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

这个项目使用详细的实地考察与母语者研究的因素，影响词的选择，在说话者如何传达信息，他们做什么，不知道在一个欠研究和濒危语言。虽然所有语言的使用者都会做出这些选择，但在一种濒危和研究较少的语言中解决这个问题很重要，原因有二：1）理解不同语言的使用者所做的选择是识别跨语言通用模式的关键，2）这种语言有许多跨语言不常见的特征，这使得它成为当前语言学理论的一个有用的测试场。这项研究包括三个案例研究，探讨了动词的结构和意义，比如“认为”和“说”，这些词既可以翻译为“可能”，也可以翻译为“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词或句子类型，而不是另一个，这通常会产生超出句子字面意义的含义。这种类型的研究很难在未充分研究的语言中进行，因为它需要对语言的语法和语义有基本的了解，而本项目也对此有所贡献。这项研究将基于对母语人士的采访，以及口语叙述和说话者之间的对话。除了推进语言学理论，该项目还为社区创造语言材料做出了贡献，包括一本在线“活字典”，其中包含实用词汇和短语以及相应的录音。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值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.