I have really been enjoying reading up on the culture and history of the Yaqui. Unfortunately, this material tends to be in English or Spanish (not that I could even read it in Yaqui anyway). Being of Yaqui background, I am familiar with a few cultural and historical aspects already; the references I have provided are still quite beneficial as some information comes directly from the Yaqui people.
I read about the cultural traditions of the Yaqui and how tied into religion they are -this is due to their history of interaction withe Jesuits in the 1600s. But the Spanish arrived in the mid-1500s, so why the 1600's you ask? As it turns out, the Yaqui were one of the most defensive and resistant to Spanish troops and managed to maintain their way of living for many decades after the Spanish conquest of many other indigenous groups of Central America. Even today, their traditions are a blend of Catholicism and ancient beliefs. For example, the Pascua Yaqui hold their deer dances (ancient ceremony) during the Easter season (Catholicism). During the deer dance, a dancer will where a deer headdress and imitate the deer's movement. This is an important symbol of the Yaqui and to show respect for the ceremony and the people, you are not allowed to record (via video, audio, or sketch) the religious ceremony.
Language-wise, I have brushed up on some greetings (see Lesson Plan) and kinship terms. In Yaqui, men and women have, for the most part, different words for their relatives. For example, I would call my father "Hapchi" and my mother "Ae," while my brother would call our father "Achai" and our mother Ae." So, let me break down my own family for you, using the Yaqui kinship terms.
I live with my Hapchi, Ae, and Saila.
I have my: Mamai Rebecca, Mamai Debra, and Taata Tim (mom's side).
I have my: Samai Jerry (mom's side).
And my Apa Doug (mom's side). My Asu was 1/2 Yaqui and my Hamuli was 100% Yaqui.
I believe the words for cousin follow the say wording as brother and sister- there is also a distinction between older and younger siblings. Additionally, elder men are referred to as "Hapchi" (F) or "Achai" (M) and women in general are called "Maala."
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Week 5 Reading Response
Marshall, Chapter 6
The lesson plans provided by Marshall in Chapter 5 are a nice starting-off point for learning a language, especially one that an entire community speaks, and maybe reads and writes. However, what about even less well known (or even less commonly taught languages)? This is where I believe his advice for interaction, techniques, and topics presented in Chapter 6 become quite useful. Since my LCTL, Yaqui, does not have a native-speaker community nearby, nor does the target language community function ONLY in Yaqui (as mentioned before, it is a trilingual group in the US and at the very least, bilingual in Mexico), Marshall's suggestions on varying lessons (to keep up my own interest, if nothing else) and the topics to learn (which are categorized and provide a great overview of useful aspects to any language) provide a basis from which to structure and organize my language learning endeavor.
Going sequentially, Marshall presents ideas for increasing interaction opportunities. While I do not feel this does not apply to my own situation, at least at this stage in my learning, I think Marshall proposes realistic opportunities to practice the language in question. I did not notice this word in Marshall's chapter, but what I believe it comes down to is MOTIVATION. That is, if you are motivated to learn the language, you will make opportunities to use it. No matter the situation, employed or stay-at-home spouse, a motivated learner will incorporate language learning into their daily routine, chores, job, errands, down-time, etc.
As for techniques for activities, I found Marshall's suggestions to be very reminiscent of Total Physical Response (TPR). For example, there are multiple suggestions regarding realia, drawing, visual aids, and role-playing. My experience with TPR has been primarily with children; however, I think immersing yourself in a language requires you, no matter your age, to use all the senses to interact with and learn the language. A skill Marshall mentions is Mnemonic devices; this is something I like to use when I teach Spanish and it always comes as a total revelation to students (Oh! you mean I use that weird subjunctive conjugation when it is for Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal Expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojala = WEIRDO). Other skills listed include using gestures, asking for repetitions or slower speech, paraphrasing, using what you know but being attentive as to what native speakers do and say (and how they say it). Thinking about the good language learner, I think these are skills that one would possess or try to pick up on.
Finally, Marshall's topics for lesson plans are varied, including topics for beginning to advanced learners. The ones I felt most related to my study include: informal socializing, interactions with "family," greeting/departing, personal information, questions/requests, polite phrases, +/- statements, action words, kinship terms, time expressions, descriptors, non-verbal cues, taboos, and pronunciation (personal interest). I believe most of these topics are at a beginning level and some can even be incorporated into more advanced levels.
I appreciated Marshall's note on practicality- not only for practicality in actually learning the language (i.e. time spent, using L1 versus TL) but for knowing what to expect of yourself in the language learning process. For example, I am constantly reevaluating my goals as I understand more about my own learning process and what I will be able to achieve in a given time frame. I had previous hoped to reach almost intermediate proficiency, though now I believe I will be lucky to achieve mid-novice.
The lesson plans provided by Marshall in Chapter 5 are a nice starting-off point for learning a language, especially one that an entire community speaks, and maybe reads and writes. However, what about even less well known (or even less commonly taught languages)? This is where I believe his advice for interaction, techniques, and topics presented in Chapter 6 become quite useful. Since my LCTL, Yaqui, does not have a native-speaker community nearby, nor does the target language community function ONLY in Yaqui (as mentioned before, it is a trilingual group in the US and at the very least, bilingual in Mexico), Marshall's suggestions on varying lessons (to keep up my own interest, if nothing else) and the topics to learn (which are categorized and provide a great overview of useful aspects to any language) provide a basis from which to structure and organize my language learning endeavor.
Going sequentially, Marshall presents ideas for increasing interaction opportunities. While I do not feel this does not apply to my own situation, at least at this stage in my learning, I think Marshall proposes realistic opportunities to practice the language in question. I did not notice this word in Marshall's chapter, but what I believe it comes down to is MOTIVATION. That is, if you are motivated to learn the language, you will make opportunities to use it. No matter the situation, employed or stay-at-home spouse, a motivated learner will incorporate language learning into their daily routine, chores, job, errands, down-time, etc.
As for techniques for activities, I found Marshall's suggestions to be very reminiscent of Total Physical Response (TPR). For example, there are multiple suggestions regarding realia, drawing, visual aids, and role-playing. My experience with TPR has been primarily with children; however, I think immersing yourself in a language requires you, no matter your age, to use all the senses to interact with and learn the language. A skill Marshall mentions is Mnemonic devices; this is something I like to use when I teach Spanish and it always comes as a total revelation to students (Oh! you mean I use that weird subjunctive conjugation when it is for Wishes, Emotions, Impersonal Expressions, Recommendations, Doubt, Ojala = WEIRDO). Other skills listed include using gestures, asking for repetitions or slower speech, paraphrasing, using what you know but being attentive as to what native speakers do and say (and how they say it). Thinking about the good language learner, I think these are skills that one would possess or try to pick up on.
Finally, Marshall's topics for lesson plans are varied, including topics for beginning to advanced learners. The ones I felt most related to my study include: informal socializing, interactions with "family," greeting/departing, personal information, questions/requests, polite phrases, +/- statements, action words, kinship terms, time expressions, descriptors, non-verbal cues, taboos, and pronunciation (personal interest). I believe most of these topics are at a beginning level and some can even be incorporated into more advanced levels.
I appreciated Marshall's note on practicality- not only for practicality in actually learning the language (i.e. time spent, using L1 versus TL) but for knowing what to expect of yourself in the language learning process. For example, I am constantly reevaluating my goals as I understand more about my own learning process and what I will be able to achieve in a given time frame. I had previous hoped to reach almost intermediate proficiency, though now I believe I will be lucky to achieve mid-novice.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Lessson Plan
Here is a sample lesson plan for my Yaqui learning, using Marshall (Ch. 5) as a guide. Of course, I am still at a very elementary level and it has been difficult to find resources with phrases already made for me (the morphology/syntax is quite complex and I do not want to learn too many incorrect forms through my "hypothesis testing" of the language).
Task: Greet locals (i.e. native speakers) as you meet them on the street, in shops, etc.
Dialogue:
Sl: Lios em chama.
S2: Lios em chiokoe.
S1: Empo allea.
S2: Kettu'i.
Practice:
Backwards build-up drill- repeat segments of the phrase, starting from the back to build up the entire phrase.
Substitution- the only other greeting I have found is: Aman ne tevote yevihnewi.
Realism:
Or, Marshall's Wokabaot
Since I do not have a mentor to practice these dialogues with, I will instead enlist the help of my friends (who will not have to memorize the passage, they can carry around a cheat sheet with the phrases). Still, in normal greeting situations, I can use the script above, even with non-Yaqui learners and just explain what I am doing (my excuse: I am a linguist).
Evaluation and More Practice:
Record the Dialogue, Listen, and Self-Evaluate- in the recording leave time after each phrase for repetition. Practice phrases at least 5 times.
Supplemental Activities:
Gesturing while greeting- How do the Yaqui use gestures when greeting? A handshake, a wave, a smile? When and with whom are certain gestures appropriate?
Introductions- Practice introducing myself to others. "My name is..." and "What is your name?"
Cultural Note:
Greetings are nearly always formal in Yaqui, even when greeting close friend. The four-phrase dialogue above is the common way to greet strangers as well as friends.
How to use gestures? (see questions above)
Task: Greet locals (i.e. native speakers) as you meet them on the street, in shops, etc.
Dialogue:
Sl: Lios em chama.
S2: Lios em chiokoe.
S1: Empo allea.
S2: Kettu'i.
Practice:
Backwards build-up drill- repeat segments of the phrase, starting from the back to build up the entire phrase.
Substitution- the only other greeting I have found is: Aman ne tevote yevihnewi.
Realism:
Or, Marshall's Wokabaot
Since I do not have a mentor to practice these dialogues with, I will instead enlist the help of my friends (who will not have to memorize the passage, they can carry around a cheat sheet with the phrases). Still, in normal greeting situations, I can use the script above, even with non-Yaqui learners and just explain what I am doing (my excuse: I am a linguist).
Evaluation and More Practice:
Record the Dialogue, Listen, and Self-Evaluate- in the recording leave time after each phrase for repetition. Practice phrases at least 5 times.
Supplemental Activities:
Gesturing while greeting- How do the Yaqui use gestures when greeting? A handshake, a wave, a smile? When and with whom are certain gestures appropriate?
Introductions- Practice introducing myself to others. "My name is..." and "What is your name?"
Cultural Note:
Greetings are nearly always formal in Yaqui, even when greeting close friend. The four-phrase dialogue above is the common way to greet strangers as well as friends.
How to use gestures? (see questions above)
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Cultural Resources
Here are some fun resources for learning about Yaqui culture and history:
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html In Yaqui, English, or Spanish!
http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/ Official Site!
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_2.html Trilingualism!
http://latinola.com/story.php?story=8208 Newspaper POV from 1890s!
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui_culture.htm Everything you need!
Text resources to come soon!
To be included: Deer Songs and Teachings of Don Juan.
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html In Yaqui, English, or Spanish!
http://www.pascuayaqui-nsn.gov/ Official Site!
http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~jar/TIL_2.html Trilingualism!
http://latinola.com/story.php?story=8208 Newspaper POV from 1890s!
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui_culture.htm Everything you need!
Text resources to come soon!
To be included: Deer Songs and Teachings of Don Juan.
Lesson #3
As I mentioned last week, I have decided to change my learning approach from a linguistic-based learning style to a communicative-based method. That is, I will use the language structure text as a reference when I want to know more about a particular form. My primary language learning resource is now online materials, particularly these sites:
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui.htm
The first is wonderful! I can read the same passage in Yaqui, English or Spanish. I think this site will be a good resources for learning phrases and complete sentences. On the other hand, the second site is more for individual vocabulary words (i.e. body parts, numbers, daily use terms).
This week I concentrated on individual vocabulary words and I will build up to complete sentences. I feel more comfortable learning with the new approach; learning through linguistics seemed like a daunting task. Using a more realistic means of learning, I believe I will better be able to concentrate my studying/learning to what will be useful to me.
Here are some new words:
Man = Takaa
Woman = Hamut
Black = Chukui
White - Tosai
Turquoise = Toloko
Red = Siki
See second site above for more new words I learned, including numbers, colors, and body parts (in case I injure myself!).
This week I also found myself reading up (in English) on the Yaqui culture and history. I remember doing an oral report on the Yaqui in my high school AP Spanish class. I recall it being about the legend of the "long-haired Yaqui." I should look for some more information on that folktale. Otherwise, I have read much about Yaqui relations (or lack thereof) with the Mexican government, their migration to the north (into the US), their religious affiliation and how it guides their traditions (especially among the Pascua Yaqui in AZ), and their famous Deer Songs.
Lesson #3: Be realistic.
Looking back at my first set of goals, including my goals for proficiency, they seemed unattainable by the end of 10 weeks. I have since adjusted them to be more attainable. Additionally, thinking about my actual use of Yaqui in the future, I believe speaking will be the primary function. Reading up on the Yaqui, it seems many native speakers are not literate (reading/writing) in their Yaqui L1- this is for the Sonoran Yaqui, I am unsure about the Pascua Yaqui. Therefore, I will not need much reading ability expect for academic purposed (however, it is unlikely I will attain that level of proficiency by the end of 10 weeks, maybe after a couple years). Writing, though possible not necessary for practical use, is essential to me for my learning process. I absolutely have to write vocabulary words out (and it cannot be typed, actually written with a pen and paper) to recall it later.
Being realistic about my current and prospective proficiency and actual language use is an important step in my language learning process. It has helped re-direct and guide my learning habits/method in order to (hopefully) better achieve my goals.
http://hemi.nyu.edu/cuaderno/yoeme/content.html
http://www.native-languages.org/yaqui.htm
The first is wonderful! I can read the same passage in Yaqui, English or Spanish. I think this site will be a good resources for learning phrases and complete sentences. On the other hand, the second site is more for individual vocabulary words (i.e. body parts, numbers, daily use terms).
This week I concentrated on individual vocabulary words and I will build up to complete sentences. I feel more comfortable learning with the new approach; learning through linguistics seemed like a daunting task. Using a more realistic means of learning, I believe I will better be able to concentrate my studying/learning to what will be useful to me.
Here are some new words:
Man = Takaa
Woman = Hamut
Black = Chukui
White - Tosai
Turquoise = Toloko
Red = Siki
See second site above for more new words I learned, including numbers, colors, and body parts (in case I injure myself!).
This week I also found myself reading up (in English) on the Yaqui culture and history. I remember doing an oral report on the Yaqui in my high school AP Spanish class. I recall it being about the legend of the "long-haired Yaqui." I should look for some more information on that folktale. Otherwise, I have read much about Yaqui relations (or lack thereof) with the Mexican government, their migration to the north (into the US), their religious affiliation and how it guides their traditions (especially among the Pascua Yaqui in AZ), and their famous Deer Songs.
Lesson #3: Be realistic.
Looking back at my first set of goals, including my goals for proficiency, they seemed unattainable by the end of 10 weeks. I have since adjusted them to be more attainable. Additionally, thinking about my actual use of Yaqui in the future, I believe speaking will be the primary function. Reading up on the Yaqui, it seems many native speakers are not literate (reading/writing) in their Yaqui L1- this is for the Sonoran Yaqui, I am unsure about the Pascua Yaqui. Therefore, I will not need much reading ability expect for academic purposed (however, it is unlikely I will attain that level of proficiency by the end of 10 weeks, maybe after a couple years). Writing, though possible not necessary for practical use, is essential to me for my learning process. I absolutely have to write vocabulary words out (and it cannot be typed, actually written with a pen and paper) to recall it later.
Being realistic about my current and prospective proficiency and actual language use is an important step in my language learning process. It has helped re-direct and guide my learning habits/method in order to (hopefully) better achieve my goals.
Reading Response: Culture and Community
In her book, Marshall (1989) gives a detailed guide to learning language in situ. Unfortunately, I do not have the advantage of being in or around a community that speaks Yaqui. Still, I believe Marshall's guide can be applied to my learning process.
Finding and learning a language with the help of a mentor (preferably a native speaker) would be invaluable. Though, I do believe it is possible to be your own mentor if you do not have access to a community of native speakers. Obviously, being your own mentor has some inherent drawbacks: lack of (modified) native speaker input, no partner for role=playing (unless you can convince a friend to do it!), no correction (unless you are self-monitoring- in which you are unlikely to catch most errors) and likely insufficient cultural input/behavior modeling. Nonetheless, the "mechanics of a learning relationship" (daily expectations, conducting hard-working sessions, varying activities, cultural differences) outlined by Marshall can be easily carried out by oneself.
I found Marshall's chapter (7) on "getting a head start at home" to be quite pertinent to my own language learning experience. Lets say I am preparing to go to a Yaqui community, what can I do to prepare myself (linguistically and culturally) before I immerse myself in the community? Marshall suggests "living abroad at home" (especially if language courses do not exist). This means finding possible mentors at home, in nearby communities (i.e. families, churches, social groups), and looking at literature (or other resources) to learn more about the target culture.
With LCTLs, it is difficult to locate a community of native speakers- even in Los Angeles. More than likely, most speakers may only have perceptive language abilities and do not speak the language. Furthermore, a native speaker will also speak English and/or Spanish. In this situation, it would be tempting to rely on those languages to talk about the LCTL, and not speak in it. One point that Marshall made on this topic of mentor selection was that learners should not ask "why" a native speaker says something one way (and not another, for example). I do not agree with this sentiment entirely. Being inquisitive about a language, its use as well as its form, I believe, is a sign of a good language learner. They want to know more about the language they are learning so to better use it when placed in the target culture environment. Although, being inquisitive and still not accepting the reasons for certain usage/form would not be acceptable.
Turning to the good language learner discussion in Finkbeiner, I believe the question about "good language learners being culturally more competent because they do not face culture shock" is an interesting one. While cultural competence in general can be difficult to attain when not studying a foreign language in the target community, a good language learner might seek out opportunities and resources to acquire cultural competency. For example, watching videos, reading about the target culture, interacting with native speakers, or studying abroad. Good language learners are probably more likely to accept the practices of the target culture without having to compare them (particularly by a better/worse standard) to their own cultural norms. This would make the "culture shock" phenomenon less traumatizing and could promote language learning.
Finding and learning a language with the help of a mentor (preferably a native speaker) would be invaluable. Though, I do believe it is possible to be your own mentor if you do not have access to a community of native speakers. Obviously, being your own mentor has some inherent drawbacks: lack of (modified) native speaker input, no partner for role=playing (unless you can convince a friend to do it!), no correction (unless you are self-monitoring- in which you are unlikely to catch most errors) and likely insufficient cultural input/behavior modeling. Nonetheless, the "mechanics of a learning relationship" (daily expectations, conducting hard-working sessions, varying activities, cultural differences) outlined by Marshall can be easily carried out by oneself.
I found Marshall's chapter (7) on "getting a head start at home" to be quite pertinent to my own language learning experience. Lets say I am preparing to go to a Yaqui community, what can I do to prepare myself (linguistically and culturally) before I immerse myself in the community? Marshall suggests "living abroad at home" (especially if language courses do not exist). This means finding possible mentors at home, in nearby communities (i.e. families, churches, social groups), and looking at literature (or other resources) to learn more about the target culture.
With LCTLs, it is difficult to locate a community of native speakers- even in Los Angeles. More than likely, most speakers may only have perceptive language abilities and do not speak the language. Furthermore, a native speaker will also speak English and/or Spanish. In this situation, it would be tempting to rely on those languages to talk about the LCTL, and not speak in it. One point that Marshall made on this topic of mentor selection was that learners should not ask "why" a native speaker says something one way (and not another, for example). I do not agree with this sentiment entirely. Being inquisitive about a language, its use as well as its form, I believe, is a sign of a good language learner. They want to know more about the language they are learning so to better use it when placed in the target culture environment. Although, being inquisitive and still not accepting the reasons for certain usage/form would not be acceptable.
Turning to the good language learner discussion in Finkbeiner, I believe the question about "good language learners being culturally more competent because they do not face culture shock" is an interesting one. While cultural competence in general can be difficult to attain when not studying a foreign language in the target community, a good language learner might seek out opportunities and resources to acquire cultural competency. For example, watching videos, reading about the target culture, interacting with native speakers, or studying abroad. Good language learners are probably more likely to accept the practices of the target culture without having to compare them (particularly by a better/worse standard) to their own cultural norms. This would make the "culture shock" phenomenon less traumatizing and could promote language learning.
Goals Revised
Here are my more focused, less vague, more attainable, revised goals for learning Yaqui:
1. Speak (including greetings/closings, asking simple questions) and use gestures appropriately in informal conversations about familiar/simple topics such as family, personal information, etc.
2. Ask and answer questions in an informal interview about personal background, daily life, education, and language.
(see my previous goals here: http://learningyaqui.blogspot.com/2010/04/goals.html)
1. Speak (including greetings/closings, asking simple questions) and use gestures appropriately in informal conversations about familiar/simple topics such as family, personal information, etc.
2. Ask and answer questions in an informal interview about personal background, daily life, education, and language.
(see my previous goals here: http://learningyaqui.blogspot.com/2010/04/goals.html)
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Lesson #2
Oh my is this language ever so difficult! Well, let's take that in stride, since my main resource for learning the language is still a book on Yaqui language structures.
After reviewing the phonology of Yaqui again this week, I found it not as daunting to produce some sample words. Honestly, I imagine that I am speaking the language in front of some really wise shaman (I very well might be generalizing here) and the sounds seem to come out a bit more naturally. Still, the abundance of glottal stops throws me off balance at times and I have to say English words with the glottal stop to get the sound just right again. By the way, Yaqui has high and low tones- I do not expect to master these yet- at least not until I get native speaker input (oral).
So what's new this week? Syntax! I now remember why I do not like syntax actually, and I think my approach (and possibly main resource) may be too heavily linguistics-based. That is, while the text gives detailed explanations of the language structure, I feel some elements are too advanced for my level and I am not learning relevant vocabulary for the most part (the examples are random sentences from a huge dataset).
Nonetheless, here are some grammatical elements I have learned about Yaqui:
It has a case system (yay for inflectional morphology!). I am not accustomed to working with a language that employs a case system to mark direct (accusative) and indirect (dative) object pronouns. Luckily, though my main source did not explicitly note the cases used, it was easily discernible from the examples. Noun phrase adjectives match in number (singular/plural) and case to the noun they modify. There is no gender marking.
-m is a plural marker
-k and -ta are direct object pronoun markers, where -k is used for adjectives and -ta for nouns.
Negation in Yaqui:
'é'e = no (used in response to yes/no question, for example)
kát = don't (used with negative imperatives)
káa = no/not (used with negative verb, adjective or adverb phrases)
Wh- Question words:
habé=sa = who?
hitá=sa = what?
hachin=sa = how?
hakún=sa = where?
Notice the "sa" interrogative clitic- these are mandatory. Otherwise, "habé" means a person, the "sa" makes it the interrogative. These wh- question words will be important to develop in order to meet my goal of conducting an interview in Yaqui.
Word Order
Object + Subject + Verb
As I said earlier, syntax and I don't jive so well. I think for my learning style and with the goals I set in the previous entry, I may have to look for a phrase book or a less grammar-intensive resource to work from. Also, the arrival of my Yaqui-English dictionary should help re-direct my focus in study. I am off to find some more realistic resources!
Lesson #2: Take note of your learning style: what and how you like to learn (and maybe more importantly, how you do not like to learn).
This week I have found my language learning to be too focused on the language structure, which I had original thought to be good (if I knew the structure, I could apply it more). However, as it turns out, with the goals I have set and the brutality of syntax-based learning, I believe I should re-direct my learning to a more phrase-based learning style and refer to the linguistic text when I want to derive the structure from a phrase I have learned. Otherwise, I feel I will just be learning random phrases based on the syntax I have learned, and not the other way around (which does not serve my vocabulary needs for conducting interviews and holding simple conversations).
After reviewing the phonology of Yaqui again this week, I found it not as daunting to produce some sample words. Honestly, I imagine that I am speaking the language in front of some really wise shaman (I very well might be generalizing here) and the sounds seem to come out a bit more naturally. Still, the abundance of glottal stops throws me off balance at times and I have to say English words with the glottal stop to get the sound just right again. By the way, Yaqui has high and low tones- I do not expect to master these yet- at least not until I get native speaker input (oral).
So what's new this week? Syntax! I now remember why I do not like syntax actually, and I think my approach (and possibly main resource) may be too heavily linguistics-based. That is, while the text gives detailed explanations of the language structure, I feel some elements are too advanced for my level and I am not learning relevant vocabulary for the most part (the examples are random sentences from a huge dataset).
Nonetheless, here are some grammatical elements I have learned about Yaqui:
It has a case system (yay for inflectional morphology!). I am not accustomed to working with a language that employs a case system to mark direct (accusative) and indirect (dative) object pronouns. Luckily, though my main source did not explicitly note the cases used, it was easily discernible from the examples. Noun phrase adjectives match in number (singular/plural) and case to the noun they modify. There is no gender marking.
-m is a plural marker
-k and -ta are direct object pronoun markers, where -k is used for adjectives and -ta for nouns.
Negation in Yaqui:
'é'e = no (used in response to yes/no question, for example)
kát = don't (used with negative imperatives)
káa = no/not (used with negative verb, adjective or adverb phrases)
Wh- Question words:
habé=sa = who?
hitá=sa = what?
hachin=sa = how?
hakún=sa = where?
Notice the "sa" interrogative clitic- these are mandatory. Otherwise, "habé" means a person, the "sa" makes it the interrogative. These wh- question words will be important to develop in order to meet my goal of conducting an interview in Yaqui.
Word Order
Object + Subject + Verb
As I said earlier, syntax and I don't jive so well. I think for my learning style and with the goals I set in the previous entry, I may have to look for a phrase book or a less grammar-intensive resource to work from. Also, the arrival of my Yaqui-English dictionary should help re-direct my focus in study. I am off to find some more realistic resources!
Lesson #2: Take note of your learning style: what and how you like to learn (and maybe more importantly, how you do not like to learn).
This week I have found my language learning to be too focused on the language structure, which I had original thought to be good (if I knew the structure, I could apply it more). However, as it turns out, with the goals I have set and the brutality of syntax-based learning, I believe I should re-direct my learning to a more phrase-based learning style and refer to the linguistic text when I want to derive the structure from a phrase I have learned. Otherwise, I feel I will just be learning random phrases based on the syntax I have learned, and not the other way around (which does not serve my vocabulary needs for conducting interviews and holding simple conversations).
Goals
Using Marshall (1989), I will set some goals for learning Yaqui. First, Marshall includes his Language Learner's Proficiency Scale (pp. 41-47); I believe it will be beneficial to assess my current proficiency in Yaqui and determined which level I would like to be at by the end of my course before I start the goal-setting procedure.
According to the LLPS, I would put myself in the Low Novice; this means I can say "hello," count to 10, say a handful of words, and I have set some goals. My proficiency objective is Intermediate-High Novice, which I believe is the most I could attain in a 10 week course. Intermediate-High Novice includes correct use of greetings, basic questions, making simple statements and request, as well as knowledge of 50-100 words.
While Yaqui is not a common language, the population of Yaqui speakers in the US are predominantly trilingual (Yaqui, Spanish, and English). This is of particular interest to me in terms of research on multilingualism and its potential benefits; therefore, I have set the following goals:
1. To appropriately interact with Yaqui speakers.
I will have to have knowledge of proper greetings/closings, how to interact in social situations (extralinguistic cues/gestures, register, terms of courtesy) and other cultural norms. Additionally, intermediate knowledge, such as opening and closing a conversation would be helpful. This goal requires me to be not only linguistically competent, but also attain an appropriate level of socio-cultural competence.
2. To conduct an interview for research purposes.
As a extension of the first goal, this second goal focuses on an academic context for use of the language. This goal involves asking (and likely answering) simple questions (including yes/no and wh- questions) and making simple requests (commands, requesting information). Similar to the goal 1, and why it is listed first, I will have to know how to interact with native speakers appropriately in order to conduct a successful interview.
An important part of goal-setting, according to Marshall, is to evaluate and revise. As I progress in learning Yaqui, I will be sure to re-assess my goals.
According to the LLPS, I would put myself in the Low Novice; this means I can say "hello," count to 10, say a handful of words, and I have set some goals. My proficiency objective is Intermediate-High Novice, which I believe is the most I could attain in a 10 week course. Intermediate-High Novice includes correct use of greetings, basic questions, making simple statements and request, as well as knowledge of 50-100 words.
While Yaqui is not a common language, the population of Yaqui speakers in the US are predominantly trilingual (Yaqui, Spanish, and English). This is of particular interest to me in terms of research on multilingualism and its potential benefits; therefore, I have set the following goals:
1. To appropriately interact with Yaqui speakers.
I will have to have knowledge of proper greetings/closings, how to interact in social situations (extralinguistic cues/gestures, register, terms of courtesy) and other cultural norms. Additionally, intermediate knowledge, such as opening and closing a conversation would be helpful. This goal requires me to be not only linguistically competent, but also attain an appropriate level of socio-cultural competence.
2. To conduct an interview for research purposes.
As a extension of the first goal, this second goal focuses on an academic context for use of the language. This goal involves asking (and likely answering) simple questions (including yes/no and wh- questions) and making simple requests (commands, requesting information). Similar to the goal 1, and why it is listed first, I will have to know how to interact with native speakers appropriately in order to conduct a successful interview.
An important part of goal-setting, according to Marshall, is to evaluate and revise. As I progress in learning Yaqui, I will be sure to re-assess my goals.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Lesson #1
The main text I am using to learn Yaqui, Sonora Yaqui Language Structures, gives a detailed description of the Yaqui language spoken in Sonora, México. My original intent was to learn the Pascua Yaqui language (AZ), though the authors attest that the two are actually quite similar. Pascua Yaqui has more borrowings from Spanish and English- what Dedrick calls a "learner's vocabulary" (pp. 3).
Starting with Yaqui phonology (sound system), I am already encountering some successes and some problems. First, I am quite comfortable with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols used to describe the sound system, but I have yet to find a resource that will model these sounds for me. Fortunately I have phonetic training in Spanish, which has aided me with the pronunciation of Yaqui vowels and some consonants (i.e. [ß] voiced bilabial fricative, [p] voiceless, unaspirated bilabial stop).
Additionally, as a native speaker of English, I am able to produce the retroflex "r" (as in "red") as in English and the glottal stop (as in "uh-oh")- admittedly the latter is more difficult to produce in unfamiliar words though. Yet, there remain some sounds that are completely foreign to me. For example, the [b^w], which I had previously assumed was a different way to transcribe [ß] until reading more into the text. I have found that this phoneme occurs at the onset of a syllable and starts like the [b] voiced bilabial stop and releases as a glide into the following vowel. As it turns out, not as difficult as I imagine- though an audio example would be quite beneficial.
Furthermore, there is this fun little consonant cluster [kt]; to pronounce it correctly, simply position the back of your tongue as if you are producing [k] and the front of your tongue as if you are producing [t]. Now try to produce both sounds at the same time. Did you do it? I didn't either.
Lesson #1: Use prior knowledge!
At least with phonological structures I can draw from my knowledge of both the English and Spanish sound systems to create and test my hypotheses about pronunciation in Yaqui. This background knowledge made me a bit more comfortable jumping into a language of which I had no prior knowledge (with regards to phonology or grammar). Also, the text I am using is very much linguistic based, and the terminology alone would be daunting had I not already been familiar with it.
Starting with Yaqui phonology (sound system), I am already encountering some successes and some problems. First, I am quite comfortable with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) symbols used to describe the sound system, but I have yet to find a resource that will model these sounds for me. Fortunately I have phonetic training in Spanish, which has aided me with the pronunciation of Yaqui vowels and some consonants (i.e. [ß] voiced bilabial fricative, [p] voiceless, unaspirated bilabial stop).
Additionally, as a native speaker of English, I am able to produce the retroflex "r" (as in "red") as in English and the glottal stop (as in "uh-oh")- admittedly the latter is more difficult to produce in unfamiliar words though. Yet, there remain some sounds that are completely foreign to me. For example, the [b^w], which I had previously assumed was a different way to transcribe [ß] until reading more into the text. I have found that this phoneme occurs at the onset of a syllable and starts like the [b] voiced bilabial stop and releases as a glide into the following vowel. As it turns out, not as difficult as I imagine- though an audio example would be quite beneficial.
Furthermore, there is this fun little consonant cluster [kt]; to pronounce it correctly, simply position the back of your tongue as if you are producing [k] and the front of your tongue as if you are producing [t]. Now try to produce both sounds at the same time. Did you do it? I didn't either.
Lesson #1: Use prior knowledge!
At least with phonological structures I can draw from my knowledge of both the English and Spanish sound systems to create and test my hypotheses about pronunciation in Yaqui. This background knowledge made me a bit more comfortable jumping into a language of which I had no prior knowledge (with regards to phonology or grammar). Also, the text I am using is very much linguistic based, and the terminology alone would be daunting had I not already been familiar with it.
Course Outline
Here is the outline I plan to follow (with some minor adjustments- particularly with the grammar order) as I learn Yaqui. Again, this is from Pima Community College in Tucson, AZ.
Outline:
I. Introduction to the Yaqui Language
A.Yaqui and the Uto-Aztecan Language Family
B.Spanish Influence on Yaqui
C.The Writing System
II. The Sounds of Yaqui
A.Pronunciation Guide: Special Sounds
1.The Glottal Stop and the Rounded ‘B’
2.Short, Long, and Glottal Vowels
B.Comparison of Yaqui and English Writing Systems, with Some Notes on Spanish
III. Introduction to the Yaqui Pitch/Accent System
A.Words Showing the Contrast: Some Minimal Pairs
B.The “Typical” Pitch/Accent Pattern
IV.Introduction to Yaqui Grammar: Simple Intransitive Sentences
A.Sounds and Articles
B.Singular and Plural “Agreement”
C.Some Verbs
D.Combining Subjects and Verbs in Sentences
V.Sentences with Objects: Transitive Sentences
A.Marking Nouns as Objects
B.Using Both Subjects and Objects
1.Word Order
2.Object Marking
C.Negative Sentences: Saying “Yes” and “No”
VI.Pronouns
A.Subject Pronouns
B.Object Pronouns
C.Using Both Pronouns and Nouns in Sentences
VII.“Second Position” Subject Pronouns
VIII.Verbs and Expressing Time
A.The Imperfective Aspect
B.The Perfective Aspect and Past Time
C.Future Time
IX.Special Verbs: Singular and Plural
A.Reduplication
B.Suppletion
C.Combining Nouns and Verbs Showing Number Agreement
X.Possessive Constructions
A.Possesor Nouns
1.In Subject Phrases
2.In Object Phrases
XI.Questions: Interrogative Sentences
A.“Yes/No” Questions
B.Question Words
XII.Commands and Requests: Imperative Sentences
A.Singular and Plural Object
B.Objects
XIII.Useful Expressions: How to be Polite
A.Greetings
B.Conversations
Outline:
I. Introduction to the Yaqui Language
A.Yaqui and the Uto-Aztecan Language Family
B.Spanish Influence on Yaqui
C.The Writing System
II. The Sounds of Yaqui
A.Pronunciation Guide: Special Sounds
1.The Glottal Stop and the Rounded ‘B’
2.Short, Long, and Glottal Vowels
B.Comparison of Yaqui and English Writing Systems, with Some Notes on Spanish
III. Introduction to the Yaqui Pitch/Accent System
A.Words Showing the Contrast: Some Minimal Pairs
B.The “Typical” Pitch/Accent Pattern
IV.Introduction to Yaqui Grammar: Simple Intransitive Sentences
A.Sounds and Articles
B.Singular and Plural “Agreement”
C.Some Verbs
D.Combining Subjects and Verbs in Sentences
V.Sentences with Objects: Transitive Sentences
A.Marking Nouns as Objects
B.Using Both Subjects and Objects
1.Word Order
2.Object Marking
C.Negative Sentences: Saying “Yes” and “No”
VI.Pronouns
A.Subject Pronouns
B.Object Pronouns
C.Using Both Pronouns and Nouns in Sentences
VII.“Second Position” Subject Pronouns
VIII.Verbs and Expressing Time
A.The Imperfective Aspect
B.The Perfective Aspect and Past Time
C.Future Time
IX.Special Verbs: Singular and Plural
A.Reduplication
B.Suppletion
C.Combining Nouns and Verbs Showing Number Agreement
X.Possessive Constructions
A.Possesor Nouns
1.In Subject Phrases
2.In Object Phrases
XI.Questions: Interrogative Sentences
A.“Yes/No” Questions
B.Question Words
XII.Commands and Requests: Imperative Sentences
A.Singular and Plural Object
B.Objects
XIII.Useful Expressions: How to be Polite
A.Greetings
B.Conversations
My Tools for Success
Here is a list of resources I will be using in my endeavor to learn the Yaqui language:
Dedrick, J.M. & Casad, E.H. (1999). Sonora Yaqui language structures. University of Arizona Press: Tucson.*
Zavala Castro, P. (1989). Apuntes sobre el dialecto yaqui. Gobierno del estado de Sonora: Sonora, México.
Yaqui Indian Language
This Yoeme (Yaqui language)- English Dictionary: http://www.amazon.com/Dic-Yoeme-English-Dictionary/dp/078180633X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270612994&sr=1-1
I will also be using a course outline from a Yaqui language course (YAQ101) offered at Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ, 2005) to guide my study.
*This will be my main resource as I have been unable to find an actual textbook.
Dedrick, J.M. & Casad, E.H. (1999). Sonora Yaqui language structures. University of Arizona Press: Tucson.*
Zavala Castro, P. (1989). Apuntes sobre el dialecto yaqui. Gobierno del estado de Sonora: Sonora, México.
Yaqui Indian Language
This Yoeme (Yaqui language)- English Dictionary: http://www.amazon.com/Dic-Yoeme-English-Dictionary/dp/078180633X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1270612994&sr=1-1
I will also be using a course outline from a Yaqui language course (YAQ101) offered at Pima Community College (Tucson, AZ, 2005) to guide my study.
*This will be my main resource as I have been unable to find an actual textbook.
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