NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: Dogrib, linguistics

Objective(s): The primary objective of this application is to discover the grammatical structures that accurately describe the uses of copulas (verbs meaning 'to be') in Tlicho Yatii, and how these structures encode distinctions of time.

Project Description: This licence is being issued for the scientific research application No.1112. This project will examine aspects of the grammatical encoding of time in Dogrib (Tlicho Yatii). The focus of the 2009 of the research will be the encoding of time in relation to copulas (verbs meaning 'be'). Previous research by this researchers has shown that copulas encode time differently depending upon the category of word that they accompany (noun, verb or adjective). The primary objective of this application is to discover the grammatical structures that accurately describe the uses of copulas in Tlicho Yatii, and how these structures encode distinctions of time. The researcher will work with fluent speakers of Dogrib, asking them to translate sentences from English to Dogrib and eliciting their judgments on the grammaticality and meaning of Dogrib sentences that have been constructed. During a one- to three-hour interviews one-on-one with fluent speakers, their translations and judgments of grammaticality both as audio files and in written form will be recorded. The researcher will recruit participants largely by word of mouth. Using these methods, the research will compile a set of sentences containing copulas. One critical type of data will be minimal pairs: sentences that differ only in a single key distinction, such as tense (past/present/future) or the animacy of their subject or object (living/non-living). Local involvement is essential for this project. Fluent speakers of Dogrib (Tlicho Yatii), who will be compensated for their time and expertise. The project will also add to the literature on Athabaskan grammar. The information that will result may aid the teaching of grammar in local language programs, and add to social and cultural pride in the language. Copies of all data and any published results of this study will be given to the Tlicho Community Services Agency, a branch of the Tlicho Government Department of Education, and to the Aurora Research Institute Library in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted in Behchoko and Rae-Edzo from June 4 to August 31, 2009.