Discovering Omaha Linguistic Structure through the Documentation of Fluent Omaha Elders' Voices

Nebraska Indian Community College, Macy

Investigators

Abstract

Understanding how and why human languages package information in particular ways can shed light on human cognitive processes. Humans overwhelmingly organize information in order to facilitate maximum comprehension. In spoken and signed language, salient information is most often presented to the conversant first. This is then followed with a contextualizing comment or additional modification. This organization of information is thought to facilitate comprehension. The main meaning of a word, for example, often comes first, and then, may be followed by suffixes that lend further modification, e.g. English 'like' and 'liked'. There are a small set of languages worldwide that place all or most modifying information at the beginning of the word, that is, in prefixes rather than in suffixes. These languages challenge theories of how speakers package information so that hearers can best comprehend a message. Many such prefixing languages are endangered so that the key to the cognitive processes that allow for comprehension even in the face of unexpected information organization will soon be lost. The highly endangered Siouan Native American language Omaha is one such complex prefixing language. This project will lead to valuable documentation of a variety of genres of Omaha from the few remaining elders who speak the language fluently. The data gathered will inform theories on the cognitive processing of word structure where comment and modification precede the semantic core of the word. In addition Omaha data will contribute to morphological theories on the organization of affixes: most languages organize derivational morphology before inflection but in Omaha inflectional and derivational morphology are interdigitated. Community members Micheal Oltrogge and Alice Saunsoci of the Omaha language department of the Nebraska Indian Community College will work with the tribe's Elders Language Advisory Council to create a database of conversational and narrative discourse in Omaha from thirty fluent Elders. The team will use state-of-the art language documentation protocol to collect, transcribe, and translate the data. This work will be conducted in collaboration with linguist Ardis Eschenberg who will also help the team produce a book on Omaha verbs. Both the audio and video documentation and material on Omaha verbs will be accessible from the Sam Noble museum. The project will broaden participation of Native American language experts through the training in documentary linguistics they will receive as a result of this project.