Doctoral Dissertation Research: Syntax and its interfaces in an endangered language

该项目通过对本族语使用者进行详细的实地考察，研究在说话者如何用一种未被充分研究和濒危的语言传达他们所知道和不知道的信息时，影响用词选择的因素。尽管所有语言的说话者都会做出这些选择，但用一种濒临灭绝且研究较少的语言来解决这个问题是很重要的，原因有两个：1)了解不同语言的说话者所做的选择是确定跨语言普遍模式的关键；2)这种语言具有许多在不同语言中不常见的特征，这使它成为当前语言理论的有用试验场。研究涉及三个案例研究，探索动词的结构和意义，如‘Think’和‘Say’，这些词被翻译为‘可能’和‘必须’，以及暗示说话者已经知道答案的问题。在所有这些情况下，说话者必须选择使用一个特定的单词或句子类型，而不是另一个，这往往具有超出句子字面意义的含义。这种类型的研究很难在研究不足的语言中进行，因为它需要语言的句法和语义的基本知识，本项目也对此做出了贡献。这项研究将基于对以英语为母语的人的采访，以及口头叙述和说话人之间的对话。除了推进语言学理论，该项目还为社区创建语言材料做出贡献，包括一本包含实用单词和短语的在线“活词典”以及相应的录音。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project uses detailed fieldwork with native speakers to study the factors that influence word choices in how speakers convey information about what they do and do not know in an understudied and endangered language. While speakers of all languages make these choices, addressing this question in an endangered and less studied language is important for two reasons: 1) understanding the choices that speakers of different languages make is key to identifying universal patterns across languages, and 2) this language has many features that are not common across languages, which make it a useful testing ground for current linguistic theories.The research involves three case studies exploring the structure and meaning of verbs like 'think' and 'say', words that translate as both 'might' and 'must', and questions that imply that the speaker already knows the answer. In all of these cases, speakers must choose to use one particular word or sentence type over another, which often has implications that go beyond the literal meaning of the sentence. This type of research is difficult to conduct in understudied languages, since it requires a basic knowledge of the language's syntax and semantics, to which this project also contributes. The research will be based on interviews with native speakers, as well as oral narratives and conversations between speakers. In addition to advancing linguistic theory, this project contributes to the creation of language materials for the community, including an online "living dictionary" containing practical words and phrases with corresponding audio recordings.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.