Book Review

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Forwarded from LINGUIST List 14.2161
Wed Aug 13 2003

Fighting Language Endangerment: Community Directed Research on
Sm'algyax (Coast Tsimshian)

Publication Year: 2003
Publisher: The Endangered Languages of the Pacific Rim Project

Author: Tonya  Stebbins

Paperback: ISBN: 1346082X, Pages: xvii + 296 p, Price: $10.00

Abstract:

This book presents a new approach to the documentation of endangered
languages, based on the development of materials for Sm'algyax, the
endangered language of the Tsimshian Nation, Northwest British Columbia.
It deals with issues of particular concern in endangered languages taking
the development of the Sm'algyax Learners' Dictionary as a case study. The
book describes the community directed approach taken during the dictionary
project; identifying strengths and challenges associated with this method.
It involves a symbiotic relationship between descriptive, pedagogical and
sociolinguistic areas of research, ensuring the preparation of
user-friendly materials. As the history of the Tsimshian Nation is closely
tied up with the vitality of the language, sociolinguistic factors
important to understanding the state of the language today are identified
and the typology of the language is described. A number of language
planning problems that become particularly acute when working with
communities of endangered languages are discussed in depth here. The
discussion provides examples specifically relating to Sm'algyax, though
the methodologies developed here could be used in similar situations
elsewhere. They include: orthography development; dictionary design; and
the management of lexical expansion.

Contents:

Part One: Community directed language documentation. 1: Responding
effectively to language endangerment. Part Two: Sm'algyax: the language of
the Tsimshian Nation. 2: History of Sm'algyax and the Tsimshian Nation. 3:
Sm'algyax Today. 4: Introduction to Sm'algyax Grammar. Part Three:
Community directed language documentation in practice. 5: Dictionary
Design for the Sm'algyax Learners' Dictionary. 6: Lexical expansion in
Sm'algyax. 7: Representing Sm'algyax words through English. 8: Polysemy
and homonymy in the Sm'algyax Learners' Dictionary. 9: Spelling in
Sm'algyax. 10: Variation in Sm'algyax. Part Four: Reflections on the
community directed approach. 11: Community directed language work:
requirements and outcomes. References

Because this text was published by the Endangered Languages of the Pacific
Rim Project in Japan, with funding from the Japanese government, it is not
available for commercial sale. Instead, copies are available from the
author. For more information email t.stebbins at latrobe.edu.au. To obtain a
copy send a cheque for US $10 (to cover return postage by airmail) to:

Dr. Tonya Stebbins
Research Centre for Linguistic Typology
La Trobe University
Victoria 3086
AUSTRALIA


     See this book announcement on our website:
     http://linguistlist.org/get-book.html?BookID=6911