Category Archives: Media and Publicity

Digital Resources, Endangered Language Activism, Enduring Voices Project, Indigenous Language Activists, K. David Harrison, Language Hotspots, Launches and Public Events, Media and Publicity, Support Endangered Languages, Talking Dictionaries, Workshops

“Festival of Words” and Dictionary Workshop in Colombia

ImageIn October 2012, Dr. K. David Harrison traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, to participate in the 3rd annual “Festival de la Palabra” (Festival of Words) in honor of the diversity indigenous languages and cultures in Colombia.

The event was organized by the Instituto Caro y Cuervo. More information, including the event program, can be found on the event website, which describes the event as follows:

“El Festival de la Palabra Caro y Cuervo en su tercera versión está dirigido a presentar la riqueza cultural de diversas comunidades indígenas de nuestro país a través de manifestaciones culturales (música, danza, arte propio, medicina tradicional), esta es una oportunidad para compartir un espacio alrededor de la palabra.
 
El Festival de la Palabra Caro y Cuervo es el evento más destacado dentro de las actividades que la institución desarrolla en el marco de la conmemoración de sus 70 años de existencia. La programación incluye talleres, conferencias y mesas redondas sobre lenguas nativas en las que participarán representantes de las comunidades indígenas, estudiosos e investigadores de estas comunidades; así mismo habrá una muestra artística y cultural. El evento contará también con la participación del lingüista David Harrison quien es conocido por sus estudios de lenguas en peligro de extinción.”

In conjunction with the festival, Dr. Harrison was also involved in teaching a Talking Dictionary Workshop. He met many leaders in the field of indigenous language activism in Colombia. Here are some of his photos, and the rest of the slideshow can be viewed on his Living Tongues photo album on Facebook.

ImageProf. Eudocio Becarra (Uitoto language expert) with Páez (Nasa Yuwe) team members Yesenia Rincón Jimenéz and Anania Piñacue.

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Embera team recording: Angelica Maná Avila, Daniel Aguirre, Lina Tobón Yagaií

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Audience at K. David Harrison lecture on digital dictionaries

Instituto Caro y Cuervo, Bogotá, Colombia

Endangered Language Activism, Enduring Voices Project, Indigenous Language Activists, Media and Publicity, Support Endangered Languages

Mapudungun poetry by María Inés Huenuñir Antihuala

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Great news! We are organizing our first-ever media skills workshop for speakers of Latin American endangered languages. It will take place in Chile in January 2013. One our invited participants is language activist María Inés Huenuñir Antihuala (pictured above, on the left).

Maria is a Mapuche teacher and poet who writes beautiful bilingual poetry in Mapudungun and Spanish. Here is an example of one of her bilingual poems, “Mapuche Domo” with the English translation by Living Tongues researcher Anna Luisa Daigneault. If you are a Mapudungun or Spanish speaker and see ways to improve the English translation, please leave us a comment. Thanks! A video recording of the poem can also be viewed below.

MAPUCHE DOMO

Weñankley kiñe domo,
kiñe Mapuche ñuke,
kisu ka lelikeyantu
lelikey ximiñ pun
tukunefi, kisu ñi kupam meu
weñanklekey,
welu kume tukukey.
Ñi xapelakucha kañi xariloyko
amun rellmu felekey ñi chape
ka kiñe kelu xariwe tukunekey,
pa yomillkey ñi age yewekelu.
Wellu kume kidaukey
cheu ñi amun amukey
kisu ni sungu yengu
Mapuche ñuke.
Amun manke reke feleaimi
fey ta yewekelay ñi kurigen
kume uxapralekey wente escudo mev
eimi niemi kume piuke.
kume molfiñ
poyeneimi kom mi puke puñeñ
amuaimi emi mi lelfiñ mev
kiñe koskilla rayen elumeaimi
chaltumai ñuke.

MUJER MAPUCHE

Triste suspira una mujer,
es una mujer Mapuche,
ella también puede ver,
luz de día, oscuridad de noche.
La oscuridad se asemeja
a lo oscuro de su ropa
y aunque triste ella maneja,
sus lindas joyas de plata.
Cintas de colores, en sus trenzas,
lleva una roja faja también
ya ¡No quiere más ofensas!
ella trabaja muy bien.
Se acompleja por su piel oscura,
se siente falta de comprensión,
pero quiere defender su cultura,
llevar su costumbre por tradición.
Mujer Mapuche, ¡has como el condor!
él, pese a su plumaje oscuro
se siente feliz y con gran honor,
orgulloso se luce sobre el escudo.
Tú tienes corazón sincero y tierno
que rebosa de sangre pura,
mujer de cariño eterno…
proteges a tus hijos con gran ternura.
Amada madre ¡no te sientas mal!
vive tranquila, con serenidad
allá, siempre cerca de lo natural,
te daré un copihue, gracias a tu bondad

MAPUCHE WOMAN

The sad sigh of a woman,
she is a Mapuche woman.
She can see both
the light of day, the dark of night.
The darkness blends
with the dark color of her clothes.
Although she is sad, she proudly wears
her beautiful silver jewelry.
Laces of all colors, in her braids,
she wears a red belt as well.
She wants no more insults!
She works so hard.
Troubled by her dark skin,
No one understands her.
But she wants to defend her culture,
Carry on with her traditional customs.
Mapuche woman, be like the condor!
Despite his dark feathers,
He feels happiness and great honor
He shines proudly on the coat of arms.
You have a sincere and tender heart
That overflows with pure blood
Woman of eternal tenderness
Protect your children with great care!
Beloved mother, don’t be hard on yourself!
Live peacefully, with serenity
There, near the natural world
I will give you a kopiwe flower
To thank you for your kindness

Endangered Language Activism, Indigenous Language Activists, K. David Harrison, Language Hotspots, Launches and Public Events, Media and Publicity, Support Endangered Languages, Talking Dictionaries

Endangered Languages Fair at the New York Public Library

On September 29th, 2012, the Ethnic Services Round Table of the New York Library Association, the Endangered Language Alliance, and the New York Public Library (NYPL) joined forces to raise awareness about minority languages in danger. Attendees learned why small languages matter and what efforts are being made to preserve them.

Check out the Endangered Languages Fair event line-up on the NYPL website. There is also a write-up on the Endangered Language Alliance website.

K. David Harrison, Research Director for Living Tongues Institute and author of “The Last Speakers: The Quest to save the World’s Most Endangered Languages”, gave a special multi-media presentation entitled “Endangered Languages: Local & Global Perspectives”. Many other speakers and activists were also featured at the event. Here are some photos of the fair, courtesy of Living Tongues volunteer Natalie Feingold.

Introduction to K. David Harrison’s presentation at the New York Public Library

K. David Harrison addressing the crowd about language extinction

K. David Harrison and Living Tongues volunteer Natalie Feingold

For more background on the event, check out “Why Save Languages? A Few Words About Language Extinction and Revitalization” written by Brigid Cahalan, Library Sites & Services/Outreach for New York Publich Library.

Digital Resources, Endangered Language Activism, Gregory D. S. Anderson, Media and Publicity

Dr. Gregory Anderson publishes “Auxiliary verb constructions in the languages of Africa”

Dr. Gregory D. S. Anderson recently published “Auxiliary verb constructions in the languages of Africa” in Studies in African Linguistics. This mammoth 409-page study examines verbs from over 500 African languages! Here is Anderson when he was doing linguistic fieldwork in Nigeria; he is photographed with the ruler of Alesa clan, HRH Emere Emperor John D. Nkpe II, Onch Alesa X (Eleme LGA, Rivers State, Nigeria).

ImageThis past week, Dr. Anderson spoke about his research on African languages at an international linguistics conference in Paris,  “Towards Proto-Niger-Congo: Comparison and Reconstruction“. Here is the flyer for the event:

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His presentation was entitled “S/TAM/P morphs (Portmanteau subject/TAM/polarity morphs) in Niger-Congo languages” and his abstract can be found with the rest of the participants abstracts on the conference website.