Collaborative Research: Documenting Wounmeu (NOA)

University Of Georgia Research Foundation Inc, Athens GA

Investigators

Abstract

This project documents Wounmeu (NOA), a Chocó language of Central and South America, via the analysis of sixty years of recorded myths and legends from Colombia and Panama. There are approximately 7,000 adult Wounaan in Panama and the same number in Colombia according to the last censuses. The research goals of this project have been co-determined with the aid of Wounaan leaders and esteemed story-tellers in Panama. They include 1) preparation and archiving of audio recordings of Wounaan myths and legends, 2) documentation and analysis of the Wounaan language and culture through transcription and translation of the myths and legends, 3) a Wounmeu-Spanish dictionary, 4) training of native speakers in language documentation, and 5) dissemination of the research results. This research reflects the speaker community's passionate interest in language documentation and conservation as they experience their children's loss of language fluency. It documents a small and understudied language, Wounmeu, one of only two languages in the Chocó language group. For language documentation, this project draws on an uncommon historical depth of cultural and linguistic materials spanning sixty years. It makes available and permanently archives these historic audio recordings. Central to this project is the training of Wounaan, a historically underrepresented group, in language documentation and dissemination. Wounaan will be the main workforce in this project, and project researchers will train Wounaan in linguistic skills, cultural and language documentation, materials development, and computer skills. In addition, this research will greatly enhance the infrastructure available to Wounaan via the Foundation for the Development of Wounaan People in Panama, including computing and internet availability. The project also provides training for a joint anthropology and linguistics graduate student. Conference papers and articles will report on linguistics and collaborative language documentation.