Mohave and Chemehuevi Language Documentation Project

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Linguists estimate that within the next century, at least half of the world's indigenous languages will be lost. Drawing on her many years of experience with the Colorado River Indian Tribes of Arizona, Dr. Susan Penfield will direct a research team working in close collaboration with tribal members to add substantially to the existing linguistic data for two highly endangered languages spoken in this community: Mohave [estimated 35 speakers] and Chemehuevi [estimated 5-7 speakers]. This project will also address the question: How can electronic documentation be used and controlled by indigenous communities as a vehicle for language preservation? This research will define the model needed to shift more of the responsibility for indigenous language documentation to the communities where these languages are spoken. The project will focus on the video and audio documentation of conversational practices and recorded narrative in both languages, provide training for tribal members in technology-based documentation and descriptive linguistics, use collected data to construct language lessons supporting the tribes' goal of language revitalization, make digital text, audio and video databases and develop a standard set of protocols for indigenous community use in defining issues of public access related to these digital archives and databases.The broader impacts of this project will increase the general understanding of the process video documentation for endangered languages, add to the linguistic database for Yuman [Mohave] and Southern Numic [Chemehuevi] language families, evaluate the use of technology for on-line fieldwork, provide digital archives of linguistic data for public use and generate guidelines for indigenous communities regarding public access to digitally archived tribal resources. This project builds on previous work which resulted in a handbook for tribal members titled, Technology-Enhanced Language Revitalization (Penfield, Cash Cash & Roberts, 2004). A similar handbook focused on language documentation will result from the present project. In addition, a curriculum will be developed for a course on indigenous language documentation to be offered at the American Indian Language Development Institute, held annually in Tucson, Arizona.