NATIVE AMERICAN INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES STUDY
GROUP
Names, departments, and email address for all
conveners
o Salome Gutierrez, Department of Linguistics, salome@umail.ucsb.edu
o Lea Harper, Department of Linguistics, leaharper@umail.ucsb.edu
o Carmen Jany, Department of Linguistics, cjany@umail.ucsb.edu
o Joye Kiester, Department of Linguistics, joye_kiester@sil.org
o Marianne Mithun, Department of Linguistics, mithun@linguistics.ucsb.edu
website: http://orgs.sa.ucsb.edu/nailsg/NAIL/index.htm
Statement of Purpose
The Native American Indigenous Languages Study Group
is interested in topics relevant to Native American
Indigenous languages, its people, and its cultures,
as well as in topics of general relevance to researchers
in the humanities and social sciences, such as data
collection, data archiving, new media and research,
collaboration with communities, ethics and human subjects.
Description of Proposed Activities and Tentative
Schedule
Fall 2005: We plan to have three meetings
on the following topics: Community Relations, Fieldwork
, and Ethnopoetics. In addition, we are in the process
of inviting a guest speaker. Our first meeting is currently
scheduled for Tuesday, October 11, 7:30pm at the home
of Marianne Mithun and Wallace Chafe, 1010 Mission Canyon
Road, Santa Barbara. For rides from campus please contact
Carmen Jany (cjany@umail.ucsb.edu).
Some details about our Fall 2005 topics:
• Community relations between native and non-native
academics and community members. A general discussion
of the relationships between researchers and members
of the communities being researched. Students and faculty
present their fieldwork experiences with different communities.
In addition, different approaches to fieldwork will
be discussed. Readings will include articles from Paul
Newman and Martha Radcliff eds, Linguistic Fieldwork.
• Conducting fieldwork on Native Mexican Languages
in the US and in Mexico (can be extended to other native
immigrant communities in the US). A discussion on the
possibilities and limitations of conducting fieldwork
on Native Mexican languages and cultures in communities
established in the United States. Related issues: a)
finding consultants in the US and building contacts
for fieldwork in Mexico; b) legal issues when working
with consultants in the US and in Mexico; c) type of
data that can be gathered in the US; d) funding possibilities
for this type of work.
• Ethnopoetics: the narrative and poetic style
of Native Americans. This topic will include: Native
American poetry, verbal traditions, and the characteristics
of Native American oral epics and mythology. Discussions
will focus on narrative style in Native American languages,
how to combine linguistic, anthropological, and discourse
analysis, and where/how to obtain Native American texts.
Readings for discussion will include: a) Dell Hymes,
2003, How I know only so far; b) Dell Hymes, 1981, In
Vain I tried to tell you; c) Ofelia Zepeda, Home Places:
Contemporary Native American Writing from Sun Tracks;
d) Ofelia Zepeda, South Corner of Time: Hopi, Navajo,
Papago, Yaqui tribal literature.
Winter 2006: We plan to have three
meetings on the following topics: Language maintenance/loss
and education, Development of instruction materials,
New Media and data collection/instruction materials.
• Language loss and maintenance in Native American
communities. Presentation of a few case studies. Schooling
in Native American languages: advantages and disadvantages.
Current state and federal laws on bilingual education
and tribal education. Laws and practices in other countries,
such as Mexico. Readings to be determined.
• The creation of language instruction materials
for Native American languages. Discussion will focus
on ‘How to apply current methodologies in Applied
Linguistics to Native American communities’, ‘What
kind of instruction materials are useful and can be
created’, ‘Collaboration with and tutoring
of teachers of Native American languages’. Readings
include: Leanne Hinton, How to keep your language alive.
• New media and data collection/instruction materials.
Development of webbased instruction materials. The inclusion
of video data for data collection and in the development
of instruction materials. Readings to be determined.
This discussion is aimed to include practical tips for
researcher who would like to use the web or video data
for data collection and the creation of instruction
materials. A demonstration of current tools might be
arranged.
Spring 2006: We will have two meetings
and our annual conference.
• The annual two-day conference with 1-2 keynote
speakers and a cultural event will be held on April
21-22. A possible theme/special session and potential
keynote speakers will be determined by the group conveners
during the fall quarter. Possibilities for the cultural
event include: storytelling performances, musical performances,
poetry, demonstrations of crafts (e.g. basketry, pottery).
Participants
o Madeleine Adkins, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Christy Bird, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Jeanie Castillo, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Wallace Chafe, Department of Linguistics, Emeritus
Professor
o Dorothy Chun, Department of Germanic, Slavic, and
Semitic Studies, Professor
o Timothy Henry, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Dan Hintz, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Diane Hintz, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o You-Jing Lin, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Edmundo Luna, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Alicia Moretti, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Verónica Muñoz Ledo, Department of Linguistics,
Graduate Student
o Carlos Nash, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
o Marilyn Notah, Department of Religious Studies, Graduate
Student
o Rebekka Siemens, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Elizabeth Shipley, Department of Linguistics, Graduate
Student
o Ines Talamantez, Department of Religious Studies and
Department of Chicano Studies, Professor
o Alex Walker, Department of Linguistics, Graduate Student
