Mohave and Chemehuevi Language Documentation Project

语言学家估计，在下个世纪，世界上至少有一半的土著语言将会消失。凭借在亚利桑那州科罗拉多河印第安部落的多年经验，Susan Penfield博士将带领一个研究小组与部落成员密切合作，为该社区使用的两种高度濒危语言Mohave（估计有35人使用）和Chemehuevi（估计有5-7人使用）增加大量现有的语言数据。这个项目也将探讨这样一个问题：土著社区如何使用和控制电子文件作为语言保存的工具？这项研究将定义所需的模型，以便将更多的土著语言文献责任转移到使用这些语言的社区。该项目将重点关注对话实践的视频和音频文档，并以两种语言记录叙事，为部落成员提供基于技术的文档和描述性语言学培训，使用收集到的数据构建语言课程，支持部落的语言振兴目标，制作数字文本，音频和视频数据库，并制定一套标准协议，供土著社区使用，以确定与这些数字档案和数据库有关的公共访问问题。该项目的广泛影响将增进人们对濒危语言视频记录过程的普遍了解，增加Yuman [Mohave]和Southern Numic [Chemehuevi]语族的语言数据库，评估在线实地调查技术的使用，提供语言数据的数字档案供公众使用，并为土著社区制定有关公众获取部落数字档案资源的指导方针。这个项目建立在先前工作的基础上，为部落成员编写了一本名为《技术增强语言振兴》的手册（彭菲尔德，卡什·卡什&罗伯茨，2004年）。本项目将产生一本类似的手册，侧重于语言文档。此外，将为每年在亚利桑那州图森举行的美洲印第安人语言发展研究所提供的土著语文文件课程编制一套课程。

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.