was so enthusiastic that they worked to organize a hip hop class in June 2006. Through the classes, Bojorquez said they are trying to "show the jail's reality from the inside." He said the jail was a whole other city within La Paz, a "dead city" without hope. "This is where the hip hop comes in, so that people don't feel like all is lost." At the end of the program, the group will put on a performance and record a disk. Based on the success of the class, Bojorquez expects the program to continue into the future. "They are telling a history that reaches people and can prevent other youth from making the same mistakes," he said. "A lot of them regret what they did and they talk about it in their songs." He offered lyrics by Cesar as an example: "Yo soy preso en San Pedro/I am a prisoner in San Pedro Estoy esperando la puta paciencia de mi abogado/I am waiting on the fucking patience of my lawyer Lo que el me ha dicho ya me olvidado/What he has told me I already forgot Por tomar el camino mas corto/ By taking the short cut Yo mismo me fregado/I messed myself up" Back at Wayna Tambo, I ran into some of Bojorquez's fellow rappers, Grover Canaviri Huallpa and Dennis Quispe Issa. Both worked jobs and studied at the same time, leaving little room for writing lyrics and listening to music. We were waiting for a bus to a hip hop concert. It was cold and the bus was late, so we went inside and talked. Like others going to the concert, they were dressed like people I knew in New York City. The camouflage and baseball caps, the baggy pants, it was all very familiar. But it wasn't just the clothing style that these two felt a connection with. "I identify a lot with the hip hop groups in the US that speak of violence and discrimination," Huallpa said. "My mother only studied to 5th grade. She has suffered discrimination. We used to all be out in the streets." Huallpa started listening to rap in the mid 1990s, and started writing his own lyrics a few years later. "Before Wayna Tambo there were pirated radios, secret places where we gathered because our parents didn't accept it." Both admitted their parents didn't understand their lifestyle as rappers. "They think we are just copying the US," Issa said. "People on the street discriminate us for the way we talk, walk and dress." They both agreed that this kind of hip hop was growing in El Alto in part because of the experience of the Gas War. "October 2003 was a huge change for us musically," Issa explained, referring to the mobilizations. "It had a big impact on El Alto." Below El Alto, in La Paz, another hip hop movement was thriving. Sdenka Suxo Cadena, a 27 year old hip hop artist and marketing major in college, has been a part of the scene for over ten years. When I met her at the home of Mujeres Creando (Women Creating), an anarchist, feminist group, Cuban salsa was playing on the radio. Her hair was in pigtails and she smiled and laughed a lot while talking about her work. She started rapping in 1996, when she was in high school. "I started doing it because I didn't like society's system - the classism, materialism, the elite. This didn't make people happy." After hanging out with different hip hop groups in La Paz and El Alto, she decided to start a women's hip hop group in 2000. "I didn't like to be controlled by a boy, or be someone else's lady. Other women didn't either. So we started our own group called the Nueva Flavah and had our own meetings and events." Each Thursday they organized a gathering of men and women from different areas of the city to perform hip-hop, break dance and exchange styles. "We wanted to share hip hop without caring about the differences between us." They did have some rules, however. "We didn't let people in that just talked about gangs, violence, drugs and guns." Her music deals with such topics as Latin American unification, chauvinism, AIDS, race, women's issues and nationalism. She knew politics were important, "but for real change to happen, people have to change themselves." When I met her, Cadena was about to open a place for hip hop activities and recording music. "Some kids need help editing music, recording. We help them get their message out." One of the events their doing now is a CD exchange where other artists can bring in their own disks and trade or buy one for less than a dollar. She believed hip hop was becoming more popular in Bolivia because anyone can produce the music, regardless of whether or not they know how to play an instrument. "It's popular in poor neighborhoods where people might not have a guitar. All you need is a pen and paper. You don't need money. You can do it anywhere. People largely identify with it in marginalized neighborhoods, where people don't have access to music lessons or instruments." She also said it is growing along with the current political changes all around Latin America. "It's part of this regional protest movement." I had an opportunity to see this movement in action at a hip hop concert one cold June night in a neighborhood outside La Paz. We zipped up into the hills like a roller coaster, weaving up steep streets past angry dogs, lit up corner stores, a woman shaking laundry out the window and soccer games under street lamps. The road wound up the hill like a drunken snake at impossible angles. The route was a cavernous labyrinth that never seemed to end. We almost crashed twice and had to ask for directions three times. Eventually the city spread out below in a vast collection of blue, white, yellow and orange lights, oozing and bubbling with life. Beyond the lights were the Andes Mountains in complete darkness. The stars were barely visible, belittled by the constellation of the city. The concert took place at a large room in a school building. A banner hung outside the door, where young people dressed like New York City rappers were hanging out and smoking. Tilted baseball caps, baggy pants and shirts with US sports logos were the norm. It cost about 12 cents for a ticket. I handed over the money while my friend and I were frisked for alcohol: it was a dry event. Inside, the room was packed with people standing up, bopping to the music, or sitting in chairs. On a balcony above the crowd the performers swung microphones, shook their fists in the air and rapped tirelessly. It looked like a cross between a high school dance and a poetry reading. It had the same angst and self consciousness. The sound quality of the speakers was poor, but the enthusiasm was high. The audience clapped and cheered at every opportunity that merited it. Most songs were a mixture of Spanish and Aymara, with three words making regular appearances: coca, revolution and Mother Earth. Many of the young people were sipping on clandestine bottles of booze, making out and slicking back their hair. The room was a convergence of cultures. Some rappers spoke of blunts and guns in one breath and their president Evo Morales the next. Bojorquez wore a red baseball cap from a US team, but his coat had indigenous designs on it with the name of his band in Aymara written across the front. I recognized some of the beats from US music, but the flutes, drums and rhythms were all Bolivian. The concert mixed Andean phrases and symbols thousands of years old with themes and rhymes fresh out of MTV music videos. Nations, music, histories and dance moves fused in a new Bolivian hip hop. The finale was a performance by a young kid who couldn't have been more than ten years old. He proceeded to swing his cap, move his feet and dance exactly like Michael Jackson. The crowd went wild. Benjamin Dangl is the author of "The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia," forthcoming from AK Press in March, 2007. He is the editor of TowardFreedom.com and UpsideDownWorld.org. http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/41902/ From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 21 17:57:11 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:57:11 -0700 Subject: Saving Inuktitut (fwd) Message-ID: September 20, 2006 Saving Inuktitut Nunavut has passed legislation intended to keep the Inuit language from fading. As southern culture encroaches in the North, it will be a tough fight COLIN CAMPBELL http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/canada/article.jsp?content=20060925_133597_133597# On the dusty streets of Iqaluit, Nunavut, stop signs read in two languages: English and the squiggly syllabic characters of Inuktitut. So do signs at the post office, bank and grocery store. Inuktitut is the first language for 70 per cent of the territory's 30,000 residents, and by some measures appears one of the healthiest indigenous languages in the country. But here in the capital, a town of about 3,600, English is the language of choice among young Inuit. Children wear SpongeBob SquarePants T-shirts, and buy the latest CDs by 50 Cent and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Internet use is widespread, as is satellite TV. The result: Inuktitut is a language under siege, and assuring it survives, even flourishes, has become a priority. In a controversial move this year, Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik ordered that senior bureaucrats learn the language or lose their jobs. The government is also drafting two new language laws designed to help make Inuktitut Nunavut's working language by 2020, and lift employment barriers for Inuktitut speakers. "It really does open the ice for Inuit," says Johnny Kusugak, Nunavut's language commissioner. "Inuit kids can now look up and see that there are lots of positions in the government where they can reach their goals." One war room in the fight to preserve Inuktitut is the Pirurvik Centre -- the place Nunavut bureaucrats come to learn Inuktitut, at a small table in a room looking out over Frobisher Bay. On this day, the lessons are on hold while the centre puts the finishing touches on a two-year project translating Microsoft's Windows operating system and Office business software into Inuktitut. "It's a start," says Leena Evic, one of the centre's founders, about the software, which will be used primarily by government. "If we do nothing now, Inuktitut could end up in a very threatened state. But if we take the right steps it could be an indigenous language for a long time to come." It's an uphill battle. The big concern these days is the lack of Inuktitut in the education system. Nunavut's population is the youngest in Canada (almost half are under 19) and according to one government survey, only 18 per cent of Inuit say Inuktitut is the language they speak most often in school. The language is taught up to Grade 3 or 4, but then tapers off in favour of English instruction. "In Nunavut this reinforces the colonial message of inferiority. The Inuit student mentally withdraws, then leaves altogether," said Thomas Berger, a former B.C. Supreme Court justice, in a report last spring that also noted a "severe" shortage of Inuktitut-speaking teachers. Some argue that young people in Iqaluit avoid Inuktitut because of the difficulty navigating its different dialects. But Louis-Jacques Dorais, a researcher at Université de Laval who has documented Inuktitut's decline, says other factors are at play. Because English is the language of pop culture and business, Inuktitut "risks being increasingly limited to petty topics, on the one hand, and highly symbolic domains on the other," he says. Serious social ills are also undermining education in either language. School dropout rates are astronomical -- only about a quarter of Inuit children graduate from high school -- and drug abuse and alcoholism are rampant. In more isolated communities outside of Iqaluit, Inuktitut appears much healthier. Many of the elder residents are unilingual Inuktitut speakers. Still, even in places like Pangnirtung, a tiny hamlet an hour's flight north, English use is on the rise. "It started when the government sent people off to schools in places like Churchill," says Anuga Michael, 26, who worries about the type of education his infant son, Wayne Wilson, will receive. "My first priority is to teach him Inuktitut. That's the way I was taught, so that's the way I'll teach him." Asked about the challenge of protecting Inuit culture, though, he sighs: "It's complicated." Not everyone backs Nunavut's plans to prop up Inuktitut. For young people to succeed as professionals (like doctors or lawyers), they must have strong English skills, insists Nancy Gillis, a city councillor in Iqaluit. Basic English skills and a strong education system risk being lost in the scramble to preserve Inuktitut, she says. "By the time children hit Grade 4, they're behind already," she says. Others say forcing bureaucrats to learn Inuktitut is also misguided. Many of the skilled managers and bureaucrats here are not Inuit, or Inuktitut speakers. The majority of Inuit today lack the professional training and post-secondary education to fill top-tier jobs. Only about 45 per cent of the government jobs are held by Inuit (who make up 85 per cent of the population), and most of those jobs are lower-level positions. Kusugak says he's not worried the new language laws will drive away qualified bureaucrats. To reverse Inuktitut's decline, young Inuit need to see that they can hold the most important positions in society while maintaining their culture, he adds. "When we were growing up, our parents told us that we have to learn English if we want to work in the changing world. 'There will be jobs and security,' they said." Now that the Inuit have their own land and their own government, he says, that view must change. To comment, email letters at macleans.ca From nflrc at HAWAII.EDU Thu Sep 21 20:47:13 2006 From: nflrc at HAWAII.EDU (National Foreign Language Resource Center) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:47:13 -1000 Subject: Positions at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (Honolulu, HI) (fwd) Message-ID: University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Second Language Studies Assistant Professors (2) The Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, seeks to fill two vacancies at the assistant professor level. The Department offers a Master of Arts in Second Language Studies, and it administers a PhD program in Second Language Acquisition and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies. A BA with an ESL specialization is available through the University's Interdisciplinary Program. Faculty have interests in a wide range of domains in second and foreign language research. For more information, visit our website: http://www.hawaii.edu/sls Two positions, tenure track, full time 9-month, pending position availability and funding, to begin August 1, 2007. Minimum qualifications (both positions): Doctorate in second language acquisition, applied linguistics or closely related field by August, 2007; demonstrated ability to carry out research in the major area(s); second or foreign language teaching experience; and evidence of excellent teaching ability at the university level. Position #82454. Applicants should have major research interests and instructional competence in one or more of the following areas of second language education: language learning and technology (e.g., computer-assisted language learning, computer-mediated communication, electronic and multimodal literacies, virtual communities); young language learners (e.g., bilingualism or multilingualism among young learners in foreign language, second language, heritage language, immersion, or dual language education contexts); second language writing and literacy development (e.g., cognitive, textual, or sociocultural dimensions of multilingual writing, critical literacies). Desirable qualifications: Publication in journals and books in the major area(s); teaching experience in a second language studies or equivalent graduate program; ability to win competitive research funding; interest in the Asia-Pacific region, including Asian and Pacific languages; and teacher education experience. Position #84105. Applicants should have major research interests and instructional competence in one or more of the following areas of second language studies: psycholinguistics of second language learning; cognitive dimensions of bilingualism/ multilingualism; L2 research in classroom and school settings from cognitive, interactional, or sociocultural perspectives. Desirable qualifications: Publication in journals and books in the major area(s); prior teaching experience in a second language studies or equivalent graduate program; ability to win competitive research funding; and interest in the Asia-Pacific region, including Asian and Pacific languages. Duties for both positions: Teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the area of specialization in the Department of Second Language Studies; conduct and publish research; participate fully in supporting activities for academic programs, departmental governance, and service to the University and community. Annual 9-month Salary Range, both positions: commensurate with experience E-mail inquiries: Position #82454: Dr. Lourdes Ortega, Chair of Search Committee lortega at hawaii.edu Position #84105: Dr. Gabriele Kasper, Chair of Search Committee gkasper at hawaii.edu To apply: Applicants should submit letter of application, curriculum vitae, list of courses taught, and sample publications. In addition, letters of reference should be submitted directly by three recommenders. All application materials should be sent by November 15, 2006 to: Dr. Richard R. Day, Chairman Department of Second Language Studies 570 Moore Hall 1890 East-West Road University of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 USA Closing date for both positions: November 15, 2006. The University of Hawaii is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. ************************************************************************* N National Foreign Language Resource Center F University of Hawai'i L 1859 East-West Road, #106 R Honolulu HI 96822 C voice: (808) 956-9424, fax: (808) 956-5983 email: nflrc at hawaii.edu VISIT OUR WEBSITE! http://www.nflrc.hawaii.edu ************************************************************************* From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 22 18:21:43 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:21:43 -0700 Subject: Slang Message-ID: Hi all, I have a student interested in slang in Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Anyone familiar with any work in this area?? Thanks, Shannon __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 22 22:44:01 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 15:44:01 -0700 Subject: Language Bill Needs Letters Message-ID: National Indian Education Association 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E. Suite 104 Washington, D.C. 20002 P: (202) 544-7290 / F: (202) 544-7293 September 22, 2006 Broadcast #06-056 Native Language Immersion Bill Placed on the Suspension Calendar- NEEDS TRIBAL LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO PASS The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006, H.R. 4766 will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th which means that the House will vote on the bill next week. This bill will create grant programs under the Department of Health and Human Services for Native language survival schools, Native language nests, and Native language restoration programs. Representative Heather Wilson, (R-NM) introduced this legislation during NIEA’s Legislative Summit and has been working very closely with NIEA and Indian Country to turn the bill into law. Most recently, the House Education and Workforce Committee held field hearing on the bill in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Co-sponsors of H.R. 4766 include Representatives Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Tom Udall (D-NM), Steve Pearce (R-NM), and Mark Udall (D-CO). NIEA is requesting that all tribes, tribal Education departments, and schools express their support for this bill that will provide critical support for our languages. A sample letter is attached to send to your congressional delegation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have a short time frame (by Monday) to get these letters into your congressional delegation and leadership on the House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The attached letters are addressed to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, but can be tailored to your individual Congressional members. PLEASE have your tribes, tribal education departments, and schools send in the letters to your congressional representatives TODAY and MONDAY. We do not have time to lose! If you have any questions- please feel free to contact NIEA at (202)544-7290. Please send the letters to your congressional representatives and the four fax #’s below. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs fax #’s (202) 224-5429 (Majority) and (202)228-2589 (Minority) House Education and Workforce Committee fax #’s (202)225-9571 (Majority), and (202)226-4864 (Minority) Please send a copy to the National Indian Education Association fax # (202) 544-7293 Cut and paste the following text. SAMPLE LETTER TO THE HOUSE September __, 2006 The Honorable Howard "Buck" McKeon Chairman Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable George Miller Ranking Member Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Miller: On behalf of ___________, I support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. We urge the House to pass this critical legislation. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900’s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, SAMPLE LETTER TO THE SENATE September __, 2006 The Honorable John McCain Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Byron Dorgan Vice Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman McCain and Vice Chairman Dorgan: On behalf of ___________, I strongly support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. This bill will likely pass the House, and we urge the Senate to pass the House bill by unanimous consent. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900’s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 22 23:26:43 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:26:43 -0700 Subject: Slang In-Reply-To: <20060922112143.5bvc84oc08coo004@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Native Slang Skin—Indian. Used mostly among young. Huprok-Local Indian of mixed inter-tribal blood NDN, ndn—Indian. Used mostly among young and on the Internet. shinob, naabe—Anishinaabe Indian. rez—reservation. rez rocket—reservation car, usually in need of repairs. rez dog—Indian who hangs around the reservation. Urban-Native person living in a large city, separated from their Tribe, usually resulting from Federal Relocation policies Shaman-Misnomer Native peoples did not have Shamans Dream-Vision, often a prophecy or communiqué to be deciphered Apruhan or Indian Devil-Person who uses bad thoughts or magic Dine-Original Name of the Navajo Lakota, Dakota, Nakota-Original names of groups lumped together as the Sioux Eskimo-inappropriate name for Innuit, Innupiat and Yupik people rez boots—moccasins. rezzed out—done in true Indian style. i.e.: "His NDN car is really rezzed out." Indian time—whenever, signifying a disregard for Anglo-style punctuality. Pinafich (Karuk word) Coyote-Trickster figure, an anti-hero moccasin telegraph—informal talk or gossip. River Mail-similar to the telegraph also a round about way to deliver things by passing it around to friends and relatives heading “home” Slippery Eel-unsigned gossip letter usually slamming politicians Pow Wow –Big Time, a social gathering inter-tribal in nature Regalia-Part of dance items including necklaces, dresses, beadwork, bustles etc commodity cheese—government surplus food given to Indians. commod—short for "commodity." frog skins—money. brah—"brother." chebon—"man." Usage: "Whassup chebon?" stay red—"keep it real," be true to your Indian self. hola—"hello," from the Lakota. chooch—immature male who is acting stupid. 49—an informal social celebration at an Indian gathering such as a powwow. 49in'—partying at a 49. snag—a partner for a date or a one-night stand. snaggin'—searching for a snag. fry bread girl—Indian female who eats too much. twink, twinki, twinkie—non-Indian who believes in New Age mysticism. wannabe—non-Indian who wants to be an Indian. plastic—fake, as in a fake medicine man or woman. Usage: "Don't waste your money on that plastic shaman." apple—red on the outside, white on the inside. coconut—brown on the outside, white on the inside. red nigger—someone who's too Indian to suit a non-Indian. Usage: "When a blue-eyed Oglala went into a bar with his brown eyed cousins, the bartender said, 'You can stay but your red niggers have to go outside.'" chief—someone who thinks he's chief but isn't. Used ironically. Imareala—a BIA card-carrying Native who brags about having a card and is rude to those who don't big warrior—someone who takes his or her role as a warrior too seriously. Tonto—sidekick, lackey, Indian Uncle Tom. FBI—"full-blooded Indian." U.S. History –the story of the genocidal move west NGE—"non-government enrolled." An Indian not officially a member of a federally-recognized tribe. OSI-Out of state Indian (relocated from another area) Indian Taco-1 plate meal made from commodity foods severed on fried dough blood, Aimster—member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Elder-title of respect not merely of age, must be earned Treaty talk—white man's lies. Cuz-familiar form of Cousin Cosin-related but more distant than a cousin suits—government agents or representatives. Indian Law 101—Indian law in reality. Comes up in the context of a non-Indian lawyer who is competent but has never been exposed to Indian weirdness and starts prattling about the Constitution where it doesn't apply. Usage: "He was talking about Marbury v. Madison, so I had to give him Indian Law 101." Going Custer-similar to going postal Interjections Ennit, Innit-Is it not i.e. that’s a nice sunset innit Gee Ennit-Exclamation, usual in agreement i.e. That was a great party. Gee ennit eh? ey, eyy, ayy-used at the end of a teasing type joke oh ya huh uh huh, you say or I just say "Ima bust an arrow in his ass!" Jokes-I was kidding Owich-ouch, resulting from pain On Sep 22, 2006, at 11:21 AM, s.t. bischoff wrote: Hi all, I have a student interested in slang in Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Anyone familiar with any work in this area?? Thanks, Shannon __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From jieikobu at HOTMAIL.COM Sat Sep 23 03:47:47 2006 From: jieikobu at HOTMAIL.COM (Derksen Jacob) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 03:47:47 +0000 Subject: Slang In-Reply-To: <49A1E9F2-28C8-4CDC-A448-DE38819A2BEB@ncidc.org> Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rzs at TDS.NET Sat Sep 23 14:05:08 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 09:05:08 -0500 Subject: Slang Message-ID: Navajos(Diné) have some great slang and we used them all the time while living in Ganado Az. bologna was called: gahmalii bi kwoos (mormon neck) also called : biligana bi kwoos (white persons neck) white bread was "biligana bi bah" ( white peoples bread) bailing wire was sometimes called "a navajo bolt" a section of rubber hose for siphoning " navajo credit card" all the parts of an automobile are named as animals parts chidii bi ke' (cars foot) chidi bi nanh (cars eyes) etc... and an elephant was called "the one who ropes his food" there is a whole Diné sentence that sounds sort of like "Ganado Arizona" which translated into english means "rabbit jumps up and rips his shirt" Gahl náh oldnad bii ah íí zohns (sorry for my bad Diné spelling!) there is another kids used to say that sounds sort of like " i speak english" but translated into english means "pee on the pigeon" hasbita bii k'inliijh I'd like to hear any i've missed! Richard Zane Smith > > From: Derksen Jacob > Date: 2006/09/22 Fri PM 10:47:47 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Slang > > From delancey at UOREGON.EDU Sat Sep 23 15:13:17 2006 From: delancey at UOREGON.EDU (Scott DeLancey) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 08:13:17 -0700 Subject: The Ken Hale Prize In-Reply-To: <20060918104455.apwkcssko4oko4w4@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: >From the most recent SSILA Bulletin, info about the Ken Hale Prize, presented by the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA), the main organization of linguistics who study Native languages. Scott DeLancey ============================================================== The Ken Hale Prize is presented annually by SSILA in recognition of outstanding community language work and a deep commitment to the documentation, maintenance, promotion, and revitalization of indigenous languages in the Americas. The Prize (which carries a $500 stipend) honors those who strive to link the academic and community spheres in the spirit of Ken Hale, and recipients can range from native speakers and community-based linguists to academic specialists, and may include groups or organizations. No academic affiliation is necessary. Nominations for the award may be made by anyone, and should include a letter of nomination stating the current position and affiliation, if appropriate, of the nominee or nominated group (tribal, organizational, or academic), and a summary of the nominee's background and contributions to specific language communities. The nominator should also submit a brief portfolio of supporting materials, such as the nominee's curriculum vitae, a description of completed or on-going activities of the nominee, letters from those who are most familiar with the work of the nominee (e.g. language program staff, community people, academic associates), and any other material that would support the nomination. Submission of manuscript-length work is discouraged. The 2006 Hale Prize will be announced at the next SSILA meeting, in Anaheim, in January 2007. The chair of this year's selection committee is Nora England and nomination packets should be sent to her at the following address: Prof. Nora England Department of Linguistics University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station B5100 Austin TX 78712-1196 The deadline for receipt of nominations is November 1. Nominations will be kept active for two subsequent years for prize consideration and nominators are invited to update their nomination packets if so desired. Inquiries can be e-mailed to Prof. England at . From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sat Sep 23 17:39:38 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 10:39:38 -0700 Subject: Audio Tour in Lakota Language Invites American Indians to Mount Rushmore (fwd) Message-ID: Audio Tour in Lakota Language Invites American Indians to Mount Rushmore Friday , September 22, 2006 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215172,00.html MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. — Ben Black Elk was a staple at Mount Rushmore National Memorial during the 1950s and '60s, posing for photos with tourists intrigued by his single-feather headdress and stories of his Lakota people. Black Elk wasn't part of the official tour, but he became known as the "fifth face on the mountain" after years of sharing American Indians' history and their perspective on the monument, said Gerard Baker, who became Mount Rushmore's first American Indian superintendent in 2004. Baker and his Mount Rushmore staff on Thursday kicked off an effort to extend his teachings and invite American Indians to the monument with the launch of a self-guided audio tour that can be heard in Black Elk's native tongue. Lakota spiritual leader and historian Peter V. Catches of Pine Ridge welcomes tourists with "Ca wokisuya ki le justice na democracy ki Americans Indians ki wicakco na wiyuskinyan He Sapa el unpi kta." Translation: "This memorial to justice and democracy now invites American Indians to celebrate and teach their culture here in the heart of the He Sapa, place of the black cedar." Baker, a member of North Dakota's Mandan and Hidatsa tribes, said he hopes the national attraction can become a place to help heal wounds stemming from the country's violent history with American Indians. "America is full of all kinds of stories, both extremely good and extremely bad. And I think it's one of our responsibilities to give as much of that as we possibly can — not to make people feel guilty or angry or anything else, but to understand the history of this place," he said. Rushmore officials had kicked around the idea for a self-guided audio tour for years. Presidential Tours led by a single ranger often draw as many as 250 followers during the peak season, said Debbie Ketel, publications manager for the Mount Rushmore Historical Society. The goal was to not only memorialize the four presidents on the mountain and talk about creating the sculpture, but to widen the scope of interpretation and education to include the natural and cultural resources of the area, said Judy Olson, the monument's chief of interpretation. For $5, visitors can rent an audio wand and embark on the 29-station walking tour in English, Spanish, German or Lakota. Olson said Rushmore visitors often ask about Indian views of the monument and the Black Hills, and the audio tour gives rangers another tool to share that side of the story. "It's one story we had never really told, so I think people are overwhelmingly positive about the whole thing," Olson said. Baker acknowledges that not everyone will understand what's being said in the Lakota translation — as a Mandan-Hidatsa even he doesn't — but he expects people will listen out of curiosity. "Lakota's a beautiful language," he said. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sun Sep 24 21:46:31 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 14:46:31 -0700 Subject: 12 native Peruvian languages in danger of disappearing (fwd) Message-ID: 24 September, 2006 [ 13:33 ] 12 native Peruvian languages in danger of disappearing http://www.livinginperu.com/news/2492 (LIP-wb) -- During the last decades 30 of the 100 existing native languages in Peru are extinct and today 12 more are in danger of disappearing, warned James Roberts, director of Peru's Summer Institute of Linguistics. “The decrease in native Peruvian languages is mainly due to the influence society has on the various ethnic groups living in rural areas and the fact that the population within each group is getting smaller”, Roberts said. In ethnic groups with a population less than one thousand people, only the parents speak the native language because the children learn Spanish. “If authorities and parents continue to send their children down this educational path, it is likely that their linguistic identity will be lost after one or two generations”, he warned. In addition to Quechua and Aymara, the common indigenous languages spoken mainly in the Peruvian Andes (departments of Cusco, Ancash, and Ayacucho), there are several other languages spoken in Peru's Amazon rain forest. Some non-quechua languages that could soon be extinct are Sharanahua, Yaninahua, Kashinahua, and Kapanahua in the department of Ucayali, as well as Orejón, Sequoia and Arabela spoken in Loreto. 45 percent of Peru's population is indigenous and 25 percent speaks a maternal language other than Spanish. Currently the Summer Institute of Linguistics is advising Peru's "National Program of Alphabetization", and initiative recently launched by the Ministry for Education. (Source: La Republica) - for a language map of Northern Peru click here - for Southern Peru click here ------------------------------------------- for more information please visit: Ethnologue.com From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Sep 27 16:28:02 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:28:02 -0700 Subject: Bad in Any Language (fwd) Message-ID: Bad in Any Language H.R. 4766 needs to be blocked. By Jim Boulet Jr. http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjBkYzBjM2RmMGMzOTI3ZDgxZDRhMGYxZGUyMWI3ZTk= H.R. 4766, the “Native American Languages Preservation Act,” is scheduled to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives under a suspension of the rules as early as today. This expedited procedure is generally reserved for legislation naming federal buildings, honoring champion sports teams, and other such uncontroversial items. The purpose of the bill is to fund the teaching of Native American languages. The original version of H.R. 4766, introduced by Republican Heather Wilson of New Mexico on February 15, has been somewhat toned down by Education Committee staff for its presentation on the House floor. Unfortunately, the revisions are mostly cosmetic. If the aim is to learn a language, both the private and the public sector use the proven immersion method. All you hear is the new language. All you speak is the new language. Fluency soon follows. For bilingual advocates, learning English is at best a secondary goal — something made all too clear by H.R. 4766. This disordering of priorities does a great disservice to the students who need to learn English. Bilingual-education advocates apply the immersion approach to the wrong language. The best way to teach English, they claim, is to have students sit in a classroom hearing and speaking nothing but the non-English language of their ancestors. As a result, “graduates” of bilingual-education programs remain mystified by English. H.R. 4766 specifically applies the bilingual-education approach to children aged seven or younger. These kids are to be immersed in a Native American language for “an average” of 500 hours per year per student. Five hundred hours is a goodly chunk of the average September through May school year (40 weeks times 30 hours of instruction per week equals 1,200 hours). For this reason alone, Section 2 of the revised bill is aptly entitled, “Expansion of Program to Ensure the Survival and Continuing Vitality of Native American Languages.” At a time in life when children of Limited English Proficient parents need to hear the most English in order to develop fluency, H.R. 4766 seeks to ensure they will hear far less. H.R. 4766 utterly fails to mention the word “English.” What it does require is that grant recipients “work toward the goal of all students achieving fluency in a Native American language and academic proficiency in mathematics, reading (or language arts) and science.” Legislative silence of this sort invites suspicion. Advocates of H.R. 4766 are apparently unaware of how difficult it is to learn to read an unwritten language. Many Native American languages remain unwritten, yet this legislation urges government grants for “the development of Native American language materials, such as books.” This is not as stupefying as it may appear to be. Bilingual-education advocates deem nothing impossible; a solution can always be found — and funded by taxpayers. The Carter administration’s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in the then-new Department of Education ordered an Alaska school district to give Eskimo children bilingual-reading instruction, despite the undisputed fact that no written version of the children’s language existed. OCR’s solution? The school district was required to pay for the creation of a written language for these children and then teach them to read it. (This stunning exhibition of mindless bureaucracy is recounted in the Fall, 1986 Journal of Law and Education article, “The Social Science Evidence on Bilingual Education,” by Christine H. Rossell and J. Michael Ross.) The issue of Alaskan native-language instruction leads to another curious aspect of the revised version of H.R. 4766: neither the term “Native American” nor “Native American Languages” is legally defined anywhere amidst seven pages of text devoted to various minutiae (e.g., “Native American language and culture camps”; a “master-apprentice model of learning languages” and “interactive media”). By contrast, the earlier version of H.R. 4766 was not nearly so coy. It contained specific definitions of both “Native American” (“The term ‘Native American’ means — (A) an Indian; (B) a Native American Pacific Islander, (C) a Native Hawaiian; and (D) an Alaska Native”) as well as “Native American Language” (“The term ‘Native American language’ means a historical, traditional language spoken by Native Americans”). Both House and Senate Republicans have demonstrated their disinterest in creating still more special treatment for Native Hawaiians, in thanks largely to both National Review and now-House Majority Leader John Boehner. Accordingly, stealth is now necessary. A review of the existing definitions section of current law, referenced on page six of the “sanitized” version of H.R. 4766, finds all the needed terms already in place: “Native Hawaiians” (42 U.S.C. 2992 (c) (3)), “Alaskan Native villages,” and “Native American Pacific Islander.” Should H.R. 4766 ever be signed into law, Department of Education bureaucrats can simply say that since Congress did not amend these preexisting categories, Congress must have intended to fund native language instruction programs for every single one of them. Earmarks by Senators Stevens (R., Ala.) and Akaka (D., Hawaii) can be relied upon to fill in any gaps. — Jim Boulet Jr. is Executive Director of English First. From nflrc at HAWAII.EDU Wed Sep 27 21:31:27 2006 From: nflrc at HAWAII.EDU (National Foreign Language Resource Center) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:31:27 -1000 Subject: AAAL2007: EXTENDED DEADLINE: Friday, September 29, 2006 (fwd) Message-ID: ********** *American Association of Applied Linguistics* *Costa Mesa**, CA**, April 21-24, 2007* *CALL FOR PROPOSALS * *EXTENDED DEADLINE: September 29, 2006 * *Visit the AAAL2007 website to submit a proposal: http://www.aaal.org/aaal2007/index.htm* Due to the technical difficulties with our web-based submission process, we are extending the submission period for AAAL 2007 through the end of this week. The extended deadline is Friday, September 29, 2006. In addition, we ask anyone who submitted a proposal but who did not receive a confirmation to check their proposal on the website. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we look forward to your submissions. Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig Conference Chair AAAL 2007 From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 29 02:21:29 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 19:21:29 -0700 Subject: Language Bill Message-ID: I am happy to report that it passed last night at 8:30 p.m. Hooray. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- STATEMENT of Congressman Rick Renzi The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act September 27, 2006 Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Miller for the opportunity to speak on this important piece of legislation. I also want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Heather Wilson, for her leadership on this important issue. This bill amends the Native American Programs Act to allow the Administration for Native Americans under the Dept. of Health and Human Services to award grants to strengthen Native American language immersion programs. This measure is vital to preserving the diminishing Native languages in tribes across the nation, including many in my district. As an original cosponsor on this measure, I am thankful for the bipartisan effort to preserve the languages of those people who hold the original history of our country. In my own district, the Navajo people have a very successful language immersion program. In 2001, the Navajo Language Immersion School at the Window Rock Unified School District was established by Dr. Deborah Dennison. At the first grade level, students are instructed in the Navajo Language 90% of the time, and the remaining 10% of their lessons are in English. With each year, these Navajo students are immersed in English more and more until there is an equal balance of language instruction. The students in this successful program cover academic content areas in both Navajo and English and the results have been astounding. These students perform better on the standardized tests than students in "regular classrooms. Moreover, since it was established, the Navajo Language Immersion School has consistently met No Child Left Behind’s designation of "Annual Yearly Progress" and they have also met "Arizona Learns" standards. I hope this kind of excellence in learning and education can be duplicated throughout Indian Country. While some may worry that this program would decrease the importance of the English language in the United States, we must remember the contributions that Native Americans who speak their Native language have made to our country. During World Wars I and II, Native American languages, including the Navajo language, played a vital role in protecting our nation. Navajo people and other Native Americans were employed as "Code Talkers" during the wars, and implemented a code that our enemies could not break. Thus it was through their language that we overcame our enemies. U.S. English, an organization dedicated to promoting English as the official language of the United States, has stated that, " official English legislation proposed by U.S.ENGLISH does not prevent the use of Native American languages ... In education, U.S.ENGLISH supports the right of tribal governments and autonomous Native American communities to make their native languages the primary language of instruction in their schools." Therefore, it is paramount that we pass this legislation. As it helps us protect not only an essential part of Native American history but also helps us safeguard a larger part of United States character and culture for future generations to learn their Native language. A wise friend once shared with me that "To take away a people’s language is to begin to conquer them." Let us join together to support and preserve the first American’s Native languages. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 29 16:12:35 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:12:35 -0700 Subject: New language law In-Reply-To: Message-ID: It is the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act (HR 4766). It now has to be approved by teh Senate so work is still needed to get this Bill Enacted into Law House approves Esther Martinez native language bill -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: esther_martinez.gif Type: image/gif Size: 17194 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- Esther Martinez Last Update: 09/28/2006 10:12:50 AM By: Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The US House has approved legislation that would establish grants for governments, colleges and other Indian language educational organizations that work to preserve native cultures and language. The Esther Martinez Native Languages Preservation Act is named after a Tewa storyteller and linguist who died this month after returning from an awards ceremony at the National Endowment for the Arts. Republican Representative Heather Wilson of New Mexico is sponsoring the measure. Her office says the bill passed Wednesday on a voice vote. Wilson says native languages were precious to Martinez and the bill is designed to help preserve them. The bill authorizes competitive grants through the US Department of Health and Human Services to establish native language programs for students under the age of seven and their families. It also increases support for language immersion programs to create fluent speakers. ADDITIONAL INFO: PLEASE CROSS POST AND FORWARD!!! National Indian Education Association 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E. Suite 104 Washington, D.C. 20002 P: (202) 544-7290 / F: (202) 544-7293 September 22, 2006 Broadcast #06-056 The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006, H.R. 4766 will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th which means that the House will vote on the bill next week. This bill will create grant programs under the Department of Health and Human Services for Native language survival schools, Native language nests, and Native language restoration programs. Representative Heather Wilson, (R-NM) introduced this legislation during NIEA’s Legislative Summit and has been working very closely with NIEA and Indian Country to turn the bill into law. Most recently, the House Education and Workforce Committee held field hearing on the bill in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Co-sponsors of H.R. 4766 include Representatives Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Tom Udall (D-NM), Steve Pearce (R-NM), and Mark Udall (D-CO). NIEA is requesting that all tribes, tribal Education departments, and schools express their support for this bill that will provide critical support for our languages. A sample letter is attached to send to your congressional delegation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have a short time frame (by Monday) to get these letters into your congressional delegation and leadership on the House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The attached letters are addressed to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, but can be tailored to your individual Congressional members. PLEASE have your tribes, tribal education departments, and schools send in the letters to your congressional representatives TODAY and MONDAY. We do not have time to lose! If you have any questions- please feel free to contact NIEA at (202)544-7290. Please send the letters to your congressional representatives and the four fax #’s below. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs fax #’s (202) 224-5429 (Majority) and (202)228-2589 (Minority) House Education and Workforce Committee fax #’s (202)225-9571 (Majority), and (202)226-4864 (Minority) Please send a copy to the National Indian Education Association fax # (202) 544-7293 Cut and paste the following text. SAMPLE LETTER TO THE HOUSE September __, 2006 The Honorable Howard "Buck" McKeon Chairman Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable George Miller Ranking Member Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Miller: On behalf of ___________, I support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. We urge the House to pass this critical legislation. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900’s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, SAMPLE LETTER TO THE SENATE September __, 2006 The Honorable John McCain Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Byron Dorgan Vice Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman McCain and Vice Chairman Dorgan: On behalf of ___________, I strongly support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. This bill will likely pass the House, and we urge the Senate to pass the House bill by unanimous consent. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900’s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, ---------------------------------------------------- On Sep 29, 2006, at 5:56 AM, Peter Suzuki wrote: Dear Andre Crambit, In the Indigenous News Digest, there is an item about a new language law. Would you please provide more details or provide a reference for more detials. Thank you. Peter T. Suzuki, Ph.D. School of Public Administation Univ. of Neb. at Omaha new email: psuzuki at mail.unomaha.edu Thanks for keeping me posted with the Indigenous News Digest From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 17:43:45 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:43:45 -0700 Subject: Oneida's latest venture is animation productions (fwd) Message-ID: Oneida's latest venture is animation productions Posted: September 27, 2006 by: The Associated Press By William Kates -- Associated Press http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413730 VERNON, N.Y. (AP) - The Oneida Indian Nation of New York is using 21st century computer technology to preserve the ancient oral stories of its past. The nation started its own video production company in 2003 and now after several successful ventures, Four Directions Productions is embarking on a project to turn some of the tribe's historic tales into animated video stories. ''We are bringing Oneida legends to life,'' said Dale Rood, a member of the OIN Men's Council who serves as the company's executive liaison and studio operations director. ''We want to do more than just entertain the next generation. We want to teach them - and others - about the Oneida culture,'' said Rood, as he watched lead animator Shaun Foster add a special effects sequence to ''Raccoon and Crawfish,'' which will be the company's first animated short feature. ''And maybe even most important, it's another way to tell the story of the American Indian from the Indian perspective,'' he said. Four Directions Productions expects to release ''Raccoon and Crawfish'' in February, said Foster. Running from seven to 10 minutes, it is taken from an Oneida fable intended to illustrate the dangers of lying. In the story, the raccoon feigns death to catch some crawfish to eat. One crawfish falls for the raccoon's trick but tells the other crawfish in his colony that he has heroically killed the raccoon. When all the crawfish come to look at the dead raccoon for themselves, the raccoon springs his trap and eats all the crawfish. ''We're just a small beginning studio but we are aiming for Pixar-type quality,'' said Foster, a reference to the animation production company that made ''Monsters Inc.,'' ''A Bug's Life'' and ''Toy Story.'' The idea is to produce a half-dozen or so similar animated stories and put them together on a DVD for sale and distribution. Rood sees such a DVD as a perfect fit for grade school classes studying American Indian history. ''This is our Native folklore told in a way that no book can represent,'' Rood said. Four Directions Productions has 10 employees, including four animators. The production company is one of five units of Four Directions Media, one of the diversified business groups the Oneidas have put together using profits from the nearby Turning Stone Resort and Casino. The Oneidas, who employ about 5,000 people, also run a string of gas station/convenience stores, a deep-discount retail store and an electronic games manufacturing plant among their enterprises. Four Directions Productions was formed three years ago to produce a one-hour documentary, ''The World of American Indian Dance,'' that aired on NBC. It was the first production to air on network television to be created, funded, directed, produced by and to star American Indians. While most of Four Directions Productions' past work has focused on in-house projects for the casino and the tribe's other businesses, the company has branched out with commercial success. Among the production company's initial projects were a three-minute film featuring Maria Tallchief, Osage, who was a prima ballerina; and two short public service announcements to promote the Institute of American Indian Arts. The 30- and 15-second spots featured actor Graham Greene, an Oneida from Canada who appeared in ''Dances with Wolves,'' and in television roles on ''Northern Exposure'' and ''Red Green.'' The company's first non-Indian contract was with Ferris Industries for a promotional video. It also has produced a television commercial for Turning Stone that aired on the YES network in New York City. Currently, production is done in a converted two-story house located about 10 miles from the tribe's casino. While stocked with cutting-edge equipment, Rood said the company will soon need a newer facility with larger, more sophisticated studios. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 17:55:54 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:55:54 -0700 Subject: Native languages bill moves closer to House vote (fwd) Message-ID: Native languages bill moves closer to House vote Posted: September 29, 2006 by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413745 WASHINGTON - A bill that would provide Department of Education funding for Native language immersion schools passed the House of Representatives late Sept. 27. It will now go to the Senate. The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act, H.R. 4766 in the House, was placed on the ''suspension calendar'' in hopes it would get to the floor of the House for a vote before lawmakers take their pre-election recess. Sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., and pushed by the National Indian Education Association among others, the bill has been renamed to honor Martinez, a lifelong champion of the Tewa tongue before her recent death in a car accident. The Ohkey Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo) elder was returning to New Mexico from an honoring ceremony in Washington, in recognition of her linguistic efforts, when her car was hit by an allegedly drunken driver. The bill and its subject matter had gained momentum in Congress recently, but it was not expected to reach the floor following a field hearing in Albuquerque, N.M., Aug. 31. ''What we've done is expand the vocabulary in Congress as it pertains to Native language immersion,'' said Ryan Wilson, executive director of the NIEA, of the bill's progress. Support for the bill is based on scientific arguments that make two points, he said. One is that the education of Indians in America simply isn't working right now. Successful Indian students aren't a rarity, ''but they're more anomalous than they are the norm.'' The second scientific basis for the bill is that research is now emerging, especially from Native Hawaii, to demonstrate that immersion schooling in a heritage language creates an attachment to school and learning that is not now commonly found at Indian schools. The research suggests that Native language immersion schooling creates a sense of ownership in a school and a say in individual destiny, Wilson said, that ultimately leads students to love their learning, cherish their teachers and value their days. These feelings underpin later academic achievement, nostalgia for school days and alumni support. ''What the immersion school does is create a kinship system, a community within the community. When you walk through those hallways, you feel that.'' Native language immersion learning is not meant to displace English as an everyday language. But Native students have not historically had a chance to learn Native languages in an academic setting, Wilson said, and that loss is connected to academic performance. Immersion learning of heritage languages should be instituted at every level for Native students, he added. ''What we need to do is create seamless learning venues'' - from Head Start to kindergarten through elementary school, high school and college. Indians want Indian children to be the most educated students in the nation, Wilson said. ''But it'll never happen under the exclusive dominance of English.'' From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 18:05:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:05:46 -0700 Subject: Microsoft to roll out Inuktitut software upgrades (fwd) Message-ID: Microsoft to roll out Inuktitut software upgrades “It had never been done before. It’s ground zero” JOHN THOMPSON http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/60929_05.html [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE - A free “language pack” that should be available in a month will give Microsoft Office applications, such as the email program Outlook, shown above, an Inuktitut facelift for almost every pull-down menu and pop-up prompt. The translation work was done by Iqaluit’s Pirurvik Centre, a language and culture consultancy ran by Gavin Nesbitt and Leena Evic. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PIRURVIK CENTRE)] Firing off emails, writing memos and doing other tasks on the computer in Inuktitut is about to become much easier, thanks to free software upgrade coming soon for Microsoft Windows and the MS Office suite of software. The Inuktitut “language packs” will only offer roman orthography, so Inuit accustomed to reading syllabics will need to wait for a forthcoming project, and the upcoming edition of Windows Vista, to be released in early 2007. Still, the launch of the upgrades for Windows XP and Office 2003, expected to happen in about a month, marks a big milestone for Inuktitut computing, says Gavin Nesbitt of Iqaluit’s Pirurvik Centre, a language and culture consultancy contracted by Microsoft to translate the two programs into Inuktitut. Nesbitt, who coordinated the project over the last year and a half, with the help of a dozen translators, said he has high hopes the release will bring Inuktitut one step closer towards being the language of government in Nunavut, as well as encouraging its use in schools. “This could be an extremely powerful thing,” he said during an interview last Tuesday. Nesbitt describes the language packs as like a new skin wrapped around the existing Windows and Office programs, giving them new Inuktitut faces for almost every pull-down menu and pop-up prompt. Work began in the summer of 2004, with workshops held with computer users, elders and language authorities. That produced 2,000 Inuktitut computing terms. Then, from January until June of 2005, came the translation of MS Office. That project was the most time-consuming because of a steep learning curve involved, and the complex menus in each application, which all needed to be translated consistently, said Nesbitt. “It had never been done before. It’s ground zero,” said Nesbitt. Most recently, they worked on Windows XP from January until June this year. Any future translations, such as plans for an Inuktitut syllabics language pack for the future version of Windows and Office, will be much easier, Nesbitt said, now the groundwork has been laid, because much of the existing vocabulary can be recycled. “The words are there,” he said. “It’s just a matter of converting them to syllabics, and editing and proofing it.” The real test will come when government workers begin using the language packs. “You can have all the workshops in the world, but if people don’t use the words, it’s kind of useless.” The Government of Nunavut is testing the language packs before it’s widely installed on government computers, with the goal of a big roll-out sometime before the end of this fiscal year, said Stephane Cloutier, director of official languages in the department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth. Glossaries of the new computing terms will be prepared to help government workers adjust to the changes, Cloutier said. However, Nesbitt said Inuktitut-speaking computer users may in fact have an easier time understanding their new words than English speaking users do with their native computer jargon. Meanwhile, some Inuktitut translations in Windows XP are already available, with an Inuktitut “locale” available on updated versions of the operating system. Turn that option on, and parts of Windows, such as the days of the week, will appear in Inuktitut. This all means that Inuktitut computing has taken big strides over the last five years, Nesbitt said. Nesbitt credits the hard work done by the translators, who include Leena Evic, Jeela Palluq, Eva Aariak, Naimee Kilabuk-Bourassa, Kataisee Attagutsiak, Mark Kalluak, Ooleepika Ikkidluak, Aaju Peter, Meeka Arnakaq, Mary Arnakaq, Naullaq Arnaquq and Okalik Eegeesiak. “They really put their heart and soul in it,” Nesbitt said. Other than the Inuktitut translation project, the Pirurvik Centre is also sharing what they learned developing tools to support Inuktitut on the computer with a Guatemalan group called Enlace Quiché, who had begun their own work to preserve their Mayan indigenous language, K’iche, which has over one million speakers in Central America. Recently the Pirurvik Centre received funding through an arm of the United Nations to help Enlace Quiché develop literacy tools, to teach rural farmers how to read with the help of computers. And during the summer a representative from Enlace Quiché visited Toronto and Ottawa to learn first-hand how to develop these language tools. “I think everybody’s on board to make this happen,” Nesbitt said. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 20:55:36 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 13:55:36 -0700 Subject: email client software Message-ID: ILAT, I am wanting get some recommendations on the best email client freeware that is compatable with Unicode or other multilingual needs for indigenous language communities. Also, what "webmail" clients (Yahoo, Gmail, MSN, etc.) are good or not so good to use. I have recently switched from Outlook to using Mozilla Thunderbird email software and it seems to be good for basic multilingual email-ing tasks. Anyway, let us know what you think. l8ter, Phil Cash Cash ILAT list mg From charles.riley at YALE.EDU Fri Sep 29 22:49:49 2006 From: charles.riley at YALE.EDU (Charles RIley) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:49:49 -0400 Subject: email client software In-Reply-To: <20060929135536.gyxqklc4gk08wgg8@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Hi Phil; Personally, I've found Gmail to work the best out of the ones I've tried so far; Yahoo and Hotmail seem to be more limited in the kinds of encoding they'll transmit & receive, although it might be possible to improve the performance on these by adjusting browser and/or locale settings manually. Gmail picks the encodings automatically, which in some cases might not be desirable, but for most purposes delivers a better result. For e-mailing in Unicode generally, there are some methods of transfer encoding that software developers would ideally be aware of (base64, quoted-printable, uu, 8BITMIME, etc.) There's also a suite of tools developed by Richard Ishida at the W3C that I've found to be really helpful when it comes to multilingual input, without having to install a keyboard or change locale settings. They're not perfect, but it's a nice model to follow: http://people.w3.org/rishida/scripts/pickers/ Charles Riley Quoting phil cash cash : > ILAT, > > I am wanting get some recommendations on the best email client freeware > that is compatable with Unicode or other multilingual needs for > indigenous language communities. Also, what "webmail" clients (Yahoo, > Gmail, MSN, etc.) are good or not so good to use. > > I have recently switched from Outlook to using Mozilla Thunderbird email > software and it seems to be good for basic multilingual email-ing tasks. > > Anyway, let us know what you think. > > l8ter, > > Phil Cash Cash > ILAT list mg > From lang.support at GMAIL.COM Sat Sep 30 07:37:28 2006 From: lang.support at GMAIL.COM (Andrew Cunningham) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:37:28 +1000 Subject: email client software In-Reply-To: <20060929184949.4nd5aoxw5ts048sc@www.mail.yale.edu> Message-ID: Hi Phil 1) I tend to prefer Thunderbird for multilingual email. 2) For web email, I prefer Gmail in conjunction with Firefox and the Stylish extension. Gmail is UTF-8 based so is good for mutilingual emails, but for some languages I prefer to override the fonts Gmail uses to display text. Thats where the Stylish extension comes in. I use it to create domain specific CSS rules that I can turn on or off as needed. Andrew -- Andrew Cunningham Language IT support Dinka Language Institute Australia From jimc at MULTCOLIB.ORG Sat Sep 30 23:24:28 2006 From: jimc at MULTCOLIB.ORG (CARMIN Jim) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:24:28 -0700 Subject: Ofelia Zepeda in Portland OR, October 13 Message-ID: The Natural Way, Indigenous Voices, a program of Earth & Spirit Council, invites you to a special presentation (see below) by MacArthur award winning poet and linguist Ofelia Zepeda on October 13th at 7pm at the Native American Student and Community Center on the campus of Portland State University (SW Broadway and Jackson, Portland OR). Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. O'odham Poems as Stories of a People Ofelia Zepeda is a poet and former director of the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Arizona. She was born and raised near the Tohono O'odham (Papago) and Akimel O'odham (Pima) reservations of Arizona and received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. She is currently a professor of linguistics there and is considered the foremost authority in Tohono O'odham language and literature. In 1999, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her work as a linguist, poet, editor, and community leader devoted to maintaining and preserving Native American languages and to revitalizing tribal communities and cultures. Co-sponsored by Ecotrust and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. More information at http://www.earthandspirit.org/NaturalWay/ofeliaZepeda.html Jim Carmin John Wilson Special Collections Librarian Multnomah County Library 801 SW 10th Avenue Portland, OR 97205 jimc at multcolib.org phone: 503-988-6287 fax: 503-988-5226 From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:21:00 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:21:00 -0700 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner (fwd link) Message-ID: fyi, Language fieldworkers might be interested in this.? Phil ILAT ~~~ Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner The CRD310 combines hard drive and CD recording http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=getpage&kw=ART-Marantz&Q=newsLetter/pro_audio_marantzaug2006.jsp&O=RootPage.jsp -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:33:37 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:33:37 -0700 Subject: Congressional hearing focuses on native languages (fwd) Message-ID: 6:53 am: Congressional hearing focuses on native languages By ASSOCIATED PRESS September 1, 2006 http://www.freenewmexican.com/news/48631.html# ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The chairman of the U.S. House Education and Workforce Committee has warned educators and members of the American Indian community that only 20 indigenous languages are expected to remain viable over the next four decades. To lose these languages is to lose a significant piece of American history, Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, R-Calif., said Thursday during a hearing that highlighted the decline of Indian languages and efforts to reverse the trend. "As a result of this rapid decline, some communities across the country have made language recovery and preservation one of their highest priorities," he said. Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., hosted Thursday's hearing. She is sponsoring legislation _ the Native American Languages Preservation Act _ that would establish grants for Indian language educational organizations, colleges, governments and groups that work to preserve native cultures and languages through immersion programs. Wilson said native languages, once lost, can never be recovered. "Native languages are part of our rich heritage as New Mexicans," she said. Amadeo Shije, chairman of the All Indian Pueblos Council in Albuquerque, said access to education through immersion programs can help preserve Indian culture. "For the 19 pueblos (of New Mexico), the link between education, language and culture is fundamental and cannot be stressed enough as we preserve to maintain our identities," Shije said. Ryan Wilson, president of the National Indian Education Association, told committee members that Indians continue to use their native languages for ceremonies, prayers, stories and sons. "Our languages connect us to our ancestors, our traditional ways of life and our histories. For us, the survival of our cultures and identities is inextricably linked to the survival of our languages," he said. "If our languages die, then it is inevitable that our cultures will die next." Christine Sims, professor of language literacy at the University of New Mexico, told the committee there is a growing number of community-based education systems that are helping recover native languages. She pointed to New Mexico, where statutory laws support the establishment of heritage language programs as a new category of state-funded bilingual programs. She added that tribes also are developing their own processes for certifying tribal members as language instructors in the public schools. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:38:53 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:38:53 -0700 Subject: Ten Canoes sail to Oscar (fwd) Message-ID: Ten Canoes sail to Oscar Michael Bodey September 02, 2006 http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20332247-16947,00.html THE first feature film to be shot entirely in an Aboriginal language, Rolf De Heer's Ten Canoes, has been chosen for consideration as Australia's entry for best foreign-language film at next year's Academy Awards. The film, set before the coming of white settlers to Australia and in a mythical past, predominantly uses the Ganalbingu language. While Australia has never secured a nomination in this category, Ten Canoes can be considered a realistic chance for a nomination, given its exotic story and visuals. It was shot at the Arafura Swamp in northeast Arnhem Land. Ten Canoes has been well-received at home and abroad after being selected for the Cannes Film Festival in May, where it won a jury prize in the Un Certain Regard section. Ten Canoes won a silver medal at the Telluride Film Festival in the US this week, and will screen at the Toronto International Film Festival this month. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 1 17:48:15 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:48:15 -0700 Subject: Russia Moves to Ban Religious Rites of Indigenous Finno-Ugric People Mari (fwd) Message-ID: Russia Moves to Ban Religious Rites of Indigenous Finno-Ugric People Mari Created: 29.08.2006 15:45 MSK (GMT +3), Updated: 15:45 MSK MosNews http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/08/29/mari.shtml A pagan priest is on trial in Russian Volga region for allegedly inciting religious, national, social and linguistic hatred. Vitaly Tanakov, a descendant of the ancient priests family, has written a book dedicated to the traditions and religion of Mari, a Finno-Ugric people numerous in the region. He distributed the book, entitled ?The Priest Speaks?, at ethnic gatherings and celebrations. However the authorities saw the book as violating the constitution, and charged Tanakov with inciting hatred and hostility as well as humiliating the dignity of a group of people for their nationality, language and religion. Experts analyzing the book reported nothing criminal about its contents, and said the charges were totally groundless. Moreover, human rights activists said that if Tanakov is sentenced for describing the Mari national characteristics in his book, the trial will actually outlaw thousands of the people in the republic for speaking their own language, practicing their own religion and performing their rites. The Mari people have often voiced concern about discrimination they suffer from the Slavic population. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 1 18:14:23 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 11:14:23 -0700 Subject: At Your Finger Tips Message-ID: http://leaderadvertiser.com/articles/2006/08/31/news/news02.txt Tribal languages, at your fingertips Posted: Thursday, Aug 31, 2006 - 03:08:16 pm PDT By Nate Traylor Leader Staff ? Salish, Kootenai keyboards coming to a school near you Students across the reservation will have the languages of the Salish and Kootenai tribes right at their finger tips. Modified keyboards featuring unique characters will soon be available in area schools and will enable students to type in traditional Salish and Kootenai languages -- the result of hard work by a former SKC technology director. Something that was once blamed for taking a toll on tribal languages and customs could actually help preserve the native tongue. "When modern technology first arrived here, it started taking our language and culture away from us," said Tony Incashola, director of the Salish Pend d'Oreille Culture Committee, in a prepared statement. "But now we're learning how to take that same technology and turn it around, using it to teach our children our language and culture." Using the newest creation of software, former Salish Kootenai College technology director Jim Ereaux has created two new fonts that will work on both PC and Mac platforms. To have fonts that work on both Mac and PC was critical, he explained. While most of the world uses PCs, Macintosh computers are still used in many educational settings, and Ereaux said the program had to work with both operating systems to be effective. "We needed to bring standardization to it," he said. The keyboards are like any other, he explained, only the English letters have been replaced with either Salish characters or Kootenai characters. The Salish language has more characters than the English language so it doesn't quite fit on the standard English keyboard. The solution? Use the numerical buttons on top and replace them with Salish characters, Ereaux said. Also, with the simple tap of the caps lock button, people can switch between writing in a native language or English. Plus, the keys are removable, allowing you to place more commonly used characters within comfortable reach of your fingers, allowing for more efficient typing. But what really allows for quicker typing speed is the OpenType technology. Many languages use require several glyphs to compose one character. Rather than type two or three glyphs per character, one key stroke is all it will take for the glyphs to be assembled automatically, he explained. (However, if you're accustomed to punching each glyph, you will still have that option.) Because the project largely aims to educate students in Salish and Kootenai Languages, the new fonts also allow for use of teaching programs like crossword puzzles and software that creates teacher user plans. Native language fonts are nothing new, he explained, but what makes this program unique is that it can spellcheck documents written in both tribal languages. It also has a find /replace feature, which is also a new option for programs of this kind. The new fonts were created using two new technologies called Unicode and OpenType. Unicode is the global standard for multi-language word processing and houses thousands of languages and is capable of supporting over one million possible characters. The Salish and Kootenai Tribes have had access to a variety of computer fonts and applications in the past to produce publications and historical documents, but these programs are antiquated and becoming more and more obsolete as computer technology advances, Ereaux explained. The Salish and Kootenai Culture Committees tapped Ereaux to help develop the new software last year. Since then, he estimates he has put in about 400 hours on the project. With the coordination of Culture Committees, several linguists and the typographic community on the Internet, the project was underway. Tony Incashola, Shirley Trahan and Thompson Smith provided guidance from the Salish Culture Committee while Vernon Finley and Dorothy Berney provided guidance from the Kootenai Culture Committee. In April 2006, a grant was written through Salish Kootenai College, from both Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative and the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation to support the creation of customized keyboards for both languages. Both organizations donated nearly $6,000 to the project. The idea behind this new word processor is that it will be compatible with more advanced systems. The minimum operating requirements are Windows XP and higher on the PC and OS 10.4 on the Macintosh. "We knew there was this globalization with other processors and that is the direction we wanted to head," he said -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: news02.jpg Type: image/jpeg Size: 37837 bytes Desc: not available URL: From annier at SFU.CA Fri Sep 1 21:30:10 2006 From: annier at SFU.CA (annie ross) Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 14:30:10 -0700 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner (fwd link) Message-ID: An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed... Name: not available URL: From scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU Sat Sep 2 16:13:02 2006 From: scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU (Serafin M Coronel-Molina (scoronel@Princeton.EDU)) Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 12:13:02 -0400 Subject: Don Quixote in Quechua Message-ID: DON QUIXOTE IN THE QUECHUA LANGUAGE Translator: Tupac Yupanqui, Demetrio. Title: Yachay sapa wiraqucha dun Quixote Manachamantan / Miguel de Servantes Saavedra Qilqan [translation and adaptation by Demetrio Tupac Yupanqui] Published/Created: Lima, Peru : El Comercio, 2005. Description: 379 pp. : color. illustrations; 35 cm. Notes: "Duque de Bejarpah Kamarispa, Gibraleonmanta Marques, Conde de Benalcac?ar, Pan?aresmantapuwan, alcozer llahtamantapis Vizconde, Capilla villasmantapis Wiraquchan, curiel, Burguillosmanta ima. Watapi, Manchay sapanchcasqa, Madridpi, Juan de la Cuestah." Language(s): Introduction in Spanish; text in Quechua; translated from Spanish. Subject(s): Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de, 1547-1616 --Adaptations. Related name(s): Cervantes Saavedra, Miguel de, 1547-1616. Other title(s): Ingenioso hidalgo Don Quixote da la Mancha ISBN: 9972021289 ------------------------------ Seraf?n M. Coronel-Molina Department of Spanish & Portuguese Languages and Cultures 401 East Pyne Building Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544 http://spo.princeton.edu/ From scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU Sat Sep 2 16:47:53 2006 From: scoronel at PRINCETON.EDU (Serafin M Coronel-Molina (scoronel@Princeton.EDU)) Date: Sat, 2 Sep 2006 12:47:53 -0400 Subject: Website entirely in Quechua Message-ID: Peruvian Congress' Website entirely in the Quechua language: http://www.congreso.gob.pe/qu/index.asp ------------------------------ Seraf?n M. Coronel-Molina Department of Spanish & Portuguese Languages and Cultures 401 East Pyne Building Princeton University Princeton, NJ 08544 http://spo.princeton.edu/ From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Sep 3 07:18:56 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 00:18:56 -0700 Subject: Phraselator Message-ID: http://ruphus.com/blog/2006/08/29/phraselators-for-cherokee/ Phraselators for Cherokee August 29th, 2006 CITIZEN-TIMES.com: High-tech language lessons from tribe The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will use a federal grant to buy hand-held computers that translate English into Cherokee. The computers, called Phraselators and made by Maryland-based VoxTec International, will help the tribe teach members how to speak Cherokee. The Phraselator is a small hand-held translation device. In the articles I?ve read about the device, it?s mostly been used in combat (if I recall correctly it was first developed for the military). It?s nice to see it being used in a language preservation situation. With about 20,000 speakers, Tsalagi, the Cherokee Language, is one of the most-spoken Native American languages. -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Sun Sep 3 07:22:47 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 00:22:47 -0700 Subject: language Reunion Message-ID: http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp? action=displayarticle&article_id=8107 The 900-year reunion Separated by distance, united by language Sam Lewin 8/22/2006 A coalition that existed a century ago will be replicated in a mid- sized Oklahoma town next month. The Shoshonean Language Reunion takes place Sept. 25-27 at the Comanche Nation?s tribal complex in Lawton. The reunion stems from the Snake Tribe, a partnership located in what is now the state of Montana and made up of ?Shoshone, Paiutes, Utes and Comanches,? according to Comanche historian Reaves Nahwooks of Indiahoma, OK. Nahwooks tells the Native American Times that he became interested in the Snakes while living at the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in Idaho during the 1960s and seeing how close his Comanche language is to the dialect spoken by the Shoshone of the region. Years of research led Nahwooks to continually contemplate one tantalizing mystery: Why did the Snakes split? Various theories abound and many are passed off as fact. One idea is that the groups separated because of a ?fight over meat or a fight between kids where one was killed while they were playing, so the families left,? Nahwooks said. But he discounts that theory, saying that the tribes involved ?don?t forget, and they hold grudges. There would be some very prevalent stories [about the feud] still around.? Another thought, which Nahwooks give more credence, is that the Comanches left in order to follow the buffalo, moving south into Mexico then north to Texas and Oklahoma. The idea for a reunion had been bandied about for many years but it wasn?t until that late 1990s that the ball really got rolling, motivated primarily by the fact that there remained a group of tribes living 3000 miles apart yet speaking the same language. The Comanches today number about 10,000, with roughly half living in Oklahoma. Some historians believe the tribe may have once numbered 20,000. With a dwindling membership, the desire to learn more about the past apparently became even more pressing. Another factor in creating an annual reunion is use of peyote, which created a ?more intense reason to promote communication,? according to a write-up in the Comanche Nation News attributed to the Reunion Committee Staff. Up until the reunions began, ?most information has been put together by non-Indian anthropologists, teachers, explorers, linguists, writers and others. Though this is a valuable service, it does not include in-depth information about tribal customs and traditions,? the article states. The reunion places a strong emphasis on the cultural, Nahwooks said, featuring ?storytelling, singing and talking about the cultures. Every tribe there does that.? ?Highlighted in every reunion was the hospitality that each tribe extended to visitors,? the Comanche Nation News article relates. ?The histories began to come together and the tribes seemed to become comfortable with each other.? The first and second reunions were held in Fort Hall, with the Comanches hosting the third. Subsequent reunions have taken place in Wyoming and Nevada. With the seventh incarnation returning to Oklahoma, reunion organizers are seeking to pull out all the stops. The Comanche newspaper account is accompanied by an announcement that the reunion committee is putting out bids for caterers. ?We are one people in language and tradition, but learn more customs in food and practices which makes us more knowledgeable and proud to be together,? the reunion staff says. You can contact Sam Lewin at sam at okit.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU Sun Sep 3 07:35:51 2006 From: thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU (Nick Thieberger) Date: Sun, 3 Sep 2006 17:35:51 +1000 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner (fwd link) In-Reply-To: <200609012130.k81LUA6Q029353@rm-rstar.sfu.ca> Message-ID: Transcribing from a digital file is so much easier than from a cassette! You transcribe directly from the digital file on your computer, and can use a foot pedal if you want. If you use software for time-alignment (software such as Transcriber or Elan) then you end up not only with a transcript, but with a transcript that will allow you to search the text and hear the media at the same time because the software inserts timecodes everytime you declare a chunk (utterance unit or sentence or whatever). I have been using time-aligned transcripts to work with my recordings and can now access over 20 hours of recordings of narratives by searching the transcript. Nick On Sat, September 2, 2006 7:30 am, annie ross wrote: > hello dear friends: > > i apologize if this question has already been answered, but how does one > transcribe the field recordings when it is on a CD? > > cassette-tapingly yours- > annie > > On Fri, 1 Sep 2006 10:21:00 -0700 ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU wrote: >> fyi, Language fieldworkers might be interested in this. >> Phil >> ILAT >> ~~~ >> Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner >> The CRD310 combines hard drive and CD recording >> > http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=getpage&kw=ART-Marantz&Q=n > ewsLetter/pro_audio_marantzaug2006.jsp&O=RootPage.jsp > > > annie g. ross > First Nations Studies > School for the Contemporary Arts > Simon Fraser University > 8888 University Drive > Burnaby, British Columbia > V5A 1S6 > annier at sfu.ca > Telephone: 604-291-3575 Facsimile: 604-291-5666 > From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 07:49:35 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 00:49:35 -0700 Subject: Marantz's New Audio Recorder/Burner Message-ID: Nick's experience makes the use of digitized files sound very attractive. Presumably one does not have to invest hundreds of dollars in a Marantz, however, but can simply re-record data from a tape to a CD and use that? One other question I have: I have never seen any discussion of the quality of the audio captured/preserved on a DVD vs various formats of videotape (here I am thinking of digital video cameras vs older VHS cameras or VCRs). On VHS, the video quality varies with the speed, but the audio quality is laid down as a hi-fi track in any case and should not vary, so far as I know. It is possible to record DVDs at varying speeds, and the video quality varies (the six-hour rate I have found to be almost unwatchable) with the speed, but I don't know anything about how audio quality is determined, or how it is recorded along with the video signal. Perhaps someone has some information on that, or could point us to a useful source. Thanks, Rudy Troike From rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 08:09:19 2006 From: rtroike at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (Rudy Troike) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 01:09:19 -0700 Subject: Phraselator Message-ID: Once again the White Man is ripping off Indian tribes by flim-flamming them with the idea that their languages can be preserved by recording the equivalent of a phrase-book on a high-tech hand-held device. These devices are obviously useful in situations where there is no common language for communication, and where communication usually consists of a fairly predictable and restricted number of expressions (customizable for, e.g., house-to-house searches for terrorists or surgeons in a field hospital trying to save Lebanese children brutally injured by Israeli cluster bombs). However, a good way to test the utility of the device in a community setting would be to use one, set up with another well-documented language such as Spanish, and have someone who knows Spanish use it to simulate conversation with other community members in English. My guess is that patience would quickly wear thin with the person looking up the Spanish phrase or sentence in order to produce the appropriate English expression. If there were Cherokee speakers who knew no English, the device could come in handy if a doctor in an emergency room had to communicate with them, but it is difficult to imagine English-only grandchildren having long conversations with their Cherokee-only grandparents (if many exist). Even granted the possible utility of the device in emergency situations, the wide-spread adoption of it might actually hasten language death by leading people to think that this would relieve them of the tedium and effort of actually learning the language -- just like telling students in school that they no longer need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide since their calculators will do all of that drudgework for them (fine until the batteries run out, or the wiring goes screwy and produces inaccurate results -- as I've seen happen -- and could not be checked). Rudy Troike From rzs at TDS.NET Mon Sep 4 16:10:04 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Smith) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 09:10:04 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060904010919.gc4g0g40o8g8c48g@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Rudy, these are really good points you bring up Technology for all its promise has an edge, A side we must be watchful of. For all their promise, these kind of technologies might actually impregnate cultures forming a hard-edged gold-standard, to measure cultural "correctness" Our Cultural committees need to be aware of this darker side since we know a healthy living culture has motion. Flux is not only important but essential for life. Everything has its seasons This Hi-tech age we live in now will have its season. Who will hear these CDs when there is no way to play them? Our current technological age is only a mere speck (maybe just an interruption) on thousands upon thousands of years Of continual earth-based circle societies. If we are truly working towards the 7th generation, We must prepare ourselves for the possibility that these generations May not be so "fortunate" to have these oil-driven technologies And gadgets that we take for granted as normal living. >From this moment of time,maybe they seem everlasting. We can easily live as if there will always be a Walmart, oil-based asphalt to repair highways,plastics and computers, But its an untested unproven belief in human intelligence. I suggest we look further Even beyond our children's children's children... And realistically use these now-tools to shore up a generation That may not even have the luxury of remembering them. Because we were all born during an age of technological advancement Its almost automatic for us to assume this will always be real. Will our indigenous societies survive to outlive this current "technological interruption?" I think this should be the goal of all of us Who are working hard for the survival of our nations. Richards Zane Smith Wyandotte, Oklahoma On 9/4/06 1:09 AM, "Rudy Troike" wrote: > Once again the White Man is ripping off Indian tribes by flim-flamming them > with the idea that their languages can be preserved by recording the > equivalent > of a phrase-book on a high-tech hand-held device. These devices are obviously > useful in situations where there is no common language for communication, and > where communication usually consists of a fairly predictable and restricted > number of expressions (customizable for, e.g., house-to-house searches for > terrorists or surgeons in a field hospital trying to save Lebanese children > brutally injured by Israeli cluster bombs). However, a good way to test the > utility of the device in a community setting would be to use one, set up with > another well-documented language such as Spanish, and have someone who knows > Spanish use it to simulate conversation with other community members in > English. > My guess is that patience would quickly wear thin with the person looking up > the Spanish phrase or sentence in order to produce the appropriate English > expression. If there were Cherokee speakers who knew no English, the device > could come in handy if a doctor in an emergency room had to communicate with > them, but it is difficult to imagine English-only grandchildren having long > conversations with their Cherokee-only grandparents (if many exist). Even > granted the possible utility of the device in emergency situations, the > wide-spread adoption of it might actually hasten language death by leading > people to think that this would relieve them of the tedium and effort of > actually learning the language -- just like telling students in school that > they no longer need to learn how to add, subtract, multiply, or divide since > their calculators will do all of that drudgework for them (fine until the > batteries run out, or the wiring goes screwy and produces inaccurate results > -- as I've seen happen -- and could not be checked). > > Rudy Troike From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 18:34:29 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 11:34:29 -0700 Subject: MSU professor aims to save at-risk language (fwd) Message-ID: MSU professor aims to save at-risk language By Matthew Miller, Lansing State Journal Grant to enable linguist's task in Tanzania http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=60681 Deogratias Ngonyani does not speak Kikisi. His only exposure to the language, spoken by fewer than 10,000 people in Tanzania, is a list of about 1,000 words from the early 1970s. But his work over the next nine months could be what keeps Kikisi from slipping into the linguistic boneyard. "There are indications that the number of speakers is declining very rapidly," said Ngonyani, a linguist and a professor of Swahili at Michigan State University. The reason, he said, is pressure from "more dominant languages" such as Swahili, the official language of Tanzania, and regional languages, such as Kinyakyusa. Experts estimate that about half of the 7,000 human languages used today will be extinct within a century. When they go, the culture and the worldviews of their speakers could disappear too, said Joan Maling, linguistics program director of the National Science Foundation. It sponsors a program that gave a $40,000 grant to Ngonyan. "Language preserves all kinds of really unique cultural information," Maling said. For example, in some East Asian languages, such as Japanese, social hierarchies are encoded into language. "You can't even decide sometimes what verb to use without knowing whether the person you're talking to is higher or lower on the social hierarchy than you are," she said. "In that sense, language is kind of a window into the human mind and how different groups, different cultures organize themselves." The foundation's program also works to learn more about humans' capacity for language, she said - more about the possibilities. Ngonyani will create a record of Kikisi and, in doing so, preserve both the words and the culture of the people who speak it. He is a native speaker of Kindendeule, another Tanzanian language. He turned to Kikisi, he said, because it was unfamiliar, because he wanted to get "new light" on the Bantu family of languages and because it is endangered. He'll travel to the northeastern shore of Lake Malawi later this month. It's an area that has a traditional lifestyle and communication methods, he said. There are no paved roads, no infrastructure for telephones. There, he will observe how the Kikisi language is used, document its vocabulary, describe its grammar, and make audio and video recordings of conversations, poems, stories, songs and rituals. His work will add data to the field of Bantu linguistics, clarifying the relationship of Kikisi to neighboring languages. It will say something about Kikisi's speakers as well. "Understanding the different languages helps us to understand not only ourselves," Ngonyani said, "but also different people, their history, their worldview and so on. That's why it's very important that we safeguard linguistic diversity." Contact Matthew Miller at 377-1046 or mrmiller @lsj.com. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 18:43:20 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 11:43:20 -0700 Subject: Linguists' indigenous mission Message-ID: Published: 09.04.2006 Linguists' indigenous mission By Shelley Shelton ARIZONA DAILY STAR http://www.azstarnet.com/allheadlines/145053 Just off the main drag in Catalina, in far northern Pima County, a group of linguists has quietly worked for almost three decades at a craft that combines their love and knowledge of language with a humanitarian and spiritual journey. Members of the Mexico branch of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, headquartered at 16131 N. Vernon Drive in Catalina, devote their lives to traveling the Mexican countryside, identifying indigenous languages and working to formulate an alphabet and dictionary for those languages. Their ultimate goal is to provide each group of indigenous people with a translation of the Bible or the New Testament in their native tongue. The group's origins date to the 1920s, when Cameron Townsend discovered selling Spanish-language Bibles in Guatemala was difficult because so few people spoke Spanish, said Judy Oas, executive secretary to the Mexico branch director. Townsend began studying the native dialect of the Guate-malans so he could translate the Bible. Mexican officials invited him to go to Mexico when his work in Guatemala was finished, Oas said. Townsend founded his first summer language course in Arkansas in the mid-1930s, and in the early 1940s his growing organization formed another group, called Wycliffe Bible Translators, to recruit more members and raise money for living expenses and health insurance. Since then, linguists have identified about 280 minority languages in Mexico, with about 100 of them translated. It takes an average of 20 to 25 years of work on each language from the time the linguists immerse themselves in the local culture to when the Bible translation is complete, said Albert Bickford, a linguistic consultant who has worked with the group since 1978. For much of the existence of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, workers used visas they renewed each year to stay on-site in Mexico, working with local people. The institute runs three facilities in Mexico, the biggest of which is in Oaxaca, where linguists go to process the information they gather. The Catalina facility was built in the late 1970s, after the Mexican government began limiting foreigners' long-term visas. The Wycliffe members looked for places near the Mexican border to build a sort of home-away-from-village where they could continue working when their visas expired in Mexico, but they settled on Catalina ? about 90 miles north of the border ? because the rural surroundings were similar to the setting in many of the villages where they worked. If members brought villagers from Mexico to help them, those villagers were more likely to feel at home, said Carol Zylstra, a translator who also has been with the group since 1978. Required training varies depending on what a volunteer plans to do for the organization, but translators need to have a bachelor's degree in any subject and two additional semesters or summer sessions in linguistics and anthropology, Bickford said. The main emphasis is to let volunteers into the field to get real-life experience before they come back and work on master's degrees, he said. Though Wycliffe recruits members and provides some financial support in the form of keeping the linguistics centers open, individual volunteers must solicit their own financial support, which often comes from their local churches. In 1990, the Mexican government began to ease its visa restrictions, and most of the linguists again began to spend most of their time in Mexico. Now the Catalina center serves mainly as a research hub for the workers, as well as the headquarters for sending the Bibles out to be printed. On the Net | For more information on the work of the Mexico branch of the Summer Institute of Linguistics, visit www.sil.org/mexico | To find out how you can assist with the institute's linguistics work, call 825-6000. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 4 18:48:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 4 Sep 2006 11:48:46 -0700 Subject: Taking Christ to the Cree (fwd) Message-ID: Jamaica Gleaner Online Taking Christ to the Cree published: Saturday | September 2, 2006 Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20060902/news/news7.html Cree Indians of Wemindji enjoying themselves in the snow. - Contributed Wemindji, a small community off James Bay at the mouth of the Maquatua River in Quebec, Canada, is home to about 1,200 Cree Indians. For many it would represent one of the uttermost parts of the earth. But it was home for many years to Christopher and Winsome Davis who did Christian ministry there. Christopher, an Anglican minister, hails from Hamilton, Ontario. He did graduate studies at Regent College in Vancouver, Canada. There he met fellow student,Winsome Gibson, the sixth daughter of the late Harold & Mary Gibson of Mandeville in Jamaica. Winsome is also the sister of Children's Advocate, Mary Clarke. Christopher and Winsome married in 1981 and they have two children. In the past 25 years, they have served in various ecclesiastical parishes in Ontario and Quebec. However, beginning in 1987, they devoted most of their time - 19 years in fact - to ministry among the Cree, a tribe of native Indians. Last month they got a new posting to a place called Kugluktuk - there they will serve Eskimos that make up the Inuit community. The joys In an interview with The Gleaner conducted just before the couple relocated, Rev. Davis, 56, focused on the joys he and his wife experienced doing ministry to the Cree. He said, "When I married Winsome, I thought, 'Oh good, the Lord is going to send us to some hot country with palm trees and beaches.' "Well, either the Lord has a sense of humour, or He gets His wires crossed. Instead of Jamaica, we are in James Bay, Northern Quebec, one of the coldest, most sparsely populated places on earth. We are at the 53rd latitude, which corresponds in England to Liverpool, but there the similarity ends. "We are in the interior of the North American continent with a severe continental climate like Siberia. In January and February we have to be prepared for -30?, -35?, -40? Celsius. And when it is that cold it doesn't matter whether you think in Celsius or Fahrenheit, because at -40? the two sets of mercury meet. "When it is that cold, or when there is an Arctic blizzard, one hardly ventures outdoors. Winter is exceptionally beautiful when the sun is shining, but it is very long, and brings on a state of mind called 'cabin fever.' By March and April Winsome and I are desperate for spring to come." Being Canadian and married to a Jamaican was in some senses a cross-cultural learning experience for him. Furthermore, he found that the Cree people felt comfortable talking with Winsome because she isn't white. Rev. Davis explained: "Any similarity between Cree people and the image of Indians in westerns is purely accidental. We have German tourists who want to see Indians wearing feathers and riding horses, but they are sorely disappointed. Today's Indians drive American-style pickup trucks and vans and Canadian snowmobiles, and listen to the latest country & western hits on their radios and CD players. "When it comes to religion, Cree people are overwhelmingly Christian. The evangelical wing of the Church of England, the Church Missionary Society, sent missionaries 150 years ago to James Bay, and an Anglican church was built in every village. Roman Catholics and Pentecostals came along much later, but my village is still a solid 99 per cent Anglican. State religion "Anglicanism is the state religion supported by the chief, Band Council and village elders. No other church has been allowed to establish itself. The village of 1,200 people is basically one huge extended family, and everyone is related by both blood and marriage. The sense of unity in the community is highly prized, and that is why no other church is allowed. They want no interdenominational theological controversies dividing them." Among the Cree people of James Bay, the Anglican Church is seen as a rock of stability, part of the glue holding the community together. Many Cree, Rev. Davis said, "have a simple, uncluttered faith, and they are quite sure that the Bible is the Word of God." Cree people love their church, and they don't want it to change much. Sure, add some lively country & western style guitar music, but leave the rest alone. Rev. Davis, an evangelical, is unhappy that sections of his denomination have opted to endorse same-sex marriage and homosexual conduct among clergy. His convictions are shared with the Cree community. He said, "The Cree people who watch the news are not pleased with these developments. Cree society is very family-oriented, and at a recent parish council meeting a motion was passed unanimously to uphold the Church's traditional teaching on man-woman marriage. The Cree parishes of our diocese have made it clear that they don't like the way the Anglican Church of Canada is going on these issues. Though the village where the couple served had 1,200 persons, this translated into average Sunday attendance of 115. Rev. Davis conducted three services on a Sunday - each service in a different language. For the Sunday morning service it was Moose Cree, the dialect spoken in Northern Ontario. The Sunday afternoon service was in Wemindji Cree. And the Sunday evening service was in English. Mother tongue Rev. Davis said almost all Cree young people have Cree as their mother tongue - nevertheless, most of them cannot read or write their own indigenous language. Many of these youngsters choose to worship in English. There exists in the village, he said, a cultural tension as the elders don't like to see the young people moving to English. "Personally, as an outsider, I stay out of that controversy. I can't really speak Cree, but I do the liturgy and prayers and hymns in their language as much as I can, and the elders appreciate that," Rev. Davis said. The Canadian wilderness is immense, and it has an awesome, silent majesty, Rev. Davis said. "When I am there, I am so aware of the God who created all this. It is almost untouched by human hands. Our family home is in Kingston, Ontario, and to get to my parish up on James Bay we drive north for two days through 1,500km of mostly forest. In the last 600km of our trip there is only one petrol station and restaurant with indoor toilet. One has to have a relatively new and reliable car, because if one has a breakdown up there, it could be a matter of life and death. You don't want a breakdown in January when it is -40?. Freezing to death is not my cup of tea, thank you very much. You always travel with blankets, newspaper and matches, so that you can start a fire to keep warm. Last summer I was changing a flat tyre in the wilderness, busy cursing under my breath, but then I remembered to thank God this wasn't happening in January. "It is hard for many Southern Canadians to grasp that the largest part of Canada's land mass does not speak the country's official languages - English and French, but all the various Native Indian and Inuit languages. Our village, Wemindji, has 1,200 people and it is 99 per cent Cree. Almost all Cree people are mixed. Some are dark like Indians in Mexico or Peru, and some look like they would easily fit in back in Scotland." In 1670, King Charles II signed the Hudson's Bay Company charter, and ever since then mainly Scottish fur traders have traded with the Cree people. As a result, English is the second language for most of the Cree. That Scottish influence, Rev. Davis observed, has had a profound influence on Cree culture. The Scottish influence is still evident as: The Cree national drink is tea. The Cree national bread is bannock. At a Cree wedding you will see all the traditional Scottish reels. The Cree national musical instrument is the fiddle. A few years ago a troupe of James Bay Cree fiddlers went to the Scottish Highlands and were a big hit. The Cree people had preserved some fiddle tunes that had been lost in Scotland. Many Cree people have Scottish surnames inherited from fur trader ancestors. Common surnames in James Bay are Gilpin, Sutherland, McLeod, Archibald, Hardisty, Stewart and Spence. Some of the old ladies in Rev. Davis' church still wear tartan dresses down to their ankles. It was not harder to minister to the Cree than to white Canadians, Rev. Davis said. However, in many ways, the Cree were more open to the Gospel than their Caucasian Canadian counterparts who are increasingly resistant and event hostile. "One thing one must always remember with a tribal group, they think more collectively than individually. A whole family will get saved together, rather than one individual in the family. (Continues next week) Send feedback to mark.dawes at gleanerjm.com Copyright Jamaica-Gleaner.com From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 19:22:39 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 12:22:39 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060904010919.gc4g0g40o8g8c48g@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: For the past week, I have been flooded with emails from people who are redistributing this news article and others like it.? The news is also spreading in the community where I am currently doing language fieldwork (Colville Indian Reservation, Washington).? People who would normally not be interested in learning a language have also taken an interest in this new device and are telling me all about it.? Thus, it is quite facinating how community people are responding to "new technologies" like the Phraselator.? The fact that indigenous communities are actually using it really excites people, never mind that it costs 3.5k! ? I wonder if part of the interest that people are taking stem from the perception that new technologies like this tend to relieve of us of the complexities of face-to-face interaction and instead offer a more "private," unburdened form of learning.? If so, then it certainly fits the trend where "self-directed" learning styles have become the norm in technology-rich learning environments.? Or maybe we have become so technology-saturated that any new device that can "talk back" to us is our fix...wow. People like to talk in $$ metaphors, so I will add my "two cents" worth here.? The high price we pay for technology is when we remove the living breathing fluent speaker from our learning experience and replace them with language-based technology.? For communities that have no speakers this may not be an issue, but for others it certainly is if you have a living breathing fluent speaker in your community who is willing to speak to you in your indigenous language.?? I admit though that learning language is different from documenting the language and in doucmentation situations technology can be very useful, sometimes vitally necessary.? But how often do you hear from our/your language teachers "where are our language learners?"? Perhaps busy watching TV, DVDs, crusing the internet, listening to iPods, and fantasizing about using a Phraselator.? I tease.? Phil Cash Cash UofA ILAT -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:10:14 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:10:14 -0700 Subject: Latest by Inuit director Zacharias Kunuk opens 2006 Toronto film festival (fwd) Message-ID: Latest by Inuit director Zacharias Kunuk opens 2006 Toronto film festival John Mckay Canadian Press Thursday, September 07, 2006 [photo inset - The great shaman Avva, played by Pakak Innukshuk. (CP/HO/Norman Cohn)] http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/arts/story.html?id=d79622e8-77e1-44e1-b3d5-3413f4202444&k=14128 TORONTO (CP) - In 2001, Nunavut filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk and his Montreal-based co-producer Norman Cohn burst onto the film scene with "Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner". While opening up a third language - Inuktitut - in Canadian cinema, the $2 million indie film also won a Genie Award and the Camera d'or at Cannes. And it sold a lot of tickets. At the time, Kunuk promised that his next project would be about "a man in a dress" who came to the Arctic and changed everything, a reference to the first missionaries, a sort of northern version of "Black Robe." On Thursday, the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival opens with that promised feature, "The Journals of Knud Rasmussen," a $6.3 million co-production with Denmark based on real accounts by 1920s Danish explorer Rasmussen. His expedition to the Canadian north brought an anthropologist who wanted to record details of a pure native culture that would soon disappear in the face of white civilization and Christianity. But while based on the chronicles of that expedition, the film plays out from the Inuit perspective, with many of the same aboriginal actors who appeared in "Atanarjuat", again speaking in their native Inuktitut, with subtitles. "This is a film that is designed to be a kind of healing experience for native audiences (who) tend to be excluded from the film distribution process," explains Cohn in a recent interview from Montreal. "At the same time there's no question that this is a film for the non-native audience also because everybody in Canada is part of this same story." "Atanarjuat" was set in the 16th century, and plays out like a modern thriller, with love, sex, betrayal and murder. "Knud Rasmussen", however, while also a "re-lived cultural drama," is set in 1922 and has a markedly different narrative structure. Through dialogue, not action, audiences learn that the tribe onscreen has been resisting the white man's incursions, refusing to work for them. But as the camera pans around their igloos, we see the changes already in effect ... modern tin cups, knives, even wedding rings. The man in a dress isn't actually present on the tundra yet, but a converted shaman is already waving a copy of the Holy Bible. It's only a matter of time. The plot is anchored by a lengthy soliloquy from Avva, the last of the great Igloolik shamans, as recorded by the Danes. Avva is portrayed by Pakak Innukshuk, whose wizened face commands the screen for the duration of the scene in which he lays out his people's doomed ancestral beliefs and spiritualism. "Avva's story, once he converted to Christianity, is never told again because as Christians, Inuit were forbidden to talk about those things," Cohn explains. "So we have the character playing Avva speak Avva's words for the first time in 85 years." Kunuk has said that he wanted to make the film for Inuit elders who are still alive and for a desperate younger generation that sees little promise in the future. "It tries to answer two questions that haunted me my whole life: Who were we? And what happened to us?" Asked how the film will play for white audiences, whether in Canada or Copenhagen, Cohn stresses that this is a film about universal human experiences, especially loss. "Whether it's a belief system being lost or a way of life being lost, the 20th century is full of it and it's not just aboriginal people." Cohn says his 20-year collaboration with Kunuk - one is Inuk and born in an Arctic sod house, the other born in New York City's Washington Heights - is not unusual. Both are credited as directors, screenwriters and producers. Cohn even handles the digital video camera. "Our collaboration is based on seeing filmmaking through similar pairs of eyes," he says. "Basically I'm looking after the image and he's looking after the content of what's in the frame." As for the honour of kicking off the Toronto festival, Cohn says it'll be the first time voices of aboriginal people speak to an audience of Canada's most powerful and privileged. "You know, most people in the opening night audience have never sat and spent two hours listening to what aboriginal people have to say." ? The Canadian Press 2006 From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:14:13 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:14:13 -0700 Subject: Mohawk immersion program gaining acceptance (fwd) Message-ID: Mohawk immersion program gaining acceptance Posted: September 06, 2006 by: Shannon Burns / Today correspondent http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413577 [photo inset - Top photo by Shannon Burns; Bottom photo courtesy Margaret Peters -- (Top) Mohawk Nation Chief Eddie Gray visited the immersion program to teach the school children practices of the Longhouse. Gray spoke exclusively in the Mohawk language during his visit. (Bottom) In the Tsi Snaihne district's language immersion program at Akwesasne, all first- through fourth-grade students stay in the same classroom, learning the language as ''one family'' in a home-like environment.] AKWESASNE, Quebec - An elementary immersion program for Mohawk students will be returning this fall under an innovative program that was implemented last year. The program has been a success and it has received more praise than criticism in the Akwesasne community in the past year. The immersion program is for students in first through fourth grades, with a separate, less intensive program for pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students. Part of the program's uniqueness is that the children are kept in one double-sized classroom, learning the language together and enforcing the one family - one nation way of life. ''It was tough in the beginning, but it got easier as the year went on,'' said Margaret Peters, the Akwesasne Mohawk Board of Education's kanienkeha (Mohawk language) specialist. The program is held at one of the AMBE school district's three elementary schools in the Tsi Snaihne district of Akwesasne. Teachers and program coordinators did their best last summer to turn the classroom into a home-like environment, with sofas and home decorations, which they believe is crucial to the children's ability to pick up Mohawk as a second language to English. ''It made a big difference,'' said Peters. ''I think it really helped the kids learn the language on a daily basis.'' Most of the children entering the immersion program have had only minimal exposure to the Mohawk language which, like many other Native languages, faces extinction if programs like the immersion program aren't successful. AMBE's immersion program was first implemented in 1995 with some success stories, but none as profound as this year. Children have begun to converse with one another in Mohawk, and parents and community members have been nothing short of impressed by the fluency that is emerging. A video produced by Peters through AMBE was made specifically to show how the students use the language with little need for translation during the day. The video features classroom footage, a music video and other clips that illustrate what's going on at AMBE's Mohawk immersion program. ''We wanted to show that our students are speaking the Mohawk language,'' Peters said. ''We're showing that. They are speaking and using the Mohawk language.'' A typical day of school for students in the immersion program begins with the traditional Mohawk opening address. Students sit as they would in a Mohawk longhouse, with boys on one side and girls on another, according to clan. As is the tradition of the longhouse, the girls choose which boy will be the speaker. Several teachers assigned to the immersion program converse with each other and the students in Mohawk, teaching them the same subjects being learned by the non-immersion program students. Whenever possible, culture is incorporated into the lesson plan, as culture and language go hand in hand, Peters said. For instance, everyone in the school is required to have a few minutes of physical activity at the start of each day. In the immersion classroom, this time is spent doing traditional social dancing. ''There's culture consistently going on in our classroom,'' Peters said. In the past year, the way the immersion program is viewed has changed and it has earned more and more respect in the school system and with community members and parents. ''The attitude is getting better and teachers are noticing that these kids are speaking Mohawk,'' Peters said. The program still faces opposition from some parents who fear their child will be behind academically by being in an immersion program, a belief with which Peters strongly disagrees. ''The fact that they're learning two languages already puts them ahead,'' she said. ''They're becoming bilingual.'' Other children in the community have completed immersion programs within the AMBE district or at the Akwesasne Freedom School - a Mohawk immersion school - and have proven that academic success is just as attainable for them as for English-language students. Many have gone on to college where they have continued to succeed, and a number of them have returned to the community to pass the language on to other children in immersion programs. ''For a long time the speaking skills of Kanienkehaka students have been criticized because they mispronounce words,'' Peters said. ''The saddest part is the criticism is usually by people who are already naturally fluent in their language. People have to understand that it is different to learn a second language. Our Hotinonshon:ni languages are difficult to learn, as many adults know. It's difficult but not impossible. The best advice I can give to speakers is to be more patient and helpful to all learners, instead of critical; and to the learners, don't give up. Fluency is a lifelong learning process.'' AMBE's immersion program is gaining acceptance, but is still growing and changing to find the best possible curriculum and format. Peters hopes to see the program grow to include children up to sixth grade - something AMBE is still holding off on. ''They want to see us have success with these kids first,'' Peters said. However, with growing support for the effort, more funds are made available for the immersion program to develop resources. The video showing what's going on at the program was just one in a series Peters and others in the language field have been developing. Another video teaches viewers the traditional Iroquois social dances, and a new video in the works will feature puppet shows performed in the Mohawk language. ''There are no resources for teaching the Mohawk language,'' Peters said. Word of Akwesasne's immersion program has been spreading, and it often receives visitors from other tribes and Native communities where loss of language is also a threat. Each community is seeking new ways to preserve its dying language and many are willing to work together to find successful programs. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:22:05 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:22:05 -0700 Subject: APTN Celebrates Seventh Year as National Broadcaster (fwd) Message-ID: Daily News Thursday, September 07, 2006 APTN Celebrates Seventh Year as National Broadcaster http://www.broadcastermagazine.com/issues/ISArticle.asp?id=59864&issue=09072006 Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) proudly announces the seventh anniversary of its launch as the first and only national Aboriginal broadcaster in the world, with programming by, for and about Aboriginal Peoples. The launch of APTN on September 1, 1999, represented a significant milestone for Aboriginal Peoples across Canada; for the first time in broadcast history, First Nations, Inuit and M?tis people have had the opportunity to share their stories with the rest of the world on a national television network dedicated to Aboriginal programming. "In just seven short years APTN has grown from a fledgling network with bold ideas to an established, reputable player on the national broadcasting scene," says Jean LaRose, APTN Chief Executive Officer. "This fall, our implementation of a third feed, described video and alternate language programming capabilities, and our commitment to being HD?ready by the fall of 2007, puts us at par with or ahead of our competitors." Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, APTN offers an unprecedented opportunity for Aboriginal producers, directors, actors, writers and media professionals to create innovative, reflective and relevant programming for Canadian viewers. 70% of APTN programming originates in Canada, with 55% of the programs broadcast in English, 15% in French and 30% in a variety of Aboriginal languages. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:27:42 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:27:42 -0700 Subject: UNM Looking for Nominations for Navajo Innovators and Navajos Making a Difference (fwd) Message-ID: UNM Looking for Nominations for Navajo Innovators and Navajos Making a Difference http://www.unm.edu/~market/cgi-bin/archives/001403.html The University of New Mexico and the Indigenous Nations Library Program are seeking nominations for a ?Navajo Innovation Award? and a ?Navajo Making a Difference Award.? The awards will be highlights of the 16 th Navajo Studies Conference to be hosted by UNM in the Student Union Building on the UNM main campus on Nov. 1-4, 2006. Nominees for the Navajo Innovation Award should: ? Be a person of Navajo origin ? Have demonstrated leadership in creating services, programs or products that improve Navajo education, research and commerce ? Have demonstrated success from innovation in any area that benefits native people ? Be involved in a technological innovation Nominees for the ?Making a Difference? Award should: * Be a person of Navajo origin or can be groups/organizations/businesses * Demonstrate ?making a difference? in any area that is improving lives, conditions and environment for the Navajo people, youth to elders Nomination letters should include name, address, email, telephone and description. The letter should include information on the nominator so that they can be contacted. Letters can be submitted by e-mail or fax, but a hard copy must be mailed to: Mary Alice Tsosie, Conference Coordinator Indigenous Nations Library Program (INLP) University Libraries MSCO5 3020 1 University of New Mexico Albuquerque , New Mexico 87131-0001 Email: dineconf at unm.edu Fax: 505-277-0397 The awards will be presented during the Navajo Studies Conference banquet on Friday evening, Nov. 3, at UNM in Albuquerque , New Mexico . The deadline for submissions is Oct. 1. For more information about the awards please contact Mary Alice Tsosie, Conference Coordinator at (505) 277-8922 or (505) 277-7433. This is the third time UNM has hosted the conference. The purpose of the conference is to promote Navajo Studies of language, culture, history and all aspects of Navajo life. This year's theme is Din? daniid?igo h?zh?ogo nideikai, ?In the sacred manner we walk as Din?.? Anyone who is interested in attending can register online at http://elibrary.unm.edu/inlp/navajo_studies-conf.php. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 7 20:29:53 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:29:53 -0700 Subject: Why Bhoti language should be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian (fwd link) Message-ID: Why Bhoti language should be included in the 8th Schedule of the Indian Constitution? http://www.timesoftibet.com/articles/950/1/Why-Bhoti-language-should-be-included-in-the-8th-Schedule-of-the-Indian-Constitution%3F From susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM Thu Sep 7 20:47:16 2006 From: susan.penfield at GMAIL.COM (Susan Penfield) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 13:47:16 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060907122239.c4isoosgsocsws8o@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Ah, Phil, So well said--and all of this discussion should be a reminder that technology is a powerful tool -and its use needs to be carefully calculated so as not to over-power the central purpose of the task at hand. Language and language learning are the most human of activities and language exchange is the richest part of that experience. We take much away from that when we subsititute technology for real human interaction. The message coming through all of this is to not be too quick to jump 'on the band wagon' -- but to carefully consider not just the immediate impact but the long-term results of reliance on technology. That said, in situations where there are few remaining speakers, technology can support some of the pedagagical tasks, and certainly can be of value -- but the overall perspective must not be lost. and that is my two cents $$ Susan On 9/7/06, phil cash cash wrote: > > For the past week, I have been flooded with emails from people who are > redistributing this news article and others like it. The news is also > spreading in the community where I am currently doing language fieldwork > (Colville Indian Reservation, Washington). People who would normally not be > interested in learning a language have also taken an interest in this new > device and are telling me all about it. > > Thus, it is quite facinating how community people are responding to "new > technologies" like the Phraselator. The fact that indigenous communities > are actually using it really excites people, never mind that it costs 3.5k! > > > I wonder if part of the interest that people are taking stem from the > perception that new technologies like this tend to relieve of us of the > complexities of face-to-face interaction and instead offer a more "private," > unburdened form of learning. If so, then it certainly fits the trend where > "self-directed" learning styles have become the norm in technology-rich > learning environments. > > Or maybe we have become so technology-saturated that any new device that > can "talk back" to us is our fix...wow. > > People like to talk in $$ metaphors, so I will add my "two cents" worth > here. The high price we pay for technology is when we remove the living > breathing fluent speaker from our learning experience and replace them with > language-based technology. For communities that have no speakers this may > not be an issue, but for others it certainly is if you have a living > breathing fluent speaker in your community who is willing to speak to you in > your indigenous language. > > I admit though that learning language is different from documenting the > language and in doucmentation situations technology can be very useful, > sometimes vitally necessary. > > But how often do you hear from our/your language teachers "where are our > language learners?" Perhaps busy watching TV, DVDs, crusing the internet, > listening to iPods, and fantasizing about using a Phraselator. > > I tease. > > Phil Cash Cash > UofA ILAT > > -- Susan D. Penfield, Ph.D. Associate Director, Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language and Literacy (CERCLL) Department of English (Primary) American Indian Language Development Institute (AILDI) Second Language Acquistion &Teaching Ph.D. Program (SLAT) Deptartment of Language,Reading and Culture Department of Linguistics The Southwest Center (Research) Phone for messages: (520) 621-1836 -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 8 02:31:57 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 19:31:57 -0700 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060907122239.c4isoosgsocsws8o@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: ok here is my two beads worth. It is pricey, that is a given. But it is a tool, and as such has the capability to be a wonderful resources, much like any tool, in the hands of the right person. I imagine it being used to facilitate conversations in an immersion setting when you cant think of what you want to say, there it is. It certainly is not the be all and end all. But I think that every tribal language department ought to have one and see how they make use of it. maybe get the gates foundation to do a mass purchase or better yet purchase the rights and distribute them free of charge. From phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET Fri Sep 8 08:02:12 2006 From: phonosemantics at EARTHLINK.NET (jess tauber) Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2006 04:02:12 -0400 Subject: Phraselator Message-ID: When they're free mark me down for 100- thanks! Jess Tauber phonosemantics at earthlink.net From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sun Sep 10 17:31:11 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 10:31:11 -0700 Subject: Device may help preserve languages (fwd) Message-ID: Published Sept. 09, 2006 Device may help preserve languages Technology was originally developed for use by Army By Diane Huber The Olympian http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060909/NEWS01/609090306/1003 SHELTON - A hand-held electronic device could help the Squaxin Island Indians - and tribes throughout the country - preserve their native language. "After the elders pass on, that's it," said Corey (Bear) O'Lague, who lives on the Squaxin reservation and grew up speaking a southern dialect of the language. He was one of about a dozen people who came to the Squaxin Island Tribe Museum, Library and Research Center Friday for a demonstration of the Phraselator, a tool for revitalizing American Indian languages. "We could take it to the elders, who still speak the language," O'Lague said. The Phraselator was developed by a defense company after the Sept. 11 attacks and was first used strictly for soldiers to communicate with non-English speakers. Don Thornton of California-based Thornton Media Inc. thought the technology would apply well to American Indian tribes, inspired by his own Oklahoma Cherokee background. Now he and his wife, Kara, travel the country showing off the $3,300 device. They're working with more than 40 tribes. "If your kids aren't learning the language, then the language is in trouble," Thornton said. The device looks like an oversized calculator with a computer screen. The user can speak an English phrase or select one on the screen, such as "Hello, how are you?" and "My name is.' " A male or female recorded voice then speaks the phrase in the tribal language. It also can play back entire prayers or songs. The tribe hopes to purchase some of the devices, museum Director Charlene Krise said. "It will be important because we have language that has been so diminished" by the introduction of English, she said. "The language for our tribal people has always been extraordinarily important because the language is connected to the land." Many families speak the tribe's language with their children at home, and preschoolers learn the dances, songs, numbers and ABCs in school, she said. But people her age - from 40 to 60 - have trouble speaking the language. "We hear it and can understand it, but it's very difficult to speak," she said. Peter Boome, an Upper Skagit Indian who lives on the Squaxin Island reservation, said he'd like to use the device to teach his four children the tribe's language. "Language conveys a way of thinking. ... You view the world through your language," he said. "And English is very different than American Indian languages, the thought processes and philosophy." Words for "fire," for example, convey that it has different forms and is living and moving, he said. He knows little of his own language, Ute, because his parents' generation went to boarding school and were disciplined for speaking their tribal languages, he said. Thornton told a similar story about his mother. Valerie Bellack, a coordinator for the Muckleshoot Language Program, said she will take information on the Phraselator back to her tribe in Auburn. "I think it's a tool. I don't think in itself it can create a fluent speaker," she said. "With the children, they learn a language by hearing it, so I believe this will be a useful tool for the younger generation." On the Web For information on the Phraselator, go to www.ndnlanguage.com For information on the Squaxin Island Tribe Museum, Library and Research Center, go to www.squaxinislandmuseum.org Diane Huber covers the city of Lacey and its urban growth area for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber at theolympian.com. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sun Sep 10 17:37:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 10:37:46 -0700 Subject: Indigenous Ways In A Digital Age (fwd link) Message-ID: At Blogcritics.org Indigenous Ways In A Digital Age: Bill Gates Takes Bolivia Under Microsoft's Wing http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/09/09/065521.php From anggarrgoon at GMAIL.COM Sun Sep 10 22:03:43 2006 From: anggarrgoon at GMAIL.COM (Claire Bowern) Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2006 17:03:43 -0500 Subject: Phraselator In-Reply-To: <20060907122239.c4isoosgsocsws8o@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: I'm going to be a bit of a devil's advocate here, although do let me preface these comments with a note that I am very sceptical of the use of the phraselator, in either its original intended use or in language revitalisation. One thing I saw a lot in one of the communities I worked with was a very negative reaction by elders to young people making any attempt to speak the language. I lost count of the times I heard "you can't speak your own language but look at the way this White person can speak so well". It was awful - it made it impossible for me to make friends my own age in the community and it was a real turn-off for people who would have otherwise been very interested in the work. But at the same time I was being employed to make language teaching materials! So, some sort of "phraselator" program - maybe on computer through the school - might actually be more useful to this community. Sure, it's not going to replace community interaction, but if there's already no community interaction, it's hardly a replacement. Claire From thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU Sun Sep 10 23:29:34 2006 From: thien at UNIMELB.EDU.AU (Nicholas Thieberger) Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:29:34 +1000 Subject: Preserving Language Message-ID: This way of taking snippets of language out into the community sounds wonderful. A question though. If this is the only recording being made of these teaching materials, what quality is it being recorded at? And how easy will it be to get these recordings onto another medium when these machines no longer work? It would be a real shame if all the work being put into the collection of phrases now is lost when the machine eventually fails. Are there archival versions of these sound files from which phraselator takes a copy or is it the only copy? Nick At 2:37 PM -0700 10/9/06, Andre Cramblit wrote: >Device may help preserve languages >Technology was originally developed for use by Army > >By Diane Huber >The Olympian >http://159.54.227.3/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060909/NEWS01/609090306/1003 > >SHELTON - A hand-held electronic device could help the Squaxin Island >Indians - and tribes throughout the country - preserve their native >language. > >"After the elders pass on, that's it," said Corey (Bear) O'Lague, who >lives on the Squaxin reservation and grew up speaking a southern >dialect of the language. > >He was one of about a dozen people who came to the Squaxin Island Tribe >Museum, Library and Research Center Friday for a demonstration of the >Phraselator, a tool for revitalizing American Indian languages. > >"We could take it to the elders, who still speak the language," O'Lague >said. > >The Phraselator was developed by a defense company after the Sept. 11 >attacks and was first used strictly for soldiers to communicate with >non-English speakers. > >Don Thornton of California-based Thornton Media Inc. thought the >technology would apply well to American Indian tribes, inspired by his >own Oklahoma Cherokee background. > >Now he and his wife, Kara, travel the country showing off the $3,300 >device. > >They're working with more than 40 tribes. > >"If your kids aren't learning the language, then the language is in >trouble," Thornton said. > >The device looks like an oversized calculator with a computer screen. >The user can speak an English phrase or select one on the screen, such >as "Hello, how are you?" and "My name is.' " A male or female recorded >voice then speaks the phrase in the tribal language. It also can play >back entire prayers or songs. > >The tribe hopes to purchase some of the devices, museum Director >Charlene Krise said. > >"It will be important because we have language that has been so >diminished" by the introduction of English, she said. "The language for >our tribal people has always been extraordinarily important because the >language is connected to the land." > >Many families speak the tribe's language with their children at home, >and preschoolers learn the dances, songs, numbers and ABCs in school, >she said. But people her age - from 40 to 60 - have trouble speaking >the language. > >"We hear it and can understand it, but it's very difficult to speak," >she said. > >Peter Boome, an Upper Skagit Indian who lives on the Squaxin Island >reservation, said he'd like to use the device to teach his four >children the tribe's language. > >"Language conveys a way of thinking. ... You view the world through your >language," he said. "And English is very different than American Indian >languages, the thought processes and philosophy." > >Words for "fire," for example, convey that it has different forms and is >living and moving, he said. > >He knows little of his own language, Ute, because his parents' >generation went to boarding school and were disciplined for speaking >their tribal languages, he said. > >Thornton told a similar story about his mother. > >Valerie Bellack, a coordinator for the Muckleshoot Language Program, >said she will take information on the Phraselator back to her tribe in >Auburn. > >"I think it's a tool. I don't think in itself it can create a fluent >speaker," she said. "With the children, they learn a language by >hearing it, so I believe this will be a useful tool for the younger >generation." > >On the Web > >For information on the Phraselator, go to www.ndnlanguage.com > >For information on the Squaxin Island Tribe Museum, Library and Research >Center, go to www.squaxinislandmuseum.org > >Diane Huber covers the city of Lacey and its urban growth area for The >Olympian. She can be reached at 360-357-0204 or dhuber at theolympian.com. -- Project Manager PARADISEC Pacific And Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures http://paradisec.org.au nicholas.thieberger at paradisec.org.au Department of Linguistics and Applied Linguistics University of Melbourne Vic 3010 Australia Ph 61 (0)3 8344 5185 From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 11 16:29:12 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 11 Sep 2006 09:29:12 -0700 Subject: Language immersion schooling can restore 'confidence in learning' (fwd) Message-ID: Language immersion schooling can restore 'confidence in learning' ? Indian Country Today September 11, 2006. All Rights Reserved by: Jerry Reynolds http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413639 [AP Photo/Joshua Duplechian -- Michele Hernandez, shown above in her classroom in Blackfoot, Idaho, in November 2005, teaches English to American Indian pupils. A recent congressional field hearing in Albuquerque, N.M., on Native languages explored testimony, oral and written, that examined the links between language and the survival of Native cultures throughout several tribal communities.] ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - An Aug. 31 congressional field hearing in Albuquerque on Native languages generated a wealth of testimony, oral and written, that underscored the links between language and the survival of cultures, dual language learning and academic achievement, and federal funding and the language immersion schooling programs that have shown promising results among Native Hawaiians, the Maori of New Zealand and approximately 75 tribal communities. But perhaps three brief words - ''confidence in learning'' - said as much as all the rest. They appeared in the testimony of Christine Sims, of Acoma Pueblo and the Institute for American Indian Education at the University of New Mexico, as she described the impact of learning a heritage Native language, in addition to English, on other academic studies. A fair amount of evidence offered at the hearing suggests that this ''confidence in learning'' may be the lost link to lifelong learning ability for Native students, and that language immersion schooling can restore it. To compress a good deal of the Aug. 31 testimony - and of Indian educational history for that matter - into one expository paragraph: Under assault by settler policies opposed to just about any expression of Native culture, Native languages lost much of their traction in Native communities. As intended by the settler states and their federal administrators, the void in language opened the door to English and with it a kind of assimilationist psychology that was no doubt a requisite of survival in times that were hard indeed for most tribes. The threat of assimilation to Indian culture has been thoroughly recognized since then. But although in better times the Indian-controlled education movement fueled the larger drive for tribal self-determination as federal policy - as recognized in the title of the touchstone law, the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act - still the few decades of Indian-controlled schooling have not thrown off a psychology of assimilation realized in educational practice, to the ongoing detriment of Native students. Learning the Native language of their heritage, alongside English as a daily reality, may restore Native students to an adaptive psychological stance, both individually and on the whole. Confidence in learning, as reflected in across-the-board academic achievement, is its public signature. Sims touched on all this in another part of her testimony, concluding that Native priorities, local school support and congressional interest ''have set in motion a whole new set of precedents concerning the treatment of Native languages in schools.'' But history is still with us, as recognized time and again on Aug. 31. Tribal language loss is at an acute stage. Only 10 Native speakers are left alive among the Mescalero Apache, according to Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M. Carol Cornelius of the Oneida Cultural Heritage Department said that only five fluent speakers who learned Oneida as a first language remain among the Oneida of Wisconsin; two are over 95 years of age and no longer able to help convey the language, while three of over 86 years assist with eight tribal language trainees for two to seven hours a week. Amadeo Shije, chairman of the All Indian Pueblo Council representing 19 New Mexico pueblos, estimated that only 20 percent of present Native languages will still be viable 50 years from now. Sam Montoya, a language and cultural resources administrator for Sandia Pueblo, noted that the scarcity of fluent Tiwa speakers there makes it difficult to create language immersion settings - ''situations where a large group of people are speaking nothing but Tiwa in order to teach the language as it was traditionally passed down: orally.'' A prominent theme of the hearing was that after helping to destroy Native languages through misguided policy decisions for so long, Congress must now help to restore them while that is still possible. Ryan Wilson, executive director of the National Indian Education Association, made a direct appeal to Congress, as represented by the House of Representatives Committee on Education and the Workforce. ''What we're saying here, everybody in this room - and you see this huge crowd that's come out - is it really, it really exemplifies what's dear to our hearts, and that we're in a crisis ... We're really saying that it [Native language immersion schooling] belongs in our schools. Maybe not in every school. But we have to create venues in our communities where this could be taught. And we have to codify, forever, a place in the Department of Education to fund these schools.'' A bill introduced by Wilson in the House, House Bill 4766, would amend the 1990 Native American Languages Act to accomplish that - at a cost NIEA estimates to be in the range of $8 million. With fewer than 10 working days scheduled on the congressional calendar before lawmakers adjourn to campaign for the November elections, H.R. 4766 will not become law in the current 109th Congress. Rep. Howard ''Buck'' McKeon, R-Calif., chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, acknowledged as much after the hearing. ''I'm just trying to gin up some support for the next Congress. I think that's more hopeful.'' Heading into that next Congress, McKeon; Wilson; Rep. Tom Udall, D-N.M.; and Rep. Thomas Petri, R-Wis., the committee vice chairman, all made strong commitments to the purposes of the bill at the Aug. 31 field hearing. ''Time is of the essence if we want to stem the loss of these languages,'' Udall said, adding later, ''I believe we can all agree that there is an urgent need to protect and preserve Native American languages, and we must advance by implementing new immersion programs.'' From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Sep 12 18:11:35 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 11:11:35 -0700 Subject: Distance Learning Message-ID: The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a distance learning program. What models and tribes are people familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these are the various types of models that seem to be active: Broadcast Based Two-way interactive radio Video Based Two-way audio, one-way video One-way prerecorded video One-way live video Audio Based Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) Computer Based Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based technologies Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From donaghy at HAWAII.EDU Tue Sep 12 18:32:11 2006 From: donaghy at HAWAII.EDU (Keola Donaghy) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:32:11 -1000 Subject: Distance Learning In-Reply-To: <947DB633-F631-4A46-8639-D4D9254F94CB@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Aloha Andre, personally I believe that a combination of these technologies is better than selecting any individual one. We use a combination of WebCT and FirstClass for asynchronous deliver, and have added Skype over the past year to have some synchronous interaction with students, and have some streaming video now as well. We're also developing some podcasts to supplement both online classes and our on-campus students as well. The major consideration for us was the target audience. We wanted to serve the largest possible population - cross-platform support, people with dialup connections, and have people from around the world participating at the same time. That made the syncronous portion difficult, but as our student base grew and more students began to have access to broadband we have been able to find enough students available at the same time to have live group discussion and practice session. Some of this is documented in a paper I did at DigitalStream a few years ago, though the use of live audio via Skype was added later: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/eng/digitalstream2003.html My understanding is that WIMBA has worked out the problems we encountered and there are other web audio technologies that work as well, but we've stuck with FirstClass for now. HTH, Keola ======================================================================= Keola Donaghy Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Studies Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikolani keola at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu University of Hawai'i at Hilo http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/ ======================================================================= On 12 Kep. 2006, at 8:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a > distance learning program. What models and tribes are people > familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these > are the various types of models that seem to be active: > > Broadcast Based > Two-way interactive radio > Video Based > Two-way audio, one-way video > One-way prerecorded video > One-way live video > Audio Based > Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) > One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) > Computer Based > Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based > technologies > Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Sep 12 19:05:20 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 12:05:20 -0700 Subject: Distance Learning In-Reply-To: <78A4E1B5-D845-4117-9577-3B65114A4FF9@hawaii.edu> Message-ID: here is the link to the survey if you have the time. I think the deadline has passed but we can always use some back up data and info: http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=479088 On Sep 12, 2006, at 11:32 AM, Keola Donaghy wrote: Aloha Andre, personally I believe that a combination of these technologies is better than selecting any individual one. We use a combination of WebCT and FirstClass for asynchronous deliver, and have added Skype over the past year to have some synchronous interaction with students, and have some streaming video now as well. We're also developing some podcasts to supplement both online classes and our on-campus students as well. The major consideration for us was the target audience. We wanted to serve the largest possible population - cross-platform support, people with dialup connections, and have people from around the world participating at the same time. That made the syncronous portion difficult, but as our student base grew and more students began to have access to broadband we have been able to find enough students available at the same time to have live group discussion and practice session. Some of this is documented in a paper I did at DigitalStream a few years ago, though the use of live audio via Skype was added later: http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/eng/digitalstream2003.html My understanding is that WIMBA has worked out the problems we encountered and there are other web audio technologies that work as well, but we've stuck with FirstClass for now. HTH, Keola ======================================================================= Keola Donaghy Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Studies Ka Haka 'Ula O Ke'elikolani keola at leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu University of Hawai'i at Hilo http://www2.hawaii.edu/~donaghy/ ======================================================================= On 12 Kep. 2006, at 8:11 AM, Andre Cramblit wrote: > The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a > distance learning program. What models and tribes are people > familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these > are the various types of models that seem to be active: > > Broadcast Based > Two-way interactive radio > Video Based > Two-way audio, one-way video > One-way prerecorded video > One-way live video > Audio Based > Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) > One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) > Computer Based > Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based > technologies > Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Tue Sep 12 21:04:55 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 14:04:55 -0700 Subject: Karuk Language List Message-ID: Join The Karuk Language Restoration Issues (Karuk Language) list serve Purpose: A place for those interested in the Karuk Language to discuss items, events, learning strategies, ideas etc Website URL: http://www.ncidc.org/karuk/index.html To Join: Subscribe here http://lists.topica.com/login.html? al=s&sub=1&loginMsg=12051&location=listinfo or send an email to KarukLanguage-subscribe at topica.com -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From jtucker at STARBAND.NET Tue Sep 12 21:52:23 2006 From: jtucker at STARBAND.NET (Jan Tucker) Date: Tue, 12 Sep 2006 17:52:23 -0400 Subject: Distance Learning In-Reply-To: <947DB633-F631-4A46-8639-D4D9254F94CB@ncidc.org> Message-ID: Greetings Andre, The online language class offered by http://Cherokee.org synchronous classes. The class has slides which the instructor can add notes to as he teaches. There is also a chat, so you can interact in writing to your fellow learners, and ask questions of the instructor. You can also ask questions directly to the instructor privately in another tool, and he will stop and answer periodically. Those with a web cam can see the instructor and be seen by the instructor. At the end of a class they give quizzes to help students check their understanding. There are live scheduled classes, prerecorded classes and archived classes are available. There are support materials for different aspects of language learning on their website, such as syllabary practice, hangman word games for vocabulary building, and other interactive flash games. Students have created CD's on their own of the audio and slides, and shared them with each other for study. The live online class event is the most fun since you are in a classroom with others learning the language and it's interactive. In my view the learning would improve if this wonderful live class was supported by a study guide for learning the language in a Web Based environment with practice activities laid out to build on the live lessons. I started to work on providing such a resource and have a rough model of what you could do. I've played around with some free software for course delivery and some free tools for making different kinds of audio/video quizzes. It needs a lot more work. I've often thought that if students had learning partners who they could practice speaking with that they would do better at being able to communicate in the language. Right now, I know the sounds, can pronounce what I read, but can't really converse or respond to anyone. I am not spending the time practicing conversation in between the lessons. If I had a partner to talk to that would make me study and perform. Jan Tucker -----Original Message----- From: Indigenous Languages and Technology [mailto:ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU]On Behalf Of Andre Cramblit Sent: Tuesday, September 12, 2006 2:12 PM To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU Subject: [ILAT] Distance Learning The karuk Tribe as p[art of our ANA Language grant is developing a distance learning program. What models and tribes are people familiar as being successful that currently exist. So far these are the various types of models that seem to be active: Broadcast Based Two-way interactive radio Video Based Two-way audio, one-way video One-way prerecorded video One-way live video Audio Based Two-way audio (audio/phone conferencing) One-way audio (radio, CDs, other audio files) Computer Based Two-way asynchronous interaction via computer-based technologies Two-way "real-time" interaction via internet From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 15 17:54:58 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 15 Sep 2006 10:54:58 -0700 Subject: Technology leads to cool fonts in Native language (fwd) Message-ID: Technology leads to cool fonts in Native language Part of effort to preserve tribes? culture and heritage PABLO MT Native American Times 9/14/2006 http://www.nativetimes.com/index.asp?action=displayarticle&article_id=8178 Members of the Salish and Kootenai Tribes now have their native language at their fingertips. Literally. With the help of various small grants and the donated time and effort of an area resident, the tribes now have new keyboards and an easily installed font to help in the creation of documents written in Salish and Kootenai. ?When modern technology first arrived here, it started taking our language and culture away from us,? said Tony Incashola, director of the Salish Pend d?Oreille Culture Committee. ?But now we?re learning how to take that same technology and turn it around, using it to teach our children our language and culture.? The new fonts work on both PC and Mac computer platforms. Word processing programs can also spell check documents written in both tribal languages. The new fonts also allow for use of teaching programs like crossword puzzles and software that creates teacher user plans. Jim Ereaux, a former employee at Salish Kootenai College, employed his technical expertise to develop the two new fonts. For many years the tribes? cultural committee have used a variety of computer fonts and applications for language development, publications and historical documentation. The primary fonts in use were developed at Salish Kootenai College about 15 years ago, but tribal officials say it was only a partial solution because of limited technology to support multi-language development. Members of the culture committee requested that new resources be developed that fully support the languages, are usable on both Windows and Macintosh OS X, work with various publishing and language applications, and support the use of customized keyboards. Work began on the project in late 2005 in close coordination with the Culture Committees, several linguists, and the broader typographic community on the Internet. In April 2006 a small grant was written through Salish Kootenai College to both Blackfoot Telephone Cooperative and the Lower Flathead Valley Community Foundation to support the creation of customized keyboards for both languages. Both organizations donated nearly $6,000 to the project. The grant also provides support to purchase desktop publishing applications and distribute the customized keyboards to area schools on the reservation. The new fonts utilize two recent technologies called ?Unicode? and ?OpenType.? Unicode is a worldwide standard for representing glyphs, such as the letter ?a? or an accent symbol, for all modern languages and supports over one million possible characters. Many languages require several glyphs to compose one character, which the OpenType standard manages. Both of these technologies allow documents created with the fonts to be exchanged between PC Compatible and Macintosh OS X computers. Not all computer operating systems or applications will support these new technologies. The minimum requirements are Windows XP and higher on the PC and OS 10.4 on the Macintosh. The tribes are based in the Montana town of Pablo. From Kazuko.Obata at AIATSIS.GOV.AU Sat Sep 16 07:15:58 2006 From: Kazuko.Obata at AIATSIS.GOV.AU (Kazuko Obata) Date: Sat, 16 Sep 2006 17:15:58 +1000 Subject: ILAT Digest - 12 Sep 2006 to 15 Sep 2006 (#2006-180) (Out of office) Message-ID: I am on leave from 18 to 22 September. For an urgent matter, please contact research at aiatsis.gov.au. Thank you Kazuko Obata Language Officer From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:19:18 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:19:18 -0700 Subject: Carrier language class kicks off (fwd) Message-ID: Carrier language class kicks off By Chris Shepherd Sep 13 2006 http://www.caledoniacourier.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=11&cat=59&id=725804&more= Using the language students of a new Carrier language program want to master, Nak?azdli elder Catherine Coldwell blessed the first day of classes. ?The prayer was to open [the students?s] minds and let the spirit into their hearts so they can learn,? explained Catherine Coldwell, who?s been informally teaching the language for years. Coldwell is one of the key instructors in UNBC?s new three-year program to train First Nations so they in turn can teach the Carrier language and culture in the classroom. For students and teachers alike, the new program, fulfills long-time dream. Francis Prince is one of the 27 students who?ll be studying in the classroom at Kwah Hall. He?s taught children before, but he drew on his skills in making drums and singing and admits he didn?t know enough to teach more than that. He?s excited about becoming a better teacher, but also because the program will keep Carrier culture alive. Nak?azdli Chief Leonard Thomas agrees. Thomas says the residential schools, where thousands of First Nations were sent by the federal government, damaged their culture and heritage. ?I think something like this will help pick up the pieces.? That will happen because after three years, the students will be certified to teach Carrier culture and language in B.C. schools. They?ll also be able to continue on and earn a full teaching degree if they want. Learning Carrier will also connect the younger and older generations, Coldwell says. ?There?s so much we want to tell [the youth.] They can?t grasp it in English or another language.? From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:35:49 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:35:49 -0700 Subject: Tewa linguist Esther Martinez dies at 94 (fwd) Message-ID: Posted on Sun, Sep. 17, 2006 Tewa linguist Esther Martinez dies at 94 HEATHER CLARK Associated Press http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/news/15545289.htm ALBUQUERQUE - Esther Martinez, a Tewa storyteller and linguist who worked to preserve her native tongue, was killed in a traffic accident on her way home from accepting the nation's highest honor for folk artists, her grandson said Sunday. She was 94. The car carrying Martinez, of Ohkay Owingeh, N.M., was hit Saturday night in Espanola on its way from Santa Fe, where she had flown after attending a National Endowment for the Arts celebration in Washington, D.C., Matthew J. Martinez said. Two daughters with her, Josephine Binford and Marie Sanchez, were injured but recovering. "She was a pillar in our community," Matthew Martinez said. "She embodied what it meant to be a Tewa person and lived it and practiced it and served as a role model." Details on the accident were not available Sunday night. Martinez was honored along with 11 other folk and traditional artists as a 2006 National Heritage Fellow, the NEA said in a news release. The fellowship includes an award of $20,000. She received a standing ovation in the nation's capital for her stories and life's work preserving her native Tewa language and traditions, the release said. "To lose a national treasure as beloved as Esther Martinez in such a senseless manner is truly tragic," NEA chairman Dana Gioia said. "New Mexico and the entire country have lost an eloquent link to our past. We can find solace in remembering her lifelong commitment to keeping her culture alive and vibrant." The Tewa are a linguistically related American Indian people who live in seven communities, or pueblos - one in Arizona and six in New Mexico. Martinez was born and raised in northern New Mexico, the NEA said in a biography. Her American Indian name is P'oe Tswa, or Blue Water, but she was known by many as Ko'oe Esther, or Aunt Esther. She spent much of her childhood living with her grandparents and visited her parents by traveling in a covered wagon. She was a major conservator of the Tewa language, teaching her native tongue from 1974 to 1989 at schools in Ohkay Owingeh, formerly known as San Juan Pueblo. She also helped translate the New Testament of the Bible into Tewa and compiled Tewa dictionaries for pueblos, which have distinct dialects, the NEA said. Since 1988, Martinez told her stories in English to non-Tewa audiences through Storytelling International. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:44:55 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 10:44:55 -0700 Subject: Gros Ventre woman, 110, a living bridge to the 'buffalo days' (fwd) Message-ID: Article published Sep 17, 2006 Gros Ventre woman, 110, a living bridge to the 'buffalo days' By KAREN OGDEN Tribune Enterprise Editor http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060917/NEWS01/609170301/1002 The family was stunned when the priest translated the careful Latin script on the baptismal certificate. They knew their grandmother, the matriarch of the Gros Ventre Tribe, was about 100. Delivered by a midwife on the Fort Belknap Reservation, she had no birth certificate. The exact date had never been an issue, until they received an invitation last spring from the governor's office. Theresa Walker Lamebull was to be honored at a banquet in Helena with other Montana centenarians. But her family had to first prove when she was born. They turned to Father Joseph Retzel at the St. Paul's Mission in Hays, where Lamebull is a devout, lifelong member. Soon after, the priest came to a family gathering with a copy of the baptismal certificate and some news. "Grandma Theresa" was not 100. She was 110. On April 4, 1897, the certificate said, a couple called White Weaselbrought their daughter to the St. Paul's Mission to be baptized. They named her Theresa. She was about 1 year old, it said, putting her birth in 1896. Lamebull has given other birth dates in the past that put her closer to 100. But Retzel said last week that he is confident the baptismal certificate he found is accurate and is hers. If so, that could make Lamebull the state's oldest person, although there is no official list, said Charlie Rehbein, Aging Services Bureau chief with the state Department of Public Health and Human Services. "Anybody over 110, they are going to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest," Rehbein said. Walter Breuning, a cigar-smoking centenarian in Great Falls, is a close second. He celebrates his 110th birthday Thursday. An Ecuadorian woman considered the world's oldest person by Guinness World Records died late last month at 116. But Lamebull's significance reaches far beyond talk of numbers. As a living bridge to what her tribe calls the "buffalo days," she is a cultural and spiritual treasure to her people. "To me she is one of the few keepers of our way of life, our traditional way of life," said Terry Brockie, 36. Nine years ago, Brockie took an interest in learning his native language. He has since spent has spent countless hours with Lamebull, studying the Gros Ventre ? or White Clay ? language. Although young people are embracing the language, Lamebull is among fewer than five elders who spoke Gros Ventre as their first language. Brockie always visited her home in Hays, at the foot of the Little Rocky Mountains, bearing a traditional gift such as cow tongue. He believes Lamebull's longevity is a spiritual gift to the tribe. She carried the language and culture through turbulent times, holding it until younger generations were ready to learn and record it. "She's put on this Earth to keep things for our people," Brockie said. "To me she's the most important person to our tribe." Smiling across a century Though her hearing is failing and her body is frail, Lamebull is full of life. She lived alone with her beloved dog "Nuisance" until July. Her house was only a block from the old stone St. Paul's Mission Church where she was baptized. Now she's at the Northern Montana Care Center, where her good cheer and infectious giggle make her a darling of the staff. On a recent afternoon, a handful of great-grandchildren crowded into Lamebull's room, with a great-great-granddaughter, Danielle, in tow. Lamebull beamed and reached out for the toddler. Danielle beamed right back and they gazed at each other across a century. "Happy! So happy!" Lamebull cooed to the smiling little girl. "What's you got? You got feet!" Lamebull thrived on the commotion in her little room, unleashing peals of laughter as her great-grandson, Damion Walker, cracked jokes. He urged his great-grandma, his "newa," to tell them about the past. In the old days, "we never stayed in one place very long," Lamebull said. "There used to be deep snow, and they would clean a place for our camp. They'd get all the snow off the ground where they'd build their tepee." Every so often as she spoke, she pulled tight a brown blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her pink nail polish flashing from beneath. But her memories of those cold, hard winters are warm. "They used to keep fire in the middle of the tepee, and that kept the whole place warm," she said. "They used to take turns keeping up the fire." Growing up 'Indian way' Lamebull was born the year door-to-door mail delivery started in Great Falls. Grover Cleveland was president. Her people, allies of the Blackfeet, were relegated to the present-day Fort Belknap Reservation only eight years earlier. Lamebull remembers little of her father, White Weasel, who died of a war wound. "They never got that bullet out," she said. "It was poisoning him." Her mother was Kills in the Brush. Lamebull was brought up in what Brockie calls the "Indian Way" by her grandmother. "I think that was the insurance that there's always going to be that seed of a person that has that old-time knowledge," he said. Indeed Lamebull cooked traditional foods for friends and family for years. She told her grandchildren how she made pemmican with Juneberries and cherries. "You put the tallow in there and put sugar in there. ... It was like powder," she said. "Everybody liked that. Hardly anybody knew how to make it. Everybody used to come and ask me to make some. ... I wish I had some now." Hooves were a childhood favorite for Lamebull. "They'd boil them a long time," she said, sounding as if she could almost taste the words. "And gee they were good." They ate "good wild animals. Better than this beef we're getting now," she said, setting her grandchildren laughing. But cattle were already taking over the prairie. The thundering buffalo herds that sustained her people's lifestyle were gone. "After, we built a house," Lamebull said. "Everybody was building houses. My dad built a house too. ... Ohhh, I thought it was a wonderful place to live." Hard times Lamebull speaks mostly of happy memories: Christmas dances, food and her favorite girlhood horse "Roanie," who would lie down for her to climb on his back so they could roam the prairie. But her youth was a time of hardship for the Gros Ventre. Those stories are captured in a book of memoirs of Fort Belknap elders compiled in 1982. Lamebull, then in her 80s, was among 20 elders interviewed for the book, "Recollections of Fort Belknap's Past," by the Curriculum Development Project of the Fort Belknap Education Department. Only the elderly received government food rations, and not enough to last a week, her memoir says. The rest survived on their gardens and whatever wildlife they could catch: rabbits, deer, sage hens, antelope and prairie chickens. Indians were not allowed to leave the reservation without a permit. At age 12, Lamebull was sent to school at St. Paul's Mission. "We had to stay there. We had a high fence and we couldn't go home when we wanted to," she said in the memoir. "It really was a poor school. We hardly had anything to eat." When the flu epidemic struck in 1918, the survivors couldn't build coffins fast enough, she said. "Babies, women, men, and mostly women died that time." Lamebull lost two sons of her own ? a day apart ? to diphtheria in the 1920s, according to her granddaughter, Patty Addy. "She made it through, and then she lost adult sons: my dad and my Uncle Henry and her daughter Virginia," Addy said. "They were hard on her, but she's really something. She'll grieve and then she'll let them go. ... She just has a way of carrying on." Lamebull was about 16 when she married her first husband, John Walker, who doted on her, Addy said. He died of lung cancer in 1961. They had 10 children together. Lamebull outlived five of them and her second husband, Andrew Lamebull. Her greatest pride is that all of her children served in the military, with the exception of her daughter Virginia, whose poor health prevented it. Portraits of them hang on a wall in her room at the care center, arranged around a hologram of Jesus on the cross. "She has a marvelous spirit, and she does have a deep faith in the Lord, in Jesus, and her faith is very strong in her life," said Father Retzel, with St. Paul's in Hays. Three years ago, at 107, Lamebull fell while walking along the gravel road to the church and couldn't get up, Retzel recalled. "She just stayed there until somebody came along, and when they did, she just laughed it off," he said. "That's typical of that lady." Alcohol, drugs and gossip When others fell along the path of life, Lamebull was there to pick them up or take them in. Addy was raised by Lamebull after her parents divorced and her mother fell ill with tuberculosis. She remembers her grandparents taking in three neighbor children, the Magpie kids. Lamebull taught them all to pray, go to church, be kind to each other and stay out of trouble. "She was really against alcohol and drugs," Addy said. "She said it ruined your life. And gossip, ... She just sees how it damaged so many homes." When her children were grown, Lamebull taught arts and crafts in local schools. Her quilts are in homes across the reservation and beyond. In her 80s, she found another calling. Lamebull and fellow tribal elder Elmer Main would drive 70 miles roundtrip twice a week to the tribal college at Fort Belknap Agency to teach Gros Ventre language. Lamebull taught into her 90s. Now at the care center, she looks forward to going home for the next powwow. And everyone looks forward to seeing "Grandma Theresa," a woman who is never too tired, too frail or too old to greet you with a warm smile. "She really makes you feel good about who you are as a White Clay person," Brockie said. "She has a real goodness about her, her aura. I think that comes from being on this Earth for so long." From leopold at SI.EDU Mon Sep 18 17:59:28 2006 From: leopold at SI.EDU (Robert Leopold) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:59:28 -0400 Subject: ILAT Digest - 15 Sep 2006 to 16 Sep 2006 (#2006-181) In-Reply-To: Message-ID: Hi, I will be out of the office until Monday, September 25. I'll reply to your message when I return. If you need to speak with someone in the National Anthropological Archives before then, please write naa at si.edu or call 301.238.1310. Thanks, Robert From CRANEM at ECU.EDU Mon Sep 18 19:39:05 2006 From: CRANEM at ECU.EDU (Bizzaro, Resa Crane) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:39:05 -0400 Subject: Positions available at Georgia Southern University Message-ID: Hi, everyone. Dr. Michael Pemberton sent me the ads listed below and asked me to encourage people to apply. I know that this area may be outside the interests of many of you on the list, but please share the information with others. Thanks. Resa Rhetoric and Composition (http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/writling/) Two tenure-track assistant professor positions. Ph.D. in rhetoric and composition or related field required by appointment date, with specialization in cultural studies, literacy studies, rhetorical history, writing technologies, and/or composition theory as they relate to teaching and research in the field of writing studies. Ph.D. required by starting date of position, August 1, 2007. Experience teaching with technology and evidence of scholarly potential and excellence in teaching are required. Two to four years college teaching experience preferred. Preference may be given to candidates with publications or presentations at professional conferences and to candidates with experience working with diverse student populations. Duties will include teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in the department s degree concentration in Writing and Culture, as well as first-year composition. Salary is competitive and commensurate with qualifications. Screening of applications begins November 1, 2006 and continues until the position is filled. A complete application consists of a letter addressing the qualifications cited above; a curriculum vitae; and the names, addresses, and telephone numbers of at least three professional references. Applications should be sent to Professor Michael Pemberton, Search Chair, Search #51761, Department of Writing and Linguistics, Georgia Southern University, P.O. Box 8026, Statesboro, GA 30460-8026. Additional materials may be requested at a later date. Georgia Southern University, a member of the University System of Georgia, is the largest and most comprehensive center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia. Georgia Southern University is classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching as a Doctoral/Research institution. A residential university serving 16,646 students in Fall 2005, Georgia Southern s hallmark is a superior undergraduate experience emphasizing academic distinction, excellent teaching, and student success. Founded in 1906, the university offers 120 degree programs at the baccalaureate, master s, and doctoral levels through eight colleges. The 675-acre campus is located in Statesboro, a community of approximately 30,000 residents, 50 miles northwest of historic Savannah and 200 miles southeast of Atlanta. Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution. Individuals who need reasonable accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act in order to participate in the search process should contact the Associate Provost. Georgia is an open records state. Dr. Michael Pemberton Associate Professor, Department of Writing and Linguistics Director, University Writing Center Georgia Southern University P.O. Box 8026 Statesboro, GA 30460 (912) 871-1383 http://class.georgiasouthern.edu/~michaelp/ From nflrc at HAWAII.EDU Mon Sep 18 22:54:57 2006 From: nflrc at HAWAII.EDU (National Foreign Language Resource Center) Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 12:54:57 -1000 Subject: Final Call for Papers (deadline September 30) - 2007 Pragmatics & Language Learning Conference Message-ID: Our apologies for any cross-postings . . . -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 47 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... 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PLENARY SPEAKERS: * Junko Mori, University of Wisconsin-Madison * Steven Talmy, University of British Columbia INVITED COLLOQUIA: * Study Abroad Experiences from a Language Socialization Perspective (Convener: Haruko Cook, University of Hawai'i) * Negotiating the Self in Another Language: Discourse Approaches to Language Learning as Cross-cultural Adaptation (Convener: Christina Higgins, University of Hawai'i) INVITED WORKSHOPS: * Using Questionnaires in Research on Pragmatics (Facilitator: Kenneth Rose, City University Hong Kong) * Teaching and Learning L2 Pragmatics in Computer-mediated Environments (Facilitator: Julie Belz, Monterey Institute of International Studies) CALL FOR PROPOSALS (DEADLINE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2006): Proposals for presentation are welcome on topics such as * L2 talk and text * Developmental L2 pragmatics * Pragmatics in language education * Pragmatics in language assessment * Pragmatics in computer-mediated communication * Theory and methodology in pragmatics Proposals may be submitted for PAPERS (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for discussion) and POSTERS. Abstracts for all presentation formats undergo blind peer review. ONLINE ABSTRACT SUBMISSIONS: DEADLINE - SEPTEMBER 30, 2006 For more information about the conference or to submit a proposal online, visit our website at: http://nflrc.hawaii.edu/prodev/pll/ ************************************************************************ * N National Foreign Language Resource Center F University of Hawai'i L 1859 East-West Road, #106 R Honolulu HI 96822 C voice: (808) 956-9424, fax: (808) 956-5983 email: nflrc at hawaii.edu VISIT OUR WEBSITE! http://www.nflrc.hawaii.edu ************************************************************************ * -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 2472 bytes Desc: not available URL: From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Sep 20 16:45:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 20 Sep 2006 09:45:46 -0700 Subject: Native languages fade as immigrant generations pass (fwd) Message-ID: Native languages fade as immigrant generations pass English is the dominant language after three generations have lived in the U.S. THELMA GUERRERO Statesman Journal September 20, 2006 http://159.54.226.83/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060920/NEWS/609200320/1001 McKay High School sophomore Monique Guajardo, two generations removed from her family's arrival from Mexico, has a difficult time speaking Spanish. Fifteen-year-old Whitney Pe?a, on the other hand, can't speak a word of Spanish. Her ancestors immigrated three generations ago. According to a recent study, their difficulty with their native language is part of a national trend. Spanish dies out within three generations, and English becomes the dominant language. The study, conducted by the University of California at Irvine and Princeton University, found that native language-expertise tends to disappear among descendants of Hispanic immigrants at a rate similar to that of other immigrant groups, such as Asians. The findings were published in the September issue of the journal "Population and Development Review." Third-generation descendants of immigrants such as Pe?a are U.S.-born with U.S.-born parents and three or four foreign-born grandparents. "My dad's side of the family speaks Spanish, but we don't speak it," said Pe?a, a sophomore at McKay High School. In terms of daily use, the study concluded that Spanish begins to falter in the second generation of Mexican and other Latin American immigrants, such as Guajardo. "I can have a conversation in Spanish, but I kinda mess up here and there," said Guajardo, 15. Some educators lament the loss of Spanish-speaking abilities. "It affects (a) person's appreciation, if not understanding, of their culture," Nathaniel Cordova, an associate professor of Latin American studies and American ethnic studies at Willamette University. It also can result "in embarrassment for those who don't understand the language or who are not able to understand what others are saying," Cordova said. For their 10-year study, the researchers focused on language adaptation among Hispanic immigrants and their descendants in California and south Florida. "Based on analysis of language loss over the generations, English has never been seriously threatened as the dominant language in America, nor is it under threat today," the report said. The conclusion refutes the threat to U.S. culture alleged by author Samuel Huntington, who says that Hispanic immigrants endanger the core of U.S. culture because they "speak a common language, divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures and two languages." At Oregon Literacy, however, there is a large-scale demand by adult immigrants for English-as-a-second-language classes, said Elizabeth Raymond, the group's executive director. "Right now, we have people on a waiting list," she said. "We're starting six or seven new ESL programs in Marion, Polk and Yamhill counties." tguerrero at StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6815 ~~~ Native-language survival Seventeen percent of third-generation descendants of Mexican immigrants speak fluent Spanish. By the fourth generation, 5 percent speak Spanish. One percent of fourth-generation descendants of European immigrants speak the groups' native languages. SOURCE: Linguistic Life Expectancies, University of California at Irvine and Princeton University Copyright 2006 Statesman Journal, Salem, Oregon From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 21 17:53:17 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:53:17 -0700 Subject: Rapping in Aymara (fwd) Message-ID: Rapping in Aymara Wednesday, September 20 2006 @ 03:34 PM PDT Contributed by: Collin Sick http://www.infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20060920153446177 Art & RevolutionAt 13,000 feet, the hip hop movement in El Alto, Bolivia is probably the highest in the world. The music blends ancient Andean folk styles and new hip hop beats with lyrics about revolution and social change. As the sun set over the nearby snow capped mountains, I sat down with Abraham Bojorquez, a well known El Alto hip hop artist. We opened up a bag of coca leaves and began to talk about what he calls a new "instrument of struggle." We were at Wayna Tambo, a radio station, cultural center and unofficial base of the city's hip hop scene. Bojorquez pulled a leaf out of the bag to chew and said, "We want to preserve our culture through our music. With hip hop, we're always looking back to our indigenous ancestors, the Aymaras, Quechuas, Guarani." He works with other hip hop artists in El Alto to show "the reality of what is happening in our country. Through our lyrics we criticize the bad politicians that take advantage of us. With this style of hip hop, we're an instrument of struggle, an instrument of the people." By Benjamin Dangl, Upside Down World In Bolivia, hip-hop music and culture are becoming key parts of a larger liberation struggle. At 13,000 feet, the hip hop movement in El Alto, Bolivia is probably the highest in the world. The music blends ancient Andean folk styles and new hip hop beats with lyrics about revolution and social change. As the sun set over the nearby snow capped mountains, I sat down with Abraham Bojorquez, a well known El Alto hip hop artist. We opened up a bag of coca leaves and began to talk about what he calls a new "instrument of struggle." We were at Wayna Tambo, a radio station, cultural center and unofficial base of the city's hip hop scene. Bojorquez pulled a leaf out of the bag to chew and said, "We want to preserve our culture through our music. With hip hop, we're always looking back to our indigenous ancestors, the Aymaras, Quechuas, Guarani." He works with other hip hop artists in El Alto to show "the reality of what is happening in our country. Through our lyrics we criticize the bad politicians that take advantage of us. With this style of hip hop, we're an instrument of struggle, an instrument of the people." Bojorquez belongs to a group of rappers in El Alto, a sprawling city above La Paz which is home to around 800,000 people. His group and music is called Wayna Rap (Wayna means young in Aymara). Under the umbrella of Wayna Rap are smaller bands like Insane Race, Uka Mau y Ke, Clandestine Race and others. They often get together in freestyle events, where different singers take turns at the mike, rapping. Some of their songs are completely in Aymara, an indigenous language. Others include a mixture of Spanish, English, Quechua and Portuguese. This fusion of languages is an integral part of the group's philosophy, and adds to their appeal in El Alto, where a large section of the population speaks Aymara. "The door is open to everyone...This is our proposal for how to change society," Bojorquez said. Though they collaborate with a wide variety of people, "we don't just sing things like 'I'm feeling bad, my girlfriend just left me and now I am going to get drunk.' It's more about trying to solve problems in society." The social and political themes in the music come from the city's reality. The death and conflicts in the 2003 Gas War made a huge impact on El Alto, and many of these songs reflect that. One song which Abraham made in his own group Uka Mau y Ke deals with the October 2003 mobilizations in El Alto against the gas exportation plan and president Sanchez de Lozada. In the song, "we speak about how bullets are being shot at the people and how we can't put up with this because the people are reclaiming their rights." This song starts out with the president saying he won't resign. His voice is ominous, gruff and peppered with an unmistakable US English accent: "Yo no voy a renunciar. Yo no voy a renunciar." The sounds of street clashes in the song become louder. The roar of machine guns and helicopters come and go until the beat and lyrics begin. "We are mobilized, arming street barricades. We are mobilized without noticing that we are killing between brothers." Another singer comes in, rapping about the "corrupt governments...with closed eyes that don't look at the reality in the society. Many people are ending up in poverty and delinquency, which is why they demand justice..." The song goes on to call Sanchez de Lozada a traitor and assassin. They demand his head, along with that of Carlos Mesa, the vice president. The music fuses with a testimony from a woman whose family member was shot by soldiers. The lyrics kick back in, "We hear over there that there are dead: 80 citizens, 5 police, and mass of people gravely injured. We're in a situation worse than war, killing each other, without a solution." In many of Bojorquez's songs, Andean flutes and drums mesh with the beat. This aspect, along with the indigenous language, sets the music apart from standard hip hop. The topics covered are also distinct. In one song, they grapple with street violence and homelessness in El Alto. It deals with "children living in the street, orphans of mothers and fathers and the violence that grows every day. The lack of work, all of these things," Bojorquez explained. "We try to show the true reality of what is happening in the country, not hide it." One of the most moving experiences Bojorquez said he's had within his musical career came when he was invited to perform at the office of the Neighborhood Organizations (Fejuve) of El Alto. He was nervous at first because the place was full of older people. His music is directed more toward a younger audience. After the first song, people clapped weakly. "Then we sang in Aymara and people became very emotional, crying. This was a very happy event for us. It made us think that what we are doing isn't in vain, that it can make an impact on people." The title of his next CD is "Instrument of Struggle", referring to his musical philosophy. "More than anything our music is a form of protest, but with proposals. We unite, we organize. We look for unity, not division. We want to open the eyes of people with closed eyes...The music is a part of life." When Bojorquez and I met months later, it was clear that El Alto's hip hop movement was growing. More people were calling Bojorquez for pointers on their music or for help with CD recordings. Others were starting their own groups and showing up at Wayna Tambo for concerts. "Today this music is arriving to many young people who identify with the songs and lyrics," Bojorquez said. "In El Alto there is a lot of poverty and in the lyrics we talk about this. People identify with it." He had recently helped initiate hip hop classes in a large prison in La Paz which focuses on prisoners that are between 16-18 years old. The idea started when Bojorquez and others did a concert there. The reception was so enthusiastic that they worked to organize a hip hop class in June 2006. Through the classes, Bojorquez said they are trying to "show the jail's reality from the inside." He said the jail was a whole other city within La Paz, a "dead city" without hope. "This is where the hip hop comes in, so that people don't feel like all is lost." At the end of the program, the group will put on a performance and record a disk. Based on the success of the class, Bojorquez expects the program to continue into the future. "They are telling a history that reaches people and can prevent other youth from making the same mistakes," he said. "A lot of them regret what they did and they talk about it in their songs." He offered lyrics by Cesar as an example: "Yo soy preso en San Pedro/I am a prisoner in San Pedro Estoy esperando la puta paciencia de mi abogado/I am waiting on the fucking patience of my lawyer Lo que el me ha dicho ya me olvidado/What he has told me I already forgot Por tomar el camino mas corto/ By taking the short cut Yo mismo me fregado/I messed myself up" Back at Wayna Tambo, I ran into some of Bojorquez's fellow rappers, Grover Canaviri Huallpa and Dennis Quispe Issa. Both worked jobs and studied at the same time, leaving little room for writing lyrics and listening to music. We were waiting for a bus to a hip hop concert. It was cold and the bus was late, so we went inside and talked. Like others going to the concert, they were dressed like people I knew in New York City. The camouflage and baseball caps, the baggy pants, it was all very familiar. But it wasn't just the clothing style that these two felt a connection with. "I identify a lot with the hip hop groups in the US that speak of violence and discrimination," Huallpa said. "My mother only studied to 5th grade. She has suffered discrimination. We used to all be out in the streets." Huallpa started listening to rap in the mid 1990s, and started writing his own lyrics a few years later. "Before Wayna Tambo there were pirated radios, secret places where we gathered because our parents didn't accept it." Both admitted their parents didn't understand their lifestyle as rappers. "They think we are just copying the US," Issa said. "People on the street discriminate us for the way we talk, walk and dress." They both agreed that this kind of hip hop was growing in El Alto in part because of the experience of the Gas War. "October 2003 was a huge change for us musically," Issa explained, referring to the mobilizations. "It had a big impact on El Alto." Below El Alto, in La Paz, another hip hop movement was thriving. Sdenka Suxo Cadena, a 27 year old hip hop artist and marketing major in college, has been a part of the scene for over ten years. When I met her at the home of Mujeres Creando (Women Creating), an anarchist, feminist group, Cuban salsa was playing on the radio. Her hair was in pigtails and she smiled and laughed a lot while talking about her work. She started rapping in 1996, when she was in high school. "I started doing it because I didn't like society's system - the classism, materialism, the elite. This didn't make people happy." After hanging out with different hip hop groups in La Paz and El Alto, she decided to start a women's hip hop group in 2000. "I didn't like to be controlled by a boy, or be someone else's lady. Other women didn't either. So we started our own group called the Nueva Flavah and had our own meetings and events." Each Thursday they organized a gathering of men and women from different areas of the city to perform hip-hop, break dance and exchange styles. "We wanted to share hip hop without caring about the differences between us." They did have some rules, however. "We didn't let people in that just talked about gangs, violence, drugs and guns." Her music deals with such topics as Latin American unification, chauvinism, AIDS, race, women's issues and nationalism. She knew politics were important, "but for real change to happen, people have to change themselves." When I met her, Cadena was about to open a place for hip hop activities and recording music. "Some kids need help editing music, recording. We help them get their message out." One of the events their doing now is a CD exchange where other artists can bring in their own disks and trade or buy one for less than a dollar. She believed hip hop was becoming more popular in Bolivia because anyone can produce the music, regardless of whether or not they know how to play an instrument. "It's popular in poor neighborhoods where people might not have a guitar. All you need is a pen and paper. You don't need money. You can do it anywhere. People largely identify with it in marginalized neighborhoods, where people don't have access to music lessons or instruments." She also said it is growing along with the current political changes all around Latin America. "It's part of this regional protest movement." I had an opportunity to see this movement in action at a hip hop concert one cold June night in a neighborhood outside La Paz. We zipped up into the hills like a roller coaster, weaving up steep streets past angry dogs, lit up corner stores, a woman shaking laundry out the window and soccer games under street lamps. The road wound up the hill like a drunken snake at impossible angles. The route was a cavernous labyrinth that never seemed to end. We almost crashed twice and had to ask for directions three times. Eventually the city spread out below in a vast collection of blue, white, yellow and orange lights, oozing and bubbling with life. Beyond the lights were the Andes Mountains in complete darkness. The stars were barely visible, belittled by the constellation of the city. The concert took place at a large room in a school building. A banner hung outside the door, where young people dressed like New York City rappers were hanging out and smoking. Tilted baseball caps, baggy pants and shirts with US sports logos were the norm. It cost about 12 cents for a ticket. I handed over the money while my friend and I were frisked for alcohol: it was a dry event. Inside, the room was packed with people standing up, bopping to the music, or sitting in chairs. On a balcony above the crowd the performers swung microphones, shook their fists in the air and rapped tirelessly. It looked like a cross between a high school dance and a poetry reading. It had the same angst and self consciousness. The sound quality of the speakers was poor, but the enthusiasm was high. The audience clapped and cheered at every opportunity that merited it. Most songs were a mixture of Spanish and Aymara, with three words making regular appearances: coca, revolution and Mother Earth. Many of the young people were sipping on clandestine bottles of booze, making out and slicking back their hair. The room was a convergence of cultures. Some rappers spoke of blunts and guns in one breath and their president Evo Morales the next. Bojorquez wore a red baseball cap from a US team, but his coat had indigenous designs on it with the name of his band in Aymara written across the front. I recognized some of the beats from US music, but the flutes, drums and rhythms were all Bolivian. The concert mixed Andean phrases and symbols thousands of years old with themes and rhymes fresh out of MTV music videos. Nations, music, histories and dance moves fused in a new Bolivian hip hop. The finale was a performance by a young kid who couldn't have been more than ten years old. He proceeded to swing his cap, move his feet and dance exactly like Michael Jackson. The crowd went wild. Benjamin Dangl is the author of "The Price of Fire: Resource Wars and Social Movements in Bolivia," forthcoming from AK Press in March, 2007. He is the editor of TowardFreedom.com and UpsideDownWorld.org. http://www.alternet.org/wiretap/41902/ From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Thu Sep 21 17:57:11 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:57:11 -0700 Subject: Saving Inuktitut (fwd) Message-ID: September 20, 2006 Saving Inuktitut Nunavut has passed legislation intended to keep the Inuit language from fading. As southern culture encroaches in the North, it will be a tough fight COLIN CAMPBELL http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/canada/article.jsp?content=20060925_133597_133597# On the dusty streets of Iqaluit, Nunavut, stop signs read in two languages: English and the squiggly syllabic characters of Inuktitut. So do signs at the post office, bank and grocery store. Inuktitut is the first language for 70 per cent of the territory's 30,000 residents, and by some measures appears one of the healthiest indigenous languages in the country. But here in the capital, a town of about 3,600, English is the language of choice among young Inuit. Children wear SpongeBob SquarePants T-shirts, and buy the latest CDs by 50 Cent and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Internet use is widespread, as is satellite TV. The result: Inuktitut is a language under siege, and assuring it survives, even flourishes, has become a priority. In a controversial move this year, Nunavut Premier Paul Okalik ordered that senior bureaucrats learn the language or lose their jobs. The government is also drafting two new language laws designed to help make Inuktitut Nunavut's working language by 2020, and lift employment barriers for Inuktitut speakers. "It really does open the ice for Inuit," says Johnny Kusugak, Nunavut's language commissioner. "Inuit kids can now look up and see that there are lots of positions in the government where they can reach their goals." One war room in the fight to preserve Inuktitut is the Pirurvik Centre -- the place Nunavut bureaucrats come to learn Inuktitut, at a small table in a room looking out over Frobisher Bay. On this day, the lessons are on hold while the centre puts the finishing touches on a two-year project translating Microsoft's Windows operating system and Office business software into Inuktitut. "It's a start," says Leena Evic, one of the centre's founders, about the software, which will be used primarily by government. "If we do nothing now, Inuktitut could end up in a very threatened state. But if we take the right steps it could be an indigenous language for a long time to come." It's an uphill battle. The big concern these days is the lack of Inuktitut in the education system. Nunavut's population is the youngest in Canada (almost half are under 19) and according to one government survey, only 18 per cent of Inuit say Inuktitut is the language they speak most often in school. The language is taught up to Grade 3 or 4, but then tapers off in favour of English instruction. "In Nunavut this reinforces the colonial message of inferiority. The Inuit student mentally withdraws, then leaves altogether," said Thomas Berger, a former B.C. Supreme Court justice, in a report last spring that also noted a "severe" shortage of Inuktitut-speaking teachers. Some argue that young people in Iqaluit avoid Inuktitut because of the difficulty navigating its different dialects. But Louis-Jacques Dorais, a researcher at Universit? de Laval who has documented Inuktitut's decline, says other factors are at play. Because English is the language of pop culture and business, Inuktitut "risks being increasingly limited to petty topics, on the one hand, and highly symbolic domains on the other," he says. Serious social ills are also undermining education in either language. School dropout rates are astronomical -- only about a quarter of Inuit children graduate from high school -- and drug abuse and alcoholism are rampant. In more isolated communities outside of Iqaluit, Inuktitut appears much healthier. Many of the elder residents are unilingual Inuktitut speakers. Still, even in places like Pangnirtung, a tiny hamlet an hour's flight north, English use is on the rise. "It started when the government sent people off to schools in places like Churchill," says Anuga Michael, 26, who worries about the type of education his infant son, Wayne Wilson, will receive. "My first priority is to teach him Inuktitut. That's the way I was taught, so that's the way I'll teach him." Asked about the challenge of protecting Inuit culture, though, he sighs: "It's complicated." Not everyone backs Nunavut's plans to prop up Inuktitut. For young people to succeed as professionals (like doctors or lawyers), they must have strong English skills, insists Nancy Gillis, a city councillor in Iqaluit. Basic English skills and a strong education system risk being lost in the scramble to preserve Inuktitut, she says. "By the time children hit Grade 4, they're behind already," she says. Others say forcing bureaucrats to learn Inuktitut is also misguided. Many of the skilled managers and bureaucrats here are not Inuit, or Inuktitut speakers. The majority of Inuit today lack the professional training and post-secondary education to fill top-tier jobs. Only about 45 per cent of the government jobs are held by Inuit (who make up 85 per cent of the population), and most of those jobs are lower-level positions. Kusugak says he's not worried the new language laws will drive away qualified bureaucrats. To reverse Inuktitut's decline, young Inuit need to see that they can hold the most important positions in society while maintaining their culture, he adds. "When we were growing up, our parents told us that we have to learn English if we want to work in the changing world. 'There will be jobs and security,' they said." Now that the Inuit have their own land and their own government, he says, that view must change. To comment, email letters at macleans.ca From nflrc at HAWAII.EDU Thu Sep 21 20:47:13 2006 From: nflrc at HAWAII.EDU (National Foreign Language Resource Center) Date: Thu, 21 Sep 2006 10:47:13 -1000 Subject: Positions at the University of Hawaii at Manoa (Honolulu, HI) (fwd) Message-ID: University of Hawaii at Manoa, Department of Second Language Studies Assistant Professors (2) The Department of Second Language Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa, seeks to fill two vacancies at the assistant professor level. The Department offers a Master of Arts in Second Language Studies, and it administers a PhD program in Second Language Acquisition and an Advanced Graduate Certificate in Second Language Studies. A BA with an ESL specialization is available through the University's Interdisciplinary Program. Faculty have interests in a wide range of domains in second and foreign language research. For more information, visit our website: http://www.hawaii.edu/sls Two positions, tenure track, full time 9-month, pending position availability and funding, to begin August 1, 2007. Minimum qualifications (both positions): Doctorate in second language acquisition, applied linguistics or closely related field by August, 2007; demonstrated ability to carry out research in the major area(s); second or foreign language teaching experience; and evidence of excellent teaching ability at the university level. Position #82454. Applicants should have major research interests and instructional competence in one or more of the following areas of second language education: language learning and technology (e.g., computer-assisted language learning, computer-mediated communication, electronic and multimodal literacies, virtual communities); young language learners (e.g., bilingualism or multilingualism among young learners in foreign language, second language, heritage language, immersion, or dual language education contexts); second language writing and literacy development (e.g., cognitive, textual, or sociocultural dimensions of multilingual writing, critical literacies). Desirable qualifications: Publication in journals and books in the major area(s); teaching experience in a second language studies or equivalent graduate program; ability to win competitive research funding; interest in the Asia-Pacific region, including Asian and Pacific languages; and teacher education experience. Position #84105. Applicants should have major research interests and instructional competence in one or more of the following areas of second language studies: psycholinguistics of second language learning; cognitive dimensions of bilingualism/ multilingualism; L2 research in classroom and school settings from cognitive, interactional, or sociocultural perspectives. Desirable qualifications: Publication in journals and books in the major area(s); prior teaching experience in a second language studies or equivalent graduate program; ability to win competitive research funding; and interest in the Asia-Pacific region, including Asian and Pacific languages. Duties for both positions: Teach courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the area of specialization in the Department of Second Language Studies; conduct and publish research; participate fully in supporting activities for academic programs, departmental governance, and service to the University and community. Annual 9-month Salary Range, both positions: commensurate with experience E-mail inquiries: Position #82454: Dr. Lourdes Ortega, Chair of Search Committee lortega at hawaii.edu Position #84105: Dr. Gabriele Kasper, Chair of Search Committee gkasper at hawaii.edu To apply: Applicants should submit letter of application, curriculum vitae, list of courses taught, and sample publications. In addition, letters of reference should be submitted directly by three recommenders. All application materials should be sent by November 15, 2006 to: Dr. Richard R. Day, Chairman Department of Second Language Studies 570 Moore Hall 1890 East-West Road University of Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 96822 USA Closing date for both positions: November 15, 2006. The University of Hawaii is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. ************************************************************************* N National Foreign Language Resource Center F University of Hawai'i L 1859 East-West Road, #106 R Honolulu HI 96822 C voice: (808) 956-9424, fax: (808) 956-5983 email: nflrc at hawaii.edu VISIT OUR WEBSITE! http://www.nflrc.hawaii.edu ************************************************************************* From bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 22 18:21:43 2006 From: bischoff at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (s.t. bischoff) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 11:21:43 -0700 Subject: Slang Message-ID: Hi all, I have a student interested in slang in Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Anyone familiar with any work in this area?? Thanks, Shannon __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 22 22:44:01 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 15:44:01 -0700 Subject: Language Bill Needs Letters Message-ID: National Indian Education Association 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E. Suite 104 Washington, D.C. 20002 P: (202) 544-7290 / F: (202) 544-7293 September 22, 2006 Broadcast #06-056 Native Language Immersion Bill Placed on the Suspension Calendar- NEEDS TRIBAL LETTERS OF SUPPORT TO PASS The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006, H.R. 4766 will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th which means that the House will vote on the bill next week. This bill will create grant programs under the Department of Health and Human Services for Native language survival schools, Native language nests, and Native language restoration programs. Representative Heather Wilson, (R-NM) introduced this legislation during NIEA?s Legislative Summit and has been working very closely with NIEA and Indian Country to turn the bill into law. Most recently, the House Education and Workforce Committee held field hearing on the bill in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Co-sponsors of H.R. 4766 include Representatives Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Tom Udall (D-NM), Steve Pearce (R-NM), and Mark Udall (D-CO). NIEA is requesting that all tribes, tribal Education departments, and schools express their support for this bill that will provide critical support for our languages. A sample letter is attached to send to your congressional delegation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have a short time frame (by Monday) to get these letters into your congressional delegation and leadership on the House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The attached letters are addressed to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, but can be tailored to your individual Congressional members. PLEASE have your tribes, tribal education departments, and schools send in the letters to your congressional representatives TODAY and MONDAY. We do not have time to lose! If you have any questions- please feel free to contact NIEA at (202)544-7290. Please send the letters to your congressional representatives and the four fax #?s below. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs fax #?s (202) 224-5429 (Majority) and (202)228-2589 (Minority) House Education and Workforce Committee fax #?s (202)225-9571 (Majority), and (202)226-4864 (Minority) Please send a copy to the National Indian Education Association fax # (202) 544-7293 Cut and paste the following text. SAMPLE LETTER TO THE HOUSE September __, 2006 The Honorable Howard "Buck" McKeon Chairman Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable George Miller Ranking Member Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Miller: On behalf of ___________, I support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. We urge the House to pass this critical legislation. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900?s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, SAMPLE LETTER TO THE SENATE September __, 2006 The Honorable John McCain Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Byron Dorgan Vice Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman McCain and Vice Chairman Dorgan: On behalf of ___________, I strongly support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. This bill will likely pass the House, and we urge the Senate to pass the House bill by unanimous consent. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900?s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 22 23:26:43 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 22 Sep 2006 16:26:43 -0700 Subject: Slang In-Reply-To: <20060922112143.5bvc84oc08coo004@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Native Slang Skin?Indian. Used mostly among young. Huprok-Local Indian of mixed inter-tribal blood NDN, ndn?Indian. Used mostly among young and on the Internet. shinob, naabe?Anishinaabe Indian. rez?reservation. rez rocket?reservation car, usually in need of repairs. rez dog?Indian who hangs around the reservation. Urban-Native person living in a large city, separated from their Tribe, usually resulting from Federal Relocation policies Shaman-Misnomer Native peoples did not have Shamans Dream-Vision, often a prophecy or communiqu? to be deciphered Apruhan or Indian Devil-Person who uses bad thoughts or magic Dine-Original Name of the Navajo Lakota, Dakota, Nakota-Original names of groups lumped together as the Sioux Eskimo-inappropriate name for Innuit, Innupiat and Yupik people rez boots?moccasins. rezzed out?done in true Indian style. i.e.: "His NDN car is really rezzed out." Indian time?whenever, signifying a disregard for Anglo-style punctuality. Pinafich (Karuk word) Coyote-Trickster figure, an anti-hero moccasin telegraph?informal talk or gossip. River Mail-similar to the telegraph also a round about way to deliver things by passing it around to friends and relatives heading ?home? Slippery Eel-unsigned gossip letter usually slamming politicians Pow Wow ?Big Time, a social gathering inter-tribal in nature Regalia-Part of dance items including necklaces, dresses, beadwork, bustles etc commodity cheese?government surplus food given to Indians. commod?short for "commodity." frog skins?money. brah?"brother." chebon?"man." Usage: "Whassup chebon?" stay red?"keep it real," be true to your Indian self. hola?"hello," from the Lakota. chooch?immature male who is acting stupid. 49?an informal social celebration at an Indian gathering such as a powwow. 49in'?partying at a 49. snag?a partner for a date or a one-night stand. snaggin'?searching for a snag. fry bread girl?Indian female who eats too much. twink, twinki, twinkie?non-Indian who believes in New Age mysticism. wannabe?non-Indian who wants to be an Indian. plastic?fake, as in a fake medicine man or woman. Usage: "Don't waste your money on that plastic shaman." apple?red on the outside, white on the inside. coconut?brown on the outside, white on the inside. red nigger?someone who's too Indian to suit a non-Indian. Usage: "When a blue-eyed Oglala went into a bar with his brown eyed cousins, the bartender said, 'You can stay but your red niggers have to go outside.'" chief?someone who thinks he's chief but isn't. Used ironically. Imareala?a BIA card-carrying Native who brags about having a card and is rude to those who don't big warrior?someone who takes his or her role as a warrior too seriously. Tonto?sidekick, lackey, Indian Uncle Tom. FBI?"full-blooded Indian." U.S. History ?the story of the genocidal move west NGE?"non-government enrolled." An Indian not officially a member of a federally-recognized tribe. OSI-Out of state Indian (relocated from another area) Indian Taco-1 plate meal made from commodity foods severed on fried dough blood, Aimster?member of the American Indian Movement (AIM). Elder-title of respect not merely of age, must be earned Treaty talk?white man's lies. Cuz-familiar form of Cousin Cosin-related but more distant than a cousin suits?government agents or representatives. Indian Law 101?Indian law in reality. Comes up in the context of a non-Indian lawyer who is competent but has never been exposed to Indian weirdness and starts prattling about the Constitution where it doesn't apply. Usage: "He was talking about Marbury v. Madison, so I had to give him Indian Law 101." Going Custer-similar to going postal Interjections Ennit, Innit-Is it not i.e. that?s a nice sunset innit Gee Ennit-Exclamation, usual in agreement i.e. That was a great party. Gee ennit eh? ey, eyy, ayy-used at the end of a teasing type joke oh ya huh uh huh, you say or I just say "Ima bust an arrow in his ass!" Jokes-I was kidding Owich-ouch, resulting from pain On Sep 22, 2006, at 11:21 AM, s.t. bischoff wrote: Hi all, I have a student interested in slang in Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Anyone familiar with any work in this area?? Thanks, Shannon __________________________ S.T. Bischoff PhD Candidate Department of Linguistics 1100 E. University Blvd University of Arizona Tucson, AZ 85721 USA bischoff at email.arizona.edu From jieikobu at HOTMAIL.COM Sat Sep 23 03:47:47 2006 From: jieikobu at HOTMAIL.COM (Derksen Jacob) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 03:47:47 +0000 Subject: Slang In-Reply-To: <49A1E9F2-28C8-4CDC-A448-DE38819A2BEB@ncidc.org> Message-ID: An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rzs at TDS.NET Sat Sep 23 14:05:08 2006 From: rzs at TDS.NET (Richard Zane Smith) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 09:05:08 -0500 Subject: Slang Message-ID: Navajos(Din?) have some great slang and we used them all the time while living in Ganado Az. bologna was called: gahmalii bi kwoos (mormon neck) also called : biligana bi kwoos (white persons neck) white bread was "biligana bi bah" ( white peoples bread) bailing wire was sometimes called "a navajo bolt" a section of rubber hose for siphoning " navajo credit card" all the parts of an automobile are named as animals parts chidii bi ke' (cars foot) chidi bi nanh (cars eyes) etc... and an elephant was called "the one who ropes his food" there is a whole Din? sentence that sounds sort of like "Ganado Arizona" which translated into english means "rabbit jumps up and rips his shirt" Gahl n?h oldnad bii ah ?? zohns (sorry for my bad Din? spelling!) there is another kids used to say that sounds sort of like " i speak english" but translated into english means "pee on the pigeon" hasbita bii k'inliijh I'd like to hear any i've missed! Richard Zane Smith > > From: Derksen Jacob > Date: 2006/09/22 Fri PM 10:47:47 CDT > To: ILAT at LISTSERV.ARIZONA.EDU > Subject: Re: [ILAT] Slang > > From delancey at UOREGON.EDU Sat Sep 23 15:13:17 2006 From: delancey at UOREGON.EDU (Scott DeLancey) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 08:13:17 -0700 Subject: The Ken Hale Prize In-Reply-To: <20060918104455.apwkcssko4oko4w4@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: >From the most recent SSILA Bulletin, info about the Ken Hale Prize, presented by the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas (SSILA), the main organization of linguistics who study Native languages. Scott DeLancey ============================================================== The Ken Hale Prize is presented annually by SSILA in recognition of outstanding community language work and a deep commitment to the documentation, maintenance, promotion, and revitalization of indigenous languages in the Americas. The Prize (which carries a $500 stipend) honors those who strive to link the academic and community spheres in the spirit of Ken Hale, and recipients can range from native speakers and community-based linguists to academic specialists, and may include groups or organizations. No academic affiliation is necessary. Nominations for the award may be made by anyone, and should include a letter of nomination stating the current position and affiliation, if appropriate, of the nominee or nominated group (tribal, organizational, or academic), and a summary of the nominee's background and contributions to specific language communities. The nominator should also submit a brief portfolio of supporting materials, such as the nominee's curriculum vitae, a description of completed or on-going activities of the nominee, letters from those who are most familiar with the work of the nominee (e.g. language program staff, community people, academic associates), and any other material that would support the nomination. Submission of manuscript-length work is discouraged. The 2006 Hale Prize will be announced at the next SSILA meeting, in Anaheim, in January 2007. The chair of this year's selection committee is Nora England and nomination packets should be sent to her at the following address: Prof. Nora England Department of Linguistics University of Texas at Austin 1 University Station B5100 Austin TX 78712-1196 The deadline for receipt of nominations is November 1. Nominations will be kept active for two subsequent years for prize consideration and nominators are invited to update their nomination packets if so desired. Inquiries can be e-mailed to Prof. England at . From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sat Sep 23 17:39:38 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sat, 23 Sep 2006 10:39:38 -0700 Subject: Audio Tour in Lakota Language Invites American Indians to Mount Rushmore (fwd) Message-ID: Audio Tour in Lakota Language Invites American Indians to Mount Rushmore Friday , September 22, 2006 http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,215172,00.html MOUNT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL, S.D. ? Ben Black Elk was a staple at Mount Rushmore National Memorial during the 1950s and '60s, posing for photos with tourists intrigued by his single-feather headdress and stories of his Lakota people. Black Elk wasn't part of the official tour, but he became known as the "fifth face on the mountain" after years of sharing American Indians' history and their perspective on the monument, said Gerard Baker, who became Mount Rushmore's first American Indian superintendent in 2004. Baker and his Mount Rushmore staff on Thursday kicked off an effort to extend his teachings and invite American Indians to the monument with the launch of a self-guided audio tour that can be heard in Black Elk's native tongue. Lakota spiritual leader and historian Peter V. Catches of Pine Ridge welcomes tourists with "Ca wokisuya ki le justice na democracy ki Americans Indians ki wicakco na wiyuskinyan He Sapa el unpi kta." Translation: "This memorial to justice and democracy now invites American Indians to celebrate and teach their culture here in the heart of the He Sapa, place of the black cedar." Baker, a member of North Dakota's Mandan and Hidatsa tribes, said he hopes the national attraction can become a place to help heal wounds stemming from the country's violent history with American Indians. "America is full of all kinds of stories, both extremely good and extremely bad. And I think it's one of our responsibilities to give as much of that as we possibly can ? not to make people feel guilty or angry or anything else, but to understand the history of this place," he said. Rushmore officials had kicked around the idea for a self-guided audio tour for years. Presidential Tours led by a single ranger often draw as many as 250 followers during the peak season, said Debbie Ketel, publications manager for the Mount Rushmore Historical Society. The goal was to not only memorialize the four presidents on the mountain and talk about creating the sculpture, but to widen the scope of interpretation and education to include the natural and cultural resources of the area, said Judy Olson, the monument's chief of interpretation. For $5, visitors can rent an audio wand and embark on the 29-station walking tour in English, Spanish, German or Lakota. Olson said Rushmore visitors often ask about Indian views of the monument and the Black Hills, and the audio tour gives rangers another tool to share that side of the story. "It's one story we had never really told, so I think people are overwhelmingly positive about the whole thing," Olson said. Baker acknowledges that not everyone will understand what's being said in the Lakota translation ? as a Mandan-Hidatsa even he doesn't ? but he expects people will listen out of curiosity. "Lakota's a beautiful language," he said. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Sun Sep 24 21:46:31 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Sun, 24 Sep 2006 14:46:31 -0700 Subject: 12 native Peruvian languages in danger of disappearing (fwd) Message-ID: 24 September, 2006 [ 13:33 ] 12 native Peruvian languages in danger of disappearing http://www.livinginperu.com/news/2492 (LIP-wb) -- During the last decades 30 of the 100 existing native languages in Peru are extinct and today 12 more are in danger of disappearing, warned James Roberts, director of Peru's Summer Institute of Linguistics. ?The decrease in native Peruvian languages is mainly due to the influence society has on the various ethnic groups living in rural areas and the fact that the population within each group is getting smaller?, Roberts said. In ethnic groups with a population less than one thousand people, only the parents speak the native language because the children learn Spanish. ?If authorities and parents continue to send their children down this educational path, it is likely that their linguistic identity will be lost after one or two generations?, he warned. In addition to Quechua and Aymara, the common indigenous languages spoken mainly in the Peruvian Andes (departments of Cusco, Ancash, and Ayacucho), there are several other languages spoken in Peru's Amazon rain forest. Some non-quechua languages that could soon be extinct are Sharanahua, Yaninahua, Kashinahua, and Kapanahua in the department of Ucayali, as well as Orej?n, Sequoia and Arabela spoken in Loreto. 45 percent of Peru's population is indigenous and 25 percent speaks a maternal language other than Spanish. Currently the Summer Institute of Linguistics is advising Peru's "National Program of Alphabetization", and initiative recently launched by the Ministry for Education. (Source: La Republica) - for a language map of Northern Peru click here - for Southern Peru click here ------------------------------------------- for more information please visit: Ethnologue.com From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Wed Sep 27 16:28:02 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 09:28:02 -0700 Subject: Bad in Any Language (fwd) Message-ID: Bad in Any Language H.R. 4766 needs to be blocked. By Jim Boulet Jr. http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZjBkYzBjM2RmMGMzOTI3ZDgxZDRhMGYxZGUyMWI3ZTk= H.R. 4766, the ?Native American Languages Preservation Act,? is scheduled to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives under a suspension of the rules as early as today. This expedited procedure is generally reserved for legislation naming federal buildings, honoring champion sports teams, and other such uncontroversial items. The purpose of the bill is to fund the teaching of Native American languages. The original version of H.R. 4766, introduced by Republican Heather Wilson of New Mexico on February 15, has been somewhat toned down by Education Committee staff for its presentation on the House floor. Unfortunately, the revisions are mostly cosmetic. If the aim is to learn a language, both the private and the public sector use the proven immersion method. All you hear is the new language. All you speak is the new language. Fluency soon follows. For bilingual advocates, learning English is at best a secondary goal ? something made all too clear by H.R. 4766. This disordering of priorities does a great disservice to the students who need to learn English. Bilingual-education advocates apply the immersion approach to the wrong language. The best way to teach English, they claim, is to have students sit in a classroom hearing and speaking nothing but the non-English language of their ancestors. As a result, ?graduates? of bilingual-education programs remain mystified by English. H.R. 4766 specifically applies the bilingual-education approach to children aged seven or younger. These kids are to be immersed in a Native American language for ?an average? of 500 hours per year per student. Five hundred hours is a goodly chunk of the average September through May school year (40 weeks times 30 hours of instruction per week equals 1,200 hours). For this reason alone, Section 2 of the revised bill is aptly entitled, ?Expansion of Program to Ensure the Survival and Continuing Vitality of Native American Languages.? At a time in life when children of Limited English Proficient parents need to hear the most English in order to develop fluency, H.R. 4766 seeks to ensure they will hear far less. H.R. 4766 utterly fails to mention the word ?English.? What it does require is that grant recipients ?work toward the goal of all students achieving fluency in a Native American language and academic proficiency in mathematics, reading (or language arts) and science.? Legislative silence of this sort invites suspicion. Advocates of H.R. 4766 are apparently unaware of how difficult it is to learn to read an unwritten language. Many Native American languages remain unwritten, yet this legislation urges government grants for ?the development of Native American language materials, such as books.? This is not as stupefying as it may appear to be. Bilingual-education advocates deem nothing impossible; a solution can always be found ? and funded by taxpayers. The Carter administration?s Office of Civil Rights (OCR) in the then-new Department of Education ordered an Alaska school district to give Eskimo children bilingual-reading instruction, despite the undisputed fact that no written version of the children?s language existed. OCR?s solution? The school district was required to pay for the creation of a written language for these children and then teach them to read it. (This stunning exhibition of mindless bureaucracy is recounted in the Fall, 1986 Journal of Law and Education article, ?The Social Science Evidence on Bilingual Education,? by Christine H. Rossell and J. Michael Ross.) The issue of Alaskan native-language instruction leads to another curious aspect of the revised version of H.R. 4766: neither the term ?Native American? nor ?Native American Languages? is legally defined anywhere amidst seven pages of text devoted to various minutiae (e.g., ?Native American language and culture camps?; a ?master-apprentice model of learning languages? and ?interactive media?). By contrast, the earlier version of H.R. 4766 was not nearly so coy. It contained specific definitions of both ?Native American? (?The term ?Native American? means ? (A) an Indian; (B) a Native American Pacific Islander, (C) a Native Hawaiian; and (D) an Alaska Native?) as well as ?Native American Language? (?The term ?Native American language? means a historical, traditional language spoken by Native Americans?). Both House and Senate Republicans have demonstrated their disinterest in creating still more special treatment for Native Hawaiians, in thanks largely to both National Review and now-House Majority Leader John Boehner. Accordingly, stealth is now necessary. A review of the existing definitions section of current law, referenced on page six of the ?sanitized? version of H.R. 4766, finds all the needed terms already in place: ?Native Hawaiians? (42 U.S.C. 2992 (c) (3)), ?Alaskan Native villages,? and ?Native American Pacific Islander.? Should H.R. 4766 ever be signed into law, Department of Education bureaucrats can simply say that since Congress did not amend these preexisting categories, Congress must have intended to fund native language instruction programs for every single one of them. Earmarks by Senators Stevens (R., Ala.) and Akaka (D., Hawaii) can be relied upon to fill in any gaps. ? Jim Boulet Jr. is Executive Director of English First. From nflrc at HAWAII.EDU Wed Sep 27 21:31:27 2006 From: nflrc at HAWAII.EDU (National Foreign Language Resource Center) Date: Wed, 27 Sep 2006 11:31:27 -1000 Subject: AAAL2007: EXTENDED DEADLINE: Friday, September 29, 2006 (fwd) Message-ID: ********** *American Association of Applied Linguistics* *Costa Mesa**, CA**, April 21-24, 2007* *CALL FOR PROPOSALS * *EXTENDED DEADLINE: September 29, 2006 * *Visit the AAAL2007 website to submit a proposal: http://www.aaal.org/aaal2007/index.htm* Due to the technical difficulties with our web-based submission process, we are extending the submission period for AAAL 2007 through the end of this week. The extended deadline is Friday, September 29, 2006. In addition, we ask anyone who submitted a proposal but who did not receive a confirmation to check their proposal on the website. We apologize for the inconvenience, but we look forward to your submissions. Kathleen Bardovi-Harlig Conference Chair AAAL 2007 From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 29 02:21:29 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2006 19:21:29 -0700 Subject: Language Bill Message-ID: I am happy to report that it passed last night at 8:30 p.m. Hooray. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- STATEMENT of Congressman Rick Renzi The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act September 27, 2006 Thank you Mr. Speaker. I would like to thank Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Miller for the opportunity to speak on this important piece of legislation. I also want to thank my colleague, Congresswoman Heather Wilson, for her leadership on this important issue. This bill amends the Native American Programs Act to allow the Administration for Native Americans under the Dept. of Health and Human Services to award grants to strengthen Native American language immersion programs. This measure is vital to preserving the diminishing Native languages in tribes across the nation, including many in my district. As an original cosponsor on this measure, I am thankful for the bipartisan effort to preserve the languages of those people who hold the original history of our country. In my own district, the Navajo people have a very successful language immersion program. In 2001, the Navajo Language Immersion School at the Window Rock Unified School District was established by Dr. Deborah Dennison. At the first grade level, students are instructed in the Navajo Language 90% of the time, and the remaining 10% of their lessons are in English. With each year, these Navajo students are immersed in English more and more until there is an equal balance of language instruction. The students in this successful program cover academic content areas in both Navajo and English and the results have been astounding. These students perform better on the standardized tests than students in "regular classrooms. Moreover, since it was established, the Navajo Language Immersion School has consistently met No Child Left Behind?s designation of "Annual Yearly Progress" and they have also met "Arizona Learns" standards. I hope this kind of excellence in learning and education can be duplicated throughout Indian Country. While some may worry that this program would decrease the importance of the English language in the United States, we must remember the contributions that Native Americans who speak their Native language have made to our country. During World Wars I and II, Native American languages, including the Navajo language, played a vital role in protecting our nation. Navajo people and other Native Americans were employed as "Code Talkers" during the wars, and implemented a code that our enemies could not break. Thus it was through their language that we overcame our enemies. U.S. English, an organization dedicated to promoting English as the official language of the United States, has stated that, " official English legislation proposed by U.S.ENGLISH does not prevent the use of Native American languages ... In education, U.S.ENGLISH supports the right of tribal governments and autonomous Native American communities to make their native languages the primary language of instruction in their schools." Therefore, it is paramount that we pass this legislation. As it helps us protect not only an essential part of Native American history but also helps us safeguard a larger part of United States character and culture for future generations to learn their Native language. A wise friend once shared with me that "To take away a people?s language is to begin to conquer them." Let us join together to support and preserve the first American?s Native languages. From andrekar at NCIDC.ORG Fri Sep 29 16:12:35 2006 From: andrekar at NCIDC.ORG (Andre Cramblit) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 09:12:35 -0700 Subject: New language law In-Reply-To: Message-ID: It is the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act (HR 4766). It now has to be approved by teh Senate so work is still needed to get this Bill Enacted into Law House approves Esther Martinez native language bill -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: esther_martinez.gif Type: image/gif Size: 17194 bytes Desc: not available URL: -------------- next part -------------- Esther Martinez Last Update: 09/28/2006 10:12:50 AM By: Associated Press ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - The US House has approved legislation that would establish grants for governments, colleges and other Indian language educational organizations that work to preserve native cultures and language. The Esther Martinez Native Languages Preservation Act is named after a Tewa storyteller and linguist who died this month after returning from an awards ceremony at the National Endowment for the Arts. Republican Representative Heather Wilson of New Mexico is sponsoring the measure. Her office says the bill passed Wednesday on a voice vote. Wilson says native languages were precious to Martinez and the bill is designed to help preserve them. The bill authorizes competitive grants through the US Department of Health and Human Services to establish native language programs for students under the age of seven and their families. It also increases support for language immersion programs to create fluent speakers. ADDITIONAL INFO: PLEASE CROSS POST AND FORWARD!!! National Indian Education Association 110 Maryland Avenue, N.E. Suite 104 Washington, D.C. 20002 P: (202) 544-7290 / F: (202) 544-7293 September 22, 2006 Broadcast #06-056 The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006, H.R. 4766 will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th which means that the House will vote on the bill next week. This bill will create grant programs under the Department of Health and Human Services for Native language survival schools, Native language nests, and Native language restoration programs. Representative Heather Wilson, (R-NM) introduced this legislation during NIEA?s Legislative Summit and has been working very closely with NIEA and Indian Country to turn the bill into law. Most recently, the House Education and Workforce Committee held field hearing on the bill in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Co-sponsors of H.R. 4766 include Representatives Rick Renzi (R-AZ), Tom Udall (D-NM), Steve Pearce (R-NM), and Mark Udall (D-CO). NIEA is requesting that all tribes, tribal Education departments, and schools express their support for this bill that will provide critical support for our languages. A sample letter is attached to send to your congressional delegation in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. We have a short time frame (by Monday) to get these letters into your congressional delegation and leadership on the House Education and Workforce Committee and Senate Committee on Indian Affairs. The attached letters are addressed to the House Education and Workforce Committee and the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, but can be tailored to your individual Congressional members. PLEASE have your tribes, tribal education departments, and schools send in the letters to your congressional representatives TODAY and MONDAY. We do not have time to lose! If you have any questions- please feel free to contact NIEA at (202)544-7290. Please send the letters to your congressional representatives and the four fax #?s below. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs fax #?s (202) 224-5429 (Majority) and (202)228-2589 (Minority) House Education and Workforce Committee fax #?s (202)225-9571 (Majority), and (202)226-4864 (Minority) Please send a copy to the National Indian Education Association fax # (202) 544-7293 Cut and paste the following text. SAMPLE LETTER TO THE HOUSE September __, 2006 The Honorable Howard "Buck" McKeon Chairman Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 The Honorable George Miller Ranking Member Education and the Workforce Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2181 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 Dear Chairman McKeon and Ranking Member Miller: On behalf of ___________, I support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. We urge the House to pass this critical legislation. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900?s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, SAMPLE LETTER TO THE SENATE September __, 2006 The Honorable John McCain Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Byron Dorgan Vice Chairman Indian Affairs Committee U.S. Senate Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman McCain and Vice Chairman Dorgan: On behalf of ___________, I strongly support H.R. 4766, the Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act of 2006. I understand that this bill will be on the suspension calendar in the House of Representatives the week of September 25th. This bill will likely pass the House, and we urge the Senate to pass the House bill by unanimous consent. There is a crisis loss of Native languages across the country. It is estimated that only twenty indigenous languages will remain viable by the year 2050. Our Native languages are not spoken anywhere else in the world; and, if they are not preserved, they will disappear forever. Given the rapid pace of deterioration of Native languages, it is a race against the clock to save Native languages. The key to stemming the loss of Native languages is by significantly increasing support for Native American language immersion programs. It is well proven that language immersion programs are one of the few effective ways to create fluent speakers in Native languages. Further, data shows that Native students who participate in an immersion program attain higher academic success compared to their Native peers who do not participate in these programs. The United States should do all that it can to preserve Native American languages as these languages played a vital role in protecting our country during World Wars I and II. Also, as a result of federal assimilationist policies in the early and mid-1900?s, many Native people stopped speaking their Native languages because they were forced to attend Bureau of Indian Affairs boarding schools that harshly forbid the speaking of Native languages. Currently, under existing law, the Administration for Native Americans, Health and Human Services, administers a Native American languages revitalization grant program under the Native American Programs Act of 1974. H.R. 4766 would provide for expanded uses under the current grant program to allow for Native American language immersion grants. The language immersion grants would assist Native communities as they work to revitalize and protect their languages for generations to come. We appreciate your efforts to help us save our Native American languages and look forward to working with you to ensure that this legislation is enacted into law. Sincerely, ---------------------------------------------------- On Sep 29, 2006, at 5:56 AM, Peter Suzuki wrote: Dear Andre Crambit, In the Indigenous News Digest, there is an item about a new language law. Would you please provide more details or provide a reference for more detials. Thank you. Peter T. Suzuki, Ph.D. School of Public Administation Univ. of Neb. at Omaha new email: psuzuki at mail.unomaha.edu Thanks for keeping me posted with the Indigenous News Digest From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 17:43:45 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:43:45 -0700 Subject: Oneida's latest venture is animation productions (fwd) Message-ID: Oneida's latest venture is animation productions Posted: September 27, 2006 by: The Associated Press By William Kates -- Associated Press http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096413730 VERNON, N.Y. (AP) - The Oneida Indian Nation of New York is using 21st century computer technology to preserve the ancient oral stories of its past. The nation started its own video production company in 2003 and now after several successful ventures, Four Directions Productions is embarking on a project to turn some of the tribe's historic tales into animated video stories. ''We are bringing Oneida legends to life,'' said Dale Rood, a member of the OIN Men's Council who serves as the company's executive liaison and studio operations director. ''We want to do more than just entertain the next generation. We want to teach them - and others - about the Oneida culture,'' said Rood, as he watched lead animator Shaun Foster add a special effects sequence to ''Raccoon and Crawfish,'' which will be the company's first animated short feature. ''And maybe even most important, it's another way to tell the story of the American Indian from the Indian perspective,'' he said. Four Directions Productions expects to release ''Raccoon and Crawfish'' in February, said Foster. Running from seven to 10 minutes, it is taken from an Oneida fable intended to illustrate the dangers of lying. In the story, the raccoon feigns death to catch some crawfish to eat. One crawfish falls for the raccoon's trick but tells the other crawfish in his colony that he has heroically killed the raccoon. When all the crawfish come to look at the dead raccoon for themselves, the raccoon springs his trap and eats all the crawfish. ''We're just a small beginning studio but we are aiming for Pixar-type quality,'' said Foster, a reference to the animation production company that made ''Monsters Inc.,'' ''A Bug's Life'' and ''Toy Story.'' The idea is to produce a half-dozen or so similar animated stories and put them together on a DVD for sale and distribution. Rood sees such a DVD as a perfect fit for grade school classes studying American Indian history. ''This is our Native folklore told in a way that no book can represent,'' Rood said. Four Directions Productions has 10 employees, including four animators. The production company is one of five units of Four Directions Media, one of the diversified business groups the Oneidas have put together using profits from the nearby Turning Stone Resort and Casino. The Oneidas, who employ about 5,000 people, also run a string of gas station/convenience stores, a deep-discount retail store and an electronic games manufacturing plant among their enterprises. Four Directions Productions was formed three years ago to produce a one-hour documentary, ''The World of American Indian Dance,'' that aired on NBC. It was the first production to air on network television to be created, funded, directed, produced by and to star American Indians. While most of Four Directions Productions' past work has focused on in-house projects for the casino and the tribe's other businesses, the company has branched out with commercial success. Among the production company's initial projects were a three-minute film featuring Maria Tallchief, Osage, who was a prima ballerina; and two short public service announcements to promote the Institute of American Indian Arts. The 30- and 15-second spots featured actor Graham Greene, an Oneida from Canada who appeared in ''Dances with Wolves,'' and in television roles on ''Northern Exposure'' and ''Red Green.'' The company's first non-Indian contract was with Ferris Industries for a promotional video. It also has produced a television commercial for Turning Stone that aired on the YES network in New York City. Currently, production is done in a converted two-story house located about 10 miles from the tribe's casino. While stocked with cutting-edge equipment, Rood said the company will soon need a newer facility with larger, more sophisticated studios. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 17:55:54 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 10:55:54 -0700 Subject: Native languages bill moves closer to House vote (fwd) Message-ID: Native languages bill moves closer to House vote Posted: September 29, 2006 by: Jerry Reynolds / Indian Country Today http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?feature=yes&id=1096413745 WASHINGTON - A bill that would provide Department of Education funding for Native language immersion schools passed the House of Representatives late Sept. 27. It will now go to the Senate. The Esther Martinez Native American Languages Preservation Act, H.R. 4766 in the House, was placed on the ''suspension calendar'' in hopes it would get to the floor of the House for a vote before lawmakers take their pre-election recess. Sponsored by Rep. Heather Wilson, R-N.M., and pushed by the National Indian Education Association among others, the bill has been renamed to honor Martinez, a lifelong champion of the Tewa tongue before her recent death in a car accident. The Ohkey Owingeh (formerly San Juan Pueblo) elder was returning to New Mexico from an honoring ceremony in Washington, in recognition of her linguistic efforts, when her car was hit by an allegedly drunken driver. The bill and its subject matter had gained momentum in Congress recently, but it was not expected to reach the floor following a field hearing in Albuquerque, N.M., Aug. 31. ''What we've done is expand the vocabulary in Congress as it pertains to Native language immersion,'' said Ryan Wilson, executive director of the NIEA, of the bill's progress. Support for the bill is based on scientific arguments that make two points, he said. One is that the education of Indians in America simply isn't working right now. Successful Indian students aren't a rarity, ''but they're more anomalous than they are the norm.'' The second scientific basis for the bill is that research is now emerging, especially from Native Hawaii, to demonstrate that immersion schooling in a heritage language creates an attachment to school and learning that is not now commonly found at Indian schools. The research suggests that Native language immersion schooling creates a sense of ownership in a school and a say in individual destiny, Wilson said, that ultimately leads students to love their learning, cherish their teachers and value their days. These feelings underpin later academic achievement, nostalgia for school days and alumni support. ''What the immersion school does is create a kinship system, a community within the community. When you walk through those hallways, you feel that.'' Native language immersion learning is not meant to displace English as an everyday language. But Native students have not historically had a chance to learn Native languages in an academic setting, Wilson said, and that loss is connected to academic performance. Immersion learning of heritage languages should be instituted at every level for Native students, he added. ''What we need to do is create seamless learning venues'' - from Head Start to kindergarten through elementary school, high school and college. Indians want Indian children to be the most educated students in the nation, Wilson said. ''But it'll never happen under the exclusive dominance of English.'' From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 18:05:46 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 11:05:46 -0700 Subject: Microsoft to roll out Inuktitut software upgrades (fwd) Message-ID: Microsoft to roll out Inuktitut software upgrades ?It had never been done before. It?s ground zero? JOHN THOMPSON http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/60929_05.html [CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE - A free ?language pack? that should be available in a month will give Microsoft Office applications, such as the email program Outlook, shown above, an Inuktitut facelift for almost every pull-down menu and pop-up prompt. The translation work was done by Iqaluit?s Pirurvik Centre, a language and culture consultancy ran by Gavin Nesbitt and Leena Evic. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PIRURVIK CENTRE)] Firing off emails, writing memos and doing other tasks on the computer in Inuktitut is about to become much easier, thanks to free software upgrade coming soon for Microsoft Windows and the MS Office suite of software. The Inuktitut ?language packs? will only offer roman orthography, so Inuit accustomed to reading syllabics will need to wait for a forthcoming project, and the upcoming edition of Windows Vista, to be released in early 2007. Still, the launch of the upgrades for Windows XP and Office 2003, expected to happen in about a month, marks a big milestone for Inuktitut computing, says Gavin Nesbitt of Iqaluit?s Pirurvik Centre, a language and culture consultancy contracted by Microsoft to translate the two programs into Inuktitut. Nesbitt, who coordinated the project over the last year and a half, with the help of a dozen translators, said he has high hopes the release will bring Inuktitut one step closer towards being the language of government in Nunavut, as well as encouraging its use in schools. ?This could be an extremely powerful thing,? he said during an interview last Tuesday. Nesbitt describes the language packs as like a new skin wrapped around the existing Windows and Office programs, giving them new Inuktitut faces for almost every pull-down menu and pop-up prompt. Work began in the summer of 2004, with workshops held with computer users, elders and language authorities. That produced 2,000 Inuktitut computing terms. Then, from January until June of 2005, came the translation of MS Office. That project was the most time-consuming because of a steep learning curve involved, and the complex menus in each application, which all needed to be translated consistently, said Nesbitt. ?It had never been done before. It?s ground zero,? said Nesbitt. Most recently, they worked on Windows XP from January until June this year. Any future translations, such as plans for an Inuktitut syllabics language pack for the future version of Windows and Office, will be much easier, Nesbitt said, now the groundwork has been laid, because much of the existing vocabulary can be recycled. ?The words are there,? he said. ?It?s just a matter of converting them to syllabics, and editing and proofing it.? The real test will come when government workers begin using the language packs. ?You can have all the workshops in the world, but if people don?t use the words, it?s kind of useless.? The Government of Nunavut is testing the language packs before it?s widely installed on government computers, with the goal of a big roll-out sometime before the end of this fiscal year, said Stephane Cloutier, director of official languages in the department of Culture, Language, Elders and Youth. Glossaries of the new computing terms will be prepared to help government workers adjust to the changes, Cloutier said. However, Nesbitt said Inuktitut-speaking computer users may in fact have an easier time understanding their new words than English speaking users do with their native computer jargon. Meanwhile, some Inuktitut translations in Windows XP are already available, with an Inuktitut ?locale? available on updated versions of the operating system. Turn that option on, and parts of Windows, such as the days of the week, will appear in Inuktitut. This all means that Inuktitut computing has taken big strides over the last five years, Nesbitt said. Nesbitt credits the hard work done by the translators, who include Leena Evic, Jeela Palluq, Eva Aariak, Naimee Kilabuk-Bourassa, Kataisee Attagutsiak, Mark Kalluak, Ooleepika Ikkidluak, Aaju Peter, Meeka Arnakaq, Mary Arnakaq, Naullaq Arnaquq and Okalik Eegeesiak. ?They really put their heart and soul in it,? Nesbitt said. Other than the Inuktitut translation project, the Pirurvik Centre is also sharing what they learned developing tools to support Inuktitut on the computer with a Guatemalan group called Enlace Quich?, who had begun their own work to preserve their Mayan indigenous language, K?iche, which has over one million speakers in Central America. Recently the Pirurvik Centre received funding through an arm of the United Nations to help Enlace Quich? develop literacy tools, to teach rural farmers how to read with the help of computers. And during the summer a representative from Enlace Quich? visited Toronto and Ottawa to learn first-hand how to develop these language tools. ?I think everybody?s on board to make this happen,? Nesbitt said. From cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU Fri Sep 29 20:55:36 2006 From: cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU (phil cash cash) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 13:55:36 -0700 Subject: email client software Message-ID: ILAT, I am wanting get some recommendations on the best email client freeware that is compatable with Unicode or other multilingual needs for indigenous language communities. Also, what "webmail" clients (Yahoo, Gmail, MSN, etc.) are good or not so good to use. I have recently switched from Outlook to using Mozilla Thunderbird email software and it seems to be good for basic multilingual email-ing tasks. Anyway, let us know what you think. l8ter, Phil Cash Cash ILAT list mg From charles.riley at YALE.EDU Fri Sep 29 22:49:49 2006 From: charles.riley at YALE.EDU (Charles RIley) Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 18:49:49 -0400 Subject: email client software In-Reply-To: <20060929135536.gyxqklc4gk08wgg8@www.email.arizona.edu> Message-ID: Hi Phil; Personally, I've found Gmail to work the best out of the ones I've tried so far; Yahoo and Hotmail seem to be more limited in the kinds of encoding they'll transmit & receive, although it might be possible to improve the performance on these by adjusting browser and/or locale settings manually. Gmail picks the encodings automatically, which in some cases might not be desirable, but for most purposes delivers a better result. For e-mailing in Unicode generally, there are some methods of transfer encoding that software developers would ideally be aware of (base64, quoted-printable, uu, 8BITMIME, etc.) There's also a suite of tools developed by Richard Ishida at the W3C that I've found to be really helpful when it comes to multilingual input, without having to install a keyboard or change locale settings. They're not perfect, but it's a nice model to follow: http://people.w3.org/rishida/scripts/pickers/ Charles Riley Quoting phil cash cash : > ILAT, > > I am wanting get some recommendations on the best email client freeware > that is compatable with Unicode or other multilingual needs for > indigenous language communities. Also, what "webmail" clients (Yahoo, > Gmail, MSN, etc.) are good or not so good to use. > > I have recently switched from Outlook to using Mozilla Thunderbird email > software and it seems to be good for basic multilingual email-ing tasks. > > Anyway, let us know what you think. > > l8ter, > > Phil Cash Cash > ILAT list mg > From lang.support at GMAIL.COM Sat Sep 30 07:37:28 2006 From: lang.support at GMAIL.COM (Andrew Cunningham) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 17:37:28 +1000 Subject: email client software In-Reply-To: <20060929184949.4nd5aoxw5ts048sc@www.mail.yale.edu> Message-ID: Hi Phil 1) I tend to prefer Thunderbird for multilingual email. 2) For web email, I prefer Gmail in conjunction with Firefox and the Stylish extension. Gmail is UTF-8 based so is good for mutilingual emails, but for some languages I prefer to override the fonts Gmail uses to display text. Thats where the Stylish extension comes in. I use it to create domain specific CSS rules that I can turn on or off as needed. Andrew -- Andrew Cunningham Language IT support Dinka Language Institute Australia From jimc at MULTCOLIB.ORG Sat Sep 30 23:24:28 2006 From: jimc at MULTCOLIB.ORG (CARMIN Jim) Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 16:24:28 -0700 Subject: Ofelia Zepeda in Portland OR, October 13 Message-ID: The Natural Way, Indigenous Voices, a program of Earth & Spirit Council, invites you to a special presentation (see below) by MacArthur award winning poet and linguist Ofelia Zepeda on October 13th at 7pm at the Native American Student and Community Center on the campus of Portland State University (SW Broadway and Jackson, Portland OR). Cost is $10-$20 sliding scale. O'odham Poems as Stories of a People Ofelia Zepeda is a poet and former director of the American Indian Studies Program at the University of Arizona. She was born and raised near the Tohono O'odham (Papago) and Akimel O'odham (Pima) reservations of Arizona and received her B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. from the University of Arizona. She is currently a professor of linguistics there and is considered the foremost authority in Tohono O'odham language and literature. In 1999, she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her work as a linguist, poet, editor, and community leader devoted to maintaining and preserving Native American languages and to revitalizing tribal communities and cultures. Co-sponsored by Ecotrust and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. More information at http://www.earthandspirit.org/NaturalWay/ofeliaZepeda.html Jim Carmin John Wilson Special Collections Librarian Multnomah County Library 801 SW 10th Avenue Portland, OR 97205 jimc at multcolib.org phone: 503-988-6287 fax: 503-988-5226