Language Legacies Grant Recipients - 1990s
1999
1998
U. California, Santa Barbara
The Last Speakers of Northern Sierra Miwok
Of the ten or so speakers of Northern Sierra Miwok still alive, the fluent ones are all at least 60 years of age. For records that will be essential to any future revival effort, and for the immediate value that such a linguistic legacy brings, Suzanne Wash of the University of California, Santa Barbara, received support from the Fund. Her work began in 1992 and has continued with support from the Phillips Fund. Apart from the value of the language artifacts to the descendants of the speakers, Northern Sierra Miwok presents an unusual pattern among languages: It uses both metathesis (exchanging consonants or vowels) and quantitative ablaut (lengthening of both consonants and vowels).
Mary Louise Defender Wilson - Shields, ND
Broadcasting in Dakotah on KLND
When children are riding the bus to events on a Saturday afternoon, their driver can tune in to KLND, Little Eagle, South Dakota, and hear Dakotah language programming. They hear legends, talk, and even discussions of food. Teenagers are excited to hear things of interest to them in their own language, and older people say that they never expected to hear stories in their language again. It makes them feel good, and the younger people remark about how they never realized the wisdom and teaching in the stories. The grant from the Endangered Language Fund will allow Mary Louise Defender Wilson to travel and record more such stories and conversations so that Dakotah can continue to live on the airwaves of South Dakota.
Aklilu Yilma - Addis Ababa University
Recording the Last Speakers of Ongota
Although Ethiopia is a linguistically diverse country, even there languages are becoming extinct. The small community of the Ongota, only 78 strong, have come to realize the predicament their language is in and have asked for help in preserving it. Aklilu Yilma, of Addis Ababa University, has received assistance from the Fund to provide that help. He has found that the language is so little known that its correct language family is not even known. His initial efforts, then, will be as full a description of the phonology, morphology and syntax as can be accomplished in the time he has available. Since most of the speakers are elderly, his work will be essential for any decision that is made by the community about the future of the language.
The Last Speakers of Northern Sierra Miwok
Of the ten or so speakers of Northern Sierra Miwok still alive, the fluent ones are all at least 60 years of age. For records that will be essential to any future revival effort, and for the immediate value that such a linguistic legacy brings, Suzanne Wash of the University of California, Santa Barbara, received support from the Fund. Her work began in 1992 and has continued with support from the Phillips Fund. Apart from the value of the language artifacts to the descendants of the speakers, Northern Sierra Miwok presents an unusual pattern among languages: It uses both metathesis (exchanging consonants or vowels) and quantitative ablaut (lengthening of both consonants and vowels).
Mary Louise Defender Wilson - Shields, ND
Broadcasting in Dakotah on KLND
When children are riding the bus to events on a Saturday afternoon, their driver can tune in to KLND, Little Eagle, South Dakota, and hear Dakotah language programming. They hear legends, talk, and even discussions of food. Teenagers are excited to hear things of interest to them in their own language, and older people say that they never expected to hear stories in their language again. It makes them feel good, and the younger people remark about how they never realized the wisdom and teaching in the stories. The grant from the Endangered Language Fund will allow Mary Louise Defender Wilson to travel and record more such stories and conversations so that Dakotah can continue to live on the airwaves of South Dakota.
Aklilu Yilma - Addis Ababa University
Recording the Last Speakers of Ongota
Although Ethiopia is a linguistically diverse country, even there languages are becoming extinct. The small community of the Ongota, only 78 strong, have come to realize the predicament their language is in and have asked for help in preserving it. Aklilu Yilma, of Addis Ababa University, has received assistance from the Fund to provide that help. He has found that the language is so little known that its correct language family is not even known. His initial efforts, then, will be as full a description of the phonology, morphology and syntax as can be accomplished in the time he has available. Since most of the speakers are elderly, his work will be essential for any decision that is made by the community about the future of the language.
1997
Alice Anderton - Intertribal Wordpath Society
Production of original television dramas in Choctaw and Creek
Production of original television dramas in Choctaw and Creek.
Awarded to Alice Anderton of the Intertribal Wordpath Society. This project will produce two dramas starring native speakers of these two Native American languages, which are currently spoken in Oklahoma. Captioned versions will be shown on cable access channels, and videotapes will be made available to the native speakers thoughout the state.
Mark Donohue - University of Manchester
Work on the Wasur languages of Indonesia
Language data collection will be conducted for several languages in a region that has only recently been officially recognized as a distinct ethnic region.
Gary Holton - University of California, Santa Barbara
Tanacross language documentation project
Tanacross, an Alaskan Athabaskan language, has only a handful of native speakers, most over sixty years of age. The goals of this work are to achieve a systematic documentation of the Tanacross grammar and lexicon, to provide literacy materials for speakers (including a conversational dictionary and collections of stories with English translations), and to contribute to our linguistic understanding of this little-studied language.
Andrej Kibrik - University of Alaska
Recording the last fluent speakers of Kuskokwim in Alaska
This little-studied Athabaskan language is down to three households which use it regularly. The lingustic work will aid in the teaching of the younger generation, especially through the audio recordings that will give a much better sense of the feel of the language than written sources can.
Mary Linn - University of Kansas
Preserving Yuchi, a Native American isolate
Only nineteen fluent speakers remain of the Yuchi language. Once they are gone, the Yuchi tribe will be unable to learn more of their heritage, and linguists will be unable to solve the mystery of the last remaining language isolate of the Eastern US. Linn's dissertation work will help on both fronts.
Rob Pensalfini - MIT
Preparing language materials for Jingulu of Australia
Only about ten fluent speakers remain of this language, which is situated in the region between two major language families. Influences of both those families appear in the language, giving it many unique characteristics. Texts and a dictionary are being prepared, and the schools there are ready to make use of them.
Ronald Red Elk - Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee
Making a rediscovered manuscript useful to the Comanche community
In 1996, a manuscript dictionary of Comanche, containing over 4,000 entries, was discovered in the Smithsonian. With the help of the Endangered Language Fund grant, this work will be combined with other sources and corrobarted with the remaining speakers of Comanche, so that future generations will have as complete a record of the language as possible.
Karen Somerville - Gakeemaneh/Gignamoane, New Brunswick
Immersion programs in Micmac, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy
The speakers of these Eastern Algonquian languages have joined forces to try to further the use of the languages by the young. The ELF grant will help purchase equipment for several language immersion programs that are being developed.
Janne Underriner - University of Oregon
Recording the last two speakers of Klamath
As with many Native American languages, only the oldest members of the Klamath tribe can still speak the language. Younger members of the tribe have come to realize that this is truly their last chance to know this important part of their heritage. With the aid of this work by a professional linguist, the Klamath hope to preserve what they can.
Ofelia Zepeda - University of Arizona and the Tohono O'odham Nation
Further work on the Tohono O'odham (Papago) Dictionary Project
Further work on the Tohono O'odham (Papago) Dictionary Project. Awarded to Ofelia Zepeda, University of Arizona and member of the Tohono O'odham Nation. This language is still the first language of most tribal members over the age of 25, but children are less likely to learn it. When completed, the extensive dictionary will help reinforce the language skills of young parents and be a permanent resource to native speakers and others interested in the language.
Production of original television dramas in Choctaw and Creek
Production of original television dramas in Choctaw and Creek.
Awarded to Alice Anderton of the Intertribal Wordpath Society. This project will produce two dramas starring native speakers of these two Native American languages, which are currently spoken in Oklahoma. Captioned versions will be shown on cable access channels, and videotapes will be made available to the native speakers thoughout the state.
Mark Donohue - University of Manchester
Work on the Wasur languages of Indonesia
Language data collection will be conducted for several languages in a region that has only recently been officially recognized as a distinct ethnic region.
Gary Holton - University of California, Santa Barbara
Tanacross language documentation project
Tanacross, an Alaskan Athabaskan language, has only a handful of native speakers, most over sixty years of age. The goals of this work are to achieve a systematic documentation of the Tanacross grammar and lexicon, to provide literacy materials for speakers (including a conversational dictionary and collections of stories with English translations), and to contribute to our linguistic understanding of this little-studied language.
Andrej Kibrik - University of Alaska
Recording the last fluent speakers of Kuskokwim in Alaska
This little-studied Athabaskan language is down to three households which use it regularly. The lingustic work will aid in the teaching of the younger generation, especially through the audio recordings that will give a much better sense of the feel of the language than written sources can.
Mary Linn - University of Kansas
Preserving Yuchi, a Native American isolate
Only nineteen fluent speakers remain of the Yuchi language. Once they are gone, the Yuchi tribe will be unable to learn more of their heritage, and linguists will be unable to solve the mystery of the last remaining language isolate of the Eastern US. Linn's dissertation work will help on both fronts.
Rob Pensalfini - MIT
Preparing language materials for Jingulu of Australia
Only about ten fluent speakers remain of this language, which is situated in the region between two major language families. Influences of both those families appear in the language, giving it many unique characteristics. Texts and a dictionary are being prepared, and the schools there are ready to make use of them.
Ronald Red Elk - Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee
Making a rediscovered manuscript useful to the Comanche community
In 1996, a manuscript dictionary of Comanche, containing over 4,000 entries, was discovered in the Smithsonian. With the help of the Endangered Language Fund grant, this work will be combined with other sources and corrobarted with the remaining speakers of Comanche, so that future generations will have as complete a record of the language as possible.
Karen Somerville - Gakeemaneh/Gignamoane, New Brunswick
Immersion programs in Micmac, Maliseet and Passamaquoddy
The speakers of these Eastern Algonquian languages have joined forces to try to further the use of the languages by the young. The ELF grant will help purchase equipment for several language immersion programs that are being developed.
Janne Underriner - University of Oregon
Recording the last two speakers of Klamath
As with many Native American languages, only the oldest members of the Klamath tribe can still speak the language. Younger members of the tribe have come to realize that this is truly their last chance to know this important part of their heritage. With the aid of this work by a professional linguist, the Klamath hope to preserve what they can.
Ofelia Zepeda - University of Arizona and the Tohono O'odham Nation
Further work on the Tohono O'odham (Papago) Dictionary Project
Further work on the Tohono O'odham (Papago) Dictionary Project. Awarded to Ofelia Zepeda, University of Arizona and member of the Tohono O'odham Nation. This language is still the first language of most tribal members over the age of 25, but children are less likely to learn it. When completed, the extensive dictionary will help reinforce the language skills of young parents and be a permanent resource to native speakers and others interested in the language.
