Doctoral Dissertation Research: Speaking Kiowa Today

今天，有3000多种语言濒临灭绝，并有永远消失的危险。除非在极端情况下，语言的消亡不会在一夜之间发生，而是一个长期淘汰过程的一部分。语言随着使用频率的降低、使用领域的减少和使用者的减少而变化。尽管人们认识到语言在过时的过程中会经历结构变化，但对这一过程的研究仍处于起步阶段。《今天讲基奥瓦语》构成了对一种语言在四代人中的语言变化的系统、深入的观察。Kiowa是Kiowa- tanoan家族分支中唯一的成员。在俄克拉何马州，说这种语言的人不到100人，大多是老年人。这个项目的主要目标是揭示哪些基奥瓦人的语言形式正在经历磨损，由于废弃而对语言系统的侵蚀，以及由于与英语的接触而发生的变化。下一步是确定这些更改对系统其他部分的影响。研究人员将比较以前记录的数据，这些数据来自最近通过的流利的第一语言使用者，以及今天完全双语的老年人，中年第二语言学习者和年轻成人学习者所说的“现代基奥瓦人”。该项目旨在提供一个更全面的模型来检查语言过时。使用多代人的方法来研究在短时间内发生的相对剧烈的变化，将有助于确定“语言尖端”的时刻，即语言越过常用点走向衰落的时刻，也将表明尖端是否可以逆转。这个项目将描述今天所说的基奥瓦人，这样做将表明现代基奥瓦人不仅是一个值得描述的系统，而且新的形式没有“妥协”或“腐败”。它将说明现代基奥瓦语使用者如何创造性地在今天的社区中履行必要的职能，以及这种语言仍然是可行和有用的。通过恢复所有语言使用者的自豪感，鼓励课程开发，并支持语言在更多环境中的使用，验证语言的现代形式将有助于任何社区的语言复兴。

Today more than 3,000 languages are endangered and are in risk of being lost forever. Except in extreme circumstances, language death does not occur overnight, but is part of a long process of obsolescence. Languages change as they are spoken less frequently, in fewer domains, and by fewer people. Despite the recognition that language undergoes structural change during obsolescence, the study of processes involved is still in its infancy. Speaking Kiowa Today constitutes a systematic, in-depth look at language change in one language over four generations.Kiowa is the only member of its branch of the Kiowa-Tanoan family. It is spoken in Oklahoma by fewer than 100, mostly elderly, speakers. The main goal of this project is to reveal which Kiowa forms are undergoing attrition, the eroding of the linguistic system due to disuse, and which are changing due to contact with English. The next step is to determine consequences these changes have on other parts of the system. The researcher will compare previously recorded data from the generation of fluent 1st language speakers recently passed with "Modern Kiowa" as spoken by fully bilingual elders today, middle-aged second language learners, and young adult learners. The project aims to provide a more comprehensive model for examining language obsolescence. Examining the relatively drastic changes that have taken place in a short time using a multi-generational approach will help pinpoint the moment of "linguistic tip," where the language moves past the point of common usage towards its decline, and will also indicate whether or not tip can be reversed. This project will describe Kiowa as it is spoken today, and in doing so it will show that Modern Kiowa is not only a system worthy of being described, but the newer forms are not "compromised" or "corrupt." It will illustrate how Modern Kiowa speakers are creatively fulfilling necessary functions within the community today and that the language is still viable and useful. Validating the modern form of the language will contribute to language revitalization within any community by restoring pride to speakers of all types, encouraging curriculum development, and supporting language use in more contexts.