Heading back today

If the plane comes in, I am heading back to the University of Toronto, where I work. The Transcribing Workshop was funded by a research grant which I was awarded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada to do research on the linguistics of Inuktitut stories. Thanks to the Torngâsok Culural Cente for partnering on putting on the workshop and also thanks to the Nunatsiavut Government staff at NG for helping us and making us welcome. Thanks to Katie Winters for helping us arrange the participants. Thanks to Fran Williams for advice, Ross Krekoski for info about transcribing, and special thanks to Trent Reshny of Ihearit for technical assistance with their app which can slow recorded speech down.

Of course the workshop could not have taken place without the two experienced and excellent instructors Sybella Tuglavina and Alice Pilgrim. The trainees were very impressive and the amount they learned in these 3 days made it all worthwhile to everyone.

Transcribing Workshop Day 3

This morning we went over the transcriptions as much as had been written. The trainees got feedback from the instructors. The instructors also shared tips about how to note in the transcription if you can’t understand a word, etc. In the afternoon we talked about what could be done in the future with this kind of work. Toni White from Torngâsok joined us for this discussion.

Everyone seemed pretty happy with the workshop. There was a lot of hard work and we learned new skills and shared information. We all want to make sure there is more Inuktitut written directly from Inuktitut audio for people to read and enjoy.

Transcribing Workshop Day 2

Day 2 went well also. We recorded 3 stories from elder Mary Dicker.

She had a lot of recorders of different types around her but it did not distract her at all. Her family was participating as trainees.

Mary told us 3 stories in all. Afterwards she stayed a little to listen to the discussion.

Transcription started immediately with everyone showing both enthusiasm and talent, transcribing the sounds quite accurately, even though some do not understand everything.

For Day 3 we will go over Day 2 transcriptions for feedback and tips and continue the practice. We will also discuss what can be done with this kind of work and how it could be organized.

Transcribing workshop Day 1 is going well

Day 1 of our workshop started yesterday. There are 5 trainees, two instructors, me and a guest expert sitting in. We covered a) what is transcribing and why do we need it? b) details of the Labrador Inuit Standard Orthography c) technology for recording and transcribing. Then people practiced some transcribing.

We also discussed what we would do the next day when an elder will come to help us. I have added new links about transcribing, language documentation and oral history to the blogroll on the right side of this blog.

Sybella and Alice

Transcribing Workshop Dec. 13-15 2011

We are having a Transcribing Workshop in Nain Dec. 13-15 2011. VERY exciting.

Jose Kusugak – inummagik

Jose Kusugak

 

inuk ‘person or Inuit person’

mmagik ‘real, genuine version’

What is a postbase?

Two people recently asked me about postbases so I will try to answer here.

Postbase is a term used in Inuttitut linguistics for morphemes (pieces of a word) that follow the base (root). They should not be confused with endings such as -vunga -mut etc. which appear at the very right of the word and are very grammatical.

base + (postbase(s)) + ending        Here (   ) means it is optional – not necessary.

a. a postbase can follow a noun

Kimmik ‘the dog’

dog

Kimm-siak ‘the good dog’

dog-good

 

b. a postbase can follow a verb.

nigi-vunga ‘I am eating’

eat-statement.1s

nigi-guma-vunga ‘I want to eat’

eat-want-statement.1s

 

c. a postbase can change a noun into a verb.

Kimmi-Ka-vuk ‘There is a dog’

dog-there.is-indicative.3s

 

d. a postbase can change a verb into a noun.

ilinnia-vunga ‘I am learning’

learn-statement.1s

ilinnia-vik ‘school (a place for learning)’

 

e. and very importantly, postbases follow other postbases. This allows an Inuttitut word to be like an English sentence.

nutaga-tsa-Ka-li-mmi-juk     ‘She is going to have another baby’

child-potential-have-now-again-statement.3s

Lydia has some good news.

piujumik ukausitsiaKavunga, pitillugu paniganit. paniga, Priscilla nutagatsaKalimmijuk, suli Kaujimanngituk Kannuitumik pitâlâmmangât, angutikulumik, annakulumillonet. Priscilla Kaujigumanngituk nutagattâKâgani, allât pisiutjigumanngituk nutânik annugâtsanginnik, uppitogami nutagatsanga agviataugajammat nutagattâKagani. anânaga taimak uKautisimalauttuk, Priscilla-mik nutagatsaKagajapat nutânik pisijutsaunngituk annugâtsanginnik nutânik nutagatsaKagajapat sivorningani, Priscilla-laup, taimaitluni, paniga agviataugumanngituk taimâk.

mânali atautsimik inngutaKavunga, Roslyn-nimik, jâriKalituk pingasunik, senanillu takKinik. Rosilyn, nutâmi jârimi 2007-niutillugu innolisimalauttuk, sivullipângutillugu Labradorimi, taitsumanni jârimi. Priscilla nutagatâjutsaujuk âprelimi 2011-niulipat. Priscilla wogiulauttumi Happy Valley-Goose Bay-molauttuk, Kaujigiatsiagasuamut Katsimmik wogini nutagatsaKalimmangât, nânga angijoligetuk. Kuviasupunga anânsiagugialalâligama.

Yeah Rigolet!!!

Here is a good news story. The speakers of Rigolet, Bertha and Doug are working hard to get more information about the dialect. I hope to add some things here shortly.

http://www.thelabradorian.ca/News/2010-09-19/article-1774131/Elders-unite-for-taping-of-disappearing-dialect/1

Lydia and other students volunteer for Shinarama

College of the North Atlantic-kikkut kenaujannik katitjuigasulâligivut taijamik “Shinarama,” katitjuigasullutik Kanimasimmik taijaujumik Cystic Fibrosis. Ilinniavik kenaujannik katitjuigasuKatavut pingasuni ununnisanillonet jârini, tâvatuali Shinarama kenaujannik katitjuisimalikKut 1990-nitak kanadalimâmi. Ilinniavik Happy Valley-Goose-Bay-mi pigiasilâkKut Shinarama-mik Fritagimi September 24-rami, 2010-mi. Ilinniajut ilangit ikajulâkKut itigâlunnik salummasaillutik nanituinnak suliaKabvini Happy Valley-Goose-Bay-mi. Jâriulauttumi Adult Basic Education-ni atautsiuvuk asingini ilinniagatsaujuni ilinniavimmi kenaujannik katitjuilaukKut $11,000.00-tâlagalattut. Itigâlunnik salumasailâkKunga ullâmi ilinniavimmit pijagetillunga Kitigaligepat ilinniavimmit.