From Endangered Language Documentation to Phonetic Documentation

现代语言文件项目努力获得高质量的录音，以便这些材料将在以后用于语音分析，但目前尚不清楚正在收集的材料将有多大用处。本项目将审查三种语言的档案材料，以确定一种语言的语音描述需要多少材料，以及需要哪种材料。为此，将学习三种语言：塔拉乌马拉/拉拉穆里[ISO 639 tar]、格雷罗州中部巴尔萨斯山谷的Nahuatl[ISO 639 Ngu]和阿拉帕霍语[ISO 639 ARP]。其中每一种都有大量的现有文件，将对这些来源的测量结果进行审查，以了解有关语言的统计特性。特别是，将测试演讲者的数量和对一种语言的语音结构的准确看法所需的重复项目。来自Arapaho的新证据，包括声学和静态腭图，将被用作比较。将制作三种语言的语音草图，并对少数具体特征进行更深入的分析。还将提出最佳做法的建议。濒危语言文献对语言科学和土著社区的价值越来越大。一种语言的语音方面对于了解语言的区别以及传统学习者可能的重建是很重要的。这项研究的一个变革性方面是，不仅为濒危语言文件而且为任何语言的文件定义了语音规范；尽管进行了多年的分析，但这一问题仍未得到令人满意的解决。最后，该项目将为学生提供语言文件和语音分析方面的培训。

Modern language documentation projects endeavor to obtain high quality audio recordings so that the material will be useful for phonetic analysis at a later point, but it is not clear how useful the material being collected will be. The present project will examine archival material in three languages to see how much material, and of what sort, is needed for phonetic description of a language. To do that, three languages will be studied: Tarahumara/Rarámuri [ISO 639 tar], Nahuatl of the Balsas valley of central Guerrero [ISO 639 ngu], and Arapaho [ISO 639 arp]. These each have extensive documentation in existence, and measurements from these sources will be examined for the statistical properties of the languages in question. In particular, the number of speakers and repetitions of items required to give an accurate view of a language's phonetic structure will be tested. New evidence from Arapaho, including acoustics and static palatography, will be used as a comparison. A sketch of the phonetics of the three languages will be produced, along with a deeper analysis of a small number of specific features. Recommendations for best practice will also be generated.Endangered language documentation is of increasing value to both linguistic science and to indigenous communities. The phonetic aspects of a language are important for knowing how linguistic distinctions are made and for possible reconstruction by heritage learners. A transformative aspect of this research is the definition of phonetic norms not only for endangered language documentation but for documentation of any language; despite years of analysis, this issue has not been satisfactorily resolved. Finally, the project will provide training for students in language documentation and phonetic analysis.