[Lexicog] how to make a new Wiktionary? and a bat

[yahganlang]

--- In lexicographylist at yahoogroups.com, Sabine Cretella
<sabine_cretella at y...> wrote:

> Well instead of creating a separate wiktionary that needs quite a
lot of 
> work on the UI and maintaining the wiki (cleaning up etc. - well it 
> would be a lot to describe here) your time would be better invested by 
> adding translations to an existing wiktionary (en.wiktionary.org, 
> it.wiktionary.org or any other) or the future Ultimate Wiktionary.

The best languages here would be Spanish and English, the former
especially as that is the native language of the remainder of the
Yahgan community.
 
> It would be very important to have terminology lists, texts etc. in
that 
> language to keep it alive. Also recordings.

For the past several years I've been compiling, analyzing,
consolidating, and reworking existing materials in the language. I'm
just now almost done scanning everything digitally for online Yahgan
pages to go up at Dartmouth (assuming they still remember me!). This
includes three New Testament texts, dictionaries, wordlists, and voice
recordings. Permissions are still pending or on request for a number
of pieces.
 
> Another important step to preserve this language would be the creation 
> of a book containing the grammatical rules and if possible also 
> exercises - so people can learn the language.

Two years ago I found the only known long (150pp) grammar manuscript
of the language mouldering at the US Library of Congress- nobody knew
it was there, and its never been cited. This and the other shorter
published grammatical treatments, plus my own good number of
grammatical findings can form the basis for new teaching materials.

>Recordings of longer texts 
> and not only single words are also very important since it is the only 
> way to really be sure how to pronounce things. Ipa and Sampa are 
> somewhat approximative and you will not be able to exclude the 
> non-native accent of people who learn to speak following these codings.

There are enough sound recordings and analyses to get a good idea of
pronunciation, though work is still needed in intonation especially as
used pragmatically.
 
> What you would need is a group of people who want to maintain this 
> language alive and who are willing to invest some time:
> 1) the only native speaker
> 2) people who are willing to invest time to transcribe even hand 
> writings and make them available online
> 3) people who are willing to invest time to create word lists that can 
> then be used as spell checkers
> 4) people who are willing to learn that language

There is an interest group already in existence- we use Yahoo Groups
as well (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waata_chis). It has been nearly
impossible to get money for fieldwork, though I keep hoping. The
Yahgan community itself is interested in keeping the language alive,
but as is the case in many places they lack the requisite training,
resources, and especially time to make it easy.
 
> The contents you create is only as valid as its availability. You can 
> use wiktionary to add terminology, wikibooks to create a course book, 
> commons to upload soundfiles and scanned images (also the text to be 
> transcribed), wikisource to put at disposal free texts.

I'm looking forward to hearing more about this.


> 
> I would very much like to see your material included into Ultimate 
> Wiktionary as soon as it is online since this will give really great 
> exposure to that language and you will not need to do the admin work of 
> a separate wiktionary being able to do things simply there and
therefore 
> investing your time in a better way.

Any idea of the time frame for this to come online? Thanks again!

Jess Tauber






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