(Ebook) Fighting Language Endangerment. Community Directed Research on Sm'algyax (Coast Tsimshian) by Tonya Stebbins ISBN 9780648468134, 0648468135

(Ebook) Fighting Language Endangerment. Community Directed Research on Sm'algyax (Coast Tsimshian) by Tonya Stebbins ISBN 9780648468134, 0648468135

Around the world indigenous languages are losing speakers. Because language is such a significant expressionof identity and culture, indigenous communities are seeking ways to support and strengthen their languages.This book discusses a number of sociopolitical and descriptive issues arising from the development of theSm'algyax Learners' Dictionary. The dictionary was developed in partnership with the Tsimshian Nation andis being used as a teaching tool in the Sm'algyax Language Program.Part 1 provides background to the approach taken in this book. This approach marries the development of thedictionary with research into the language. A symbiotic relationship between the descriptive, pedagogical andsociolinguistic areas of research allows for a fundamentally practical approach including the preparation ofuser-friendly materials.Communities who speak endangered languages place a great deal of importance on sociolinguistic and historical factors relating to language change. In Part 2 the history of the Tsimshian Nation is shown to be closely tiedup with the vitality of the language. Sociolinguistic factors important to understanding the state of the languagetoday are identified and the typology of the language is described.Part 3 describes the development of materials for use within the Tsimshian community. A number of languageplanning problems are discussed in depth here. Some of these become particularly acute when working withcommunities of endangered languages. The discussion provides examples specifically relating to Sm'algyax,though the methodologies developed here could be used in similar situations elsewhere. They include: orthography development; dictionary design; and the management of lexical expansion.Part 4 gives an evaluation of the community directed language work in relation to the Sm'algyax Learners'Dictionary project identifying strengths and challenges associated with this approach.