F.Y.I. Re: Pawnee Language Program

[ROOD DAVID S]

This is such an incredible leap backwards, completely without any
justification from language learning research, that I want to cry.  If
the "old Pawnee spelling" is accurately reproduced here, in the
three sample words, there are examples of one letter for two different
sounds, two spellings for the same sound, simplification of consonant
clusters in the direction of English, and writing that totally obscures
morpheme boundaries.  No one can possibly use this consistently (cf. new
spelling -tiks and piks for what is a long vowel in the first word but
short in the second, while the same short vowel is written "ee" in the
open syllable of ksi).  I hope for the sake of the children that they will
concentrate on getting them to speak and forget about writing, if this is
how they plan to write.


David S. Rood
Dept. of Linguistics
Univ. of Colorado
295 UCB
Boulder, CO 80309-0295
USA
rood at colorado.edu

On Tue, 30 May 2006 goodtracks at peoplepc.com wrote:

> Excerpts below are from the "Chaticks si Chaticks"  XV:1, pp. 8-9, Pawnee Nation Language Deptartment:
>
> No wa (Hello)  ]ik stit ku <us pu <ee? (How are you?).  The Pawnee
> Nation Language Department enters 2006 with a great sense of purpose.
> Due to the recent opening of Oo ka sa Child Learning Center, we realize
> the revitalization of our language is within our grasp.  By the Fall of
> 2007 we expect to hear the voices of our young speaking the Pawnee
> language throughout our community. Our next step is to allow our Pawnee
> Language to find a comfortable place within the midst of our community.
> We have began a banner and sign project which we hope to develop around
> the entire community.  Our first vinyl banner is located in the gym (of
> the local high school) and reads, "koo <ooks ka teet <a kook u <u ha <a
> "Black Bear Pride." ...we are implementing a new writing style.  For
> many decades writing styles have been introduced to our community that
> are not easily understood by our local population.  ...we need to
> develop a writing system tht is easily understood by the community and
> helps in the language (Pawnee & English) development of our children.
> ...  We have adopted a mixed syllabery and phonetic writing system that
> is a common sense approach to our languge and which becomes our very
> own. NEW WRITING SYSTEM EXAMPLES There are two new symbols in the
> writing system.  "<" is equal to the old "r", which was supposed to
> sound like a d, l, or (Spanish r) depending on the word.  "]" is equal
> to the old "ts" or "ch".  Neither of these sounds exist in English and
> that is why a syllabery for these two distinct Pawnee sounds has been
> developed. English Current Pawnee Writing New Pawnee Writing Two pitku
> pit koo Four kskitiiks skee tiks Eight taw iksapits <o wik sa pits
>
> This system will allow our children to advance in Pawnee and English
> compositon and prepare them for the public school system.
>
> Oo ka sa Child Learning Center ...provide quality curriculum and
> instruction for the three, four and five year olds.  ...  Four Oo ka sa
> teachers are currenly certified as Pawnee Language Teachers, Mastery
> Level One.  This corresponds to the Pari Pakuru textbook and CD one,
> lessons one through five.  This semester the teachers are taking Pawnee
> Cultural Studies, Pawnee Nation Academy.  (Pari Pakuru, Educational
> Research Associates, Albuquerque, NM.  1979. [Library of Congress
> catalog #79-63051].  Language Course Books, Audio Cassette kits and
> Teacher's Guide via Research & Cultural Studies Development Section,
> Institute of American Indian Arts, BIA, Santa Fe, NM).
>
> Pawnee Language After School Class (Grades K-7) This class meets at the
> Pawnee Elementary School on Tuesdays and Thursday...from 3:20pm to
> 4:30pm.  ...  We are currently working on learning handgame songs,
> Pawnee hymns and a lullabye to perform at the 4th Annual Native American
> Youth Language Fair to be held n March (2007)... University of Oklahoma
> (Norman).  There are lots of games and activities...to learn our colors,
> numbers, animals and conversaional phrases....
>
> Pawnee Nation Academy, American Indian Studies Department, Pawnee
> Language II ...provide Pawnee language at the college level for credit.
> ...  The focus is on learning conversational Pawnee such as greetings,
> responses, and useful everday phrases.  The main goal is to go beyond
> memorizing words and to start "thinking in Pawnee". Teacher Training
> Program The language program is currently in the planning, orgainizing
> and creation stage for a teacher training program that will be
> accredited by the Pawnee Nation, Northern Oklahoma College (at Tonkawa,
> OK), State Regents for Higher Education and the Oklahoma State
> Deptartment of Education.
>
> HUKASA TEACHER RECOGNITION Friday, March 3, 2006 The Hukasa Child
> Learning Center works...to train teachers who will asist...language to
> three to five year olds.  ...have been learning the Pawnee language
> since the end of August 2005. ...the teachers voluntarily gave up their
> lunch breadk three times a week while the kids were sleeping.  This
> initial phase of training took place from August until December 2005.
> ...  Learning the Pawnee language takes a good strong commitment as it
> is not an easy language to learn.
>
>
>
>
>