intro and question about PhD topic possibilities

[Linda A Cumberland]

Hi Emily,

Glad to hear you're getting back in the game!  Still keeping your music
up, though, I hope.

Just to catch you up on what I've been doing since we got together, I
should finish the grammar of Assiniboine that I'm writing as my
dissertation by this summer.  I also have two postdoctoral proposals in
the works that, if one of them comes through, will have me translating and
glossing a large body of texts that Ray DeMallie and Doug Parks recorded
in the 1980s, plus some that I recorded during my fieldwork at CTK.  It's
proposed as a two year project.

The grammar should be a very fruitful resource for a variety of further
research topics.  My greatest frustration in writing it is that there is
so much more to work out than I can include in this first project.

I don't know how soon you have to make a decision on this, but by August I
should be able to send you a copy of the grammar - fair exchange,
certainly, for your having given me a copy of your thesis when I was just
starting out.

I hope you will decide to continue with Nakoda.  There are enough speakers
left, especially at CTK, to support fieldwork, and Herb Walker was hale
and hearty last time I saw him (and he is an excellent speaker).

Good luck and keep in touch,

Linda

On Tue, 26 Nov 2002 eschudel at sasktel.net wrote:

> Hi!
>
> I am writing this email for two reasons - one, to introduce myself to the
> list (finally - having been in lurkdom for a VERY long time), and two - to
> ask a question of the list.
>
> My name is Emily Schudel, and I know I have met some of you in the
> past at Siouan conferences (it's been awhile...).  I have just, in the past
> year, decided to resume my linguistic work (I completed my Masters in
> 1997 at the University of Regina - with a thesis on Nakoda) and just
> started my PhD studies at the University of Manitoba this fall.
>
> Now, for my question:  I am on the prowl for a good PhD dissertation
> topic and for a variety of reasons, I need to narrow down my topic fairly
> soon.  I am continuing to consider the idea of doing more fieldwork on
> Nakoda in Saskatchewan, but as this might not be possible (due to the
> lack of speakers), I was wondering if anyone out there knew of some
> "stuff" (i.e., texts, recordings, etc.) in Siouan (I am most interested in
> the Dakota/Lakota/Nakoda area, but am open to other suggestions)
> that needs to be worked on.  I had heard a rumour at one time about a
> collection of Nakoda texts floating around somewhere that needed to
> be transcribe, but that might just be a linguist's urban legend.
>
> So, basically:  one PhD student in linguistics looking to take on some
> lonely, but not yet forgotten, task in the Siouan area!  Any suggestions
> on where to look - and what really needs to be worked on - are greatly
> appreciated!
>
> Thanks everyone!
>
> Emily
>
>
>