Looking for a young linguist interested in Yapese

[Mark Hale]

I certainly hope that someone takes up this kind and intelligent
offer, given the importance of Yapese for our understanding of
Austronesian, and its inherent linguistic interest. Unfortunately
I don't meet any of the criteria, being neither young nor having
access to a Yapese informant (Montreal is too cold to attract
sensible islanders). An expanded version of the dictionary would
be of immense interest and value.

Mark

On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 8:18 PM, Jensen, John T <j.jensen at auckland.ac.nz> wrote:
> I worked on the Yapese language from 1966 through 1984, both with informants
> and in Yap.  From 1984 to the present, I have been employed in computer
> support and have done no significant study of the language during that
> time.  I am now 68 years old, must continue to work in my computer job, have
> no informant available, and cannot expect to do any further linguistic
> research.
>
> I have two concerns in writing this.
>
> First, I have a significant body of data - a dictionary with definitions in
> Yapese as well as English, which adds considerably to the “Yapese-English
> Dictionary” which I, with the help of John Iou and Raphael Defeg, published
> in 1977, and a number of Yapese texts which were produced for use in the
> Yapese school system.
>
> Second, I am convinced that the phonological analysis, which I worked with
> during the years 1976-84 when I lived in Yap working for the Education
> Department, is flawed in important ways.
>
> I am seeking a young linguist who would be interested in continuing the
> Yapese work I began and left unfinished.  I would be happy to turn over to
> such a person my data, as well as to discuss the concerns I have about the
> Yapese phonology.  In order to make progress, the linguist would need to
> have access to a Yapese informant - ideally, in fact, the linguist would
> work in Yap itself.  The spelling of items in the database I have is
> unreliable, in part due to the very fact that the orthography used is based
> on an analysis of the sound system of the language that is over-specified.
> The Yapese writers were forced to make phonological decisions that did not
> match their intuitions.
>
> If you know of anyone who might be interested in this work, please contact
> me at my e-mail address:
>
> j.jensen at auckland.ac.nz
>
>
>
>
>
> John Thayer Jensen,
>
> System Administrator
>
> Digital Services
>
> The University of Auckland Business School
>
>
>
> Room 040, 12 Grafton Road
>
>
>
> voice: +64 9 373-7599 ext 87543
>
> DDI: +64 9 923-7543
>
> FAX: +64 9 373-7696
>
> mobile: +64 21 85-1904
>
> quickdial: 60001
>
>
>
> http://inquietumcor.blogspot.com
>
>
>
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>

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