Papers by Juliet Morgan
This dissertation focuses on a specific language revitalization method used by the Chickasaw Nati... more This dissertation focuses on a specific language revitalization method used by the Chickasaw Nation, currently located in Oklahoma. Language revitalization refers to any effort intended to increase the use of a language, usually an endangered language that has a decreasing number of speakers. The Chickasaw language is severely endangered, with an estimated 50 native speakers who are all over the age of sixty. As part of their language revitalization efforts, Chickasaw Nation has created the Chikasha Academy, a program designed to teach the language to adults. The goal of the program is to produce conversationally proficient adult speakers after two years in the Academy. This research has focused on the successes of the learners in the Academy as they learn their language. This dissertation analyzes how the adult learners in the Chikasha Academy are learning the language, in terms of: 1) what they learn, 2) what order they learn it in, and 3) what level they reach in their learning after one year. Specifically, the research focuses on the learners' morphosyntax (how they create words and sentences) and discourse (how they connect their sentences). Expectedly, when compared to both published descriptions of Chickasaw, which are based on native speakers, and the speech of the native speakers involved in the Chikasha Academy program, the adult learners' morphosyntax and discourse structures have noticeable differences. However, what they learn successfully far outweighs these differences. In the Chikasha Academy, several adult learners meet daily with native speakers for structured immersion sessions. All sessions are recorded by the Chickasaw Nation and these recordings are the main data analyzed in this dissertation. Supplementing this
This paper presents the first publication of a Plains Apache text. Native speaker Alfred Chalepah
Hinton (2008; 2011) describes endangered language acquisition as a “bottleneck,” a process where ... more Hinton (2008; 2011) describes endangered language acquisition as a “bottleneck,” a process where the language undergoes major changes resulting in a new variety. The process involves changes due to simplification and first language interference, with the likelihood that any changes in the language will become permanent features of the resulting new variety, possibly to the point of pidginization (Sasse 1992; Goodfellow 2002). This paper describes the learner varieties developing in the “bottleneck” for Chickasaw, as the language is being acquired by adult learners in an immersion program. Chickasaw is a Muskogean language spoken in southeastern Oklahoma by approximately 60 speakers. In the Chikashsha Academy, multiple second language (L2) learners of various levels meet daily with native speakers for recorded immersion sessions. This paper describes the novice and intermediate learner varieties of L2 Chickasaw based on an analysis of one year of the program’s recordings. Six learner...
This dissertation focuses on a specific language revitalization method used by the Chickasaw Nati... more This dissertation focuses on a specific language revitalization method used by the Chickasaw Nation, currently located in Oklahoma. Language revitalization refers to any effort intended to increase the use of a language, usually an endangered language that has a decreasing number of speakers. The Chickasaw language is severely endangered, with an estimated 50 native speakers who are all over the age of sixty. As part of their language revitalization efforts, Chickasaw Nation has created the Chikasha Academy, a program designed to teach the language to adults. The goal of the program is to produce conversationally proficient adult speakers after two years in the Academy. This research has focused on the successes of the learners in the Academy as they learn their language. This dissertation analyzes how the adult learners in the Chikasha Academy are learning the language, in terms of: 1) what they learn, 2) what order they learn it in, and 3) what level they reach in their learning after one year. Specifically, the research focuses on the learners' morphosyntax (how they create words and sentences) and discourse (how they connect their sentences). Expectedly, when compared to both published descriptions of Chickasaw, which are based on native speakers, and the speech of the native speakers involved in the Chikasha Academy program, the adult learners' morphosyntax and discourse structures have noticeable differences. However, what they learn successfully far outweighs these differences. In the Chikasha Academy, several adult learners meet daily with native speakers for structured immersion sessions. All sessions are recorded by the Chickasaw Nation and these recordings are the main data analyzed in this dissertation. Supplementing this
International Journal of Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, 2012
This study examines the background and motivations of first through fourth semester university-le... more This study examines the background and motivations of first through fourth semester university-level Native American language learners at the University of Oklahoma. A survey of ten questions collected data concerning demographic information, students’ home language background, their favored classroom activities, motivations for taking the course, and intended future study of the language. The survey was designed to discover who is enrolling in Cherokee, Cheyenne, Choctaw, Muscogee Creek, and Kiowa at the University of Oklahoma, and why these individuals choose to study these languages. The analysis distinguishes heritage language learners from second language learners. The results of the study work toward an understanding of whether these students are motivated by integrative or instrumental factors and how understanding these students’ backgrounds and motivations can inform teaching methods.
Oklahoma Working Papers in Indigenous Languages
This paper presents the first publication of a Plains Apache text. Native speaker Alfred Chalepah... more This paper presents the first publication of a Plains Apache text. Native speaker Alfred Chalepah Sr. told the story to linguist Harry Hoijer ca. 1935. Hoijer’s transcription included word level glosses, but no free translation. A free translation was collected by Hoijer’s student, William E. Bittle, from the original speaker Alfred Chalepah Sr. using Hoijer’s original transcription, though no date was noted for when this was collected. Hoijer also collected paradigms related to the text on hundreds of slip files. This paper combines all of this information into a single presentation of the text, ‘Dèènáá Bìč'èèčéé Bìčìƛ'á̧á̧ - Man and His Wives and His Brother.’ I also discuss new analyses found in the text concerning third person object prefixes (yi- and bi-) and aspectual prefixes on the verb in Plains Apache.
Working Papers in Athabaskan (Dene) Languages 2012
In all Athabaskan languages, classificatory verbs assign defining characteristics to an argument,... more In all Athabaskan languages, classificatory verbs assign defining characteristics to an argument, describe the movement (or lack thereof) of the object, and, like all verbs in these languages, encode mode and aspect. First described by Davidson et al. in 1963, Athabaskan classificatory verb stems traditionally distribute into four categories of movement: neuter verbs of resting (Set A), verbs of handling (Set B), verbs of partially controlled action (Set C), and verbs of free movement (Set D). I focus on the ‘handling’ Set B verbs of Plains Apache, a Southern Athabaskan language with no fluent first language speakers. Using archival materials on Plains Apache, I first describe the twelve Set B classificatory verb stems of Plains Apache and then focus on the variations in stem shapes caused by mode and/or aspect . This paper adds to the limited scholarship on Plains Apache, specifically classificatory verbs, which have only been analyzed in three comparative analyses (Hoijer, 1945; Liebe-Harkort, 1984; de Reuse, 2001).
The first section of this paper provides some background information on Plains Apache and the data used in this paper. Section 2 briefly introduces some of the basic elements of Plains Apache grammar, focusing on the verbal prefix complex. Section 3 outlines the classificatory verb system of Plains Apache, focusing on Set B verbs. Section 4 examines the stem variations in the Set B classificatory verbs caused by mode and aspect and proposes aspectual prefixes based on this analysis. Section 5 discusses how the availability of classificatory verb forms in the archival data limits the analysis. Section 6 summarizes the findings.
Working Papers in Literacy, Culture, and Language Education, 1, p. 27-49. , 2012
This study examines the background and motivations of first through fourth semester university-le... more This study examines the background and motivations of first through fourth semester university-level Native American language learners at the University of Oklahoma. A survey of ten questions collected data concerning demographic information, students’ home language background, students’ favored classroom activities, students’ motivations for taking the course, and students’ intended future study of the language. The survey was designed to discover who is enrolling in Cherokee, Cheyenne, Choctaw, Muscogee Creek, and Kiowa classes at the University of Oklahoma, and why these individuals choose to study these languages. The analysis distinguishes heritage language learners from second language learners. The results of the study work toward an understanding of whether these students are motivated by integrative or instrumental factors and how understanding these students’ backgrounds and motivations can inform teaching methods.
Conference Presentations by Juliet Morgan
This paper offers a preliminary analysis of the learner variety of an adult learner of Chickasaw,... more This paper offers a preliminary analysis of the learner variety of an adult learner of Chickasaw, a Muskogean language spoken today by around 65 fluent first language elders in Oklahoma. Since 2007, Chickasaw Nation has had a Master-Apprentice program, using the model created by linguist Leanne Hinton and the Native California Network in 1992 (Hinton 1997; 2001; 2008; 2011; Hinton et al. 2002). The Master-Apprentice program pairs elder fluent speakers (masters) with young adult learners (apprentices), who learn the language by doing and discussing everyday tasks together. The Master-Apprentice (M-A) pairs speak Chickasaw for two hours a day, five days a week. The goal of the program is to produce competent adult second-language speakers of Chickasaw who will go on to teach the language to future generations. The Chickasaw Language Revitalization Program (CLRP) requires that the apprentices make, at minimum, monthly recordings of their sessions with their masters and deposit these recordings with the CLRP. Using the CLRP's Master-Apprentice recordings, this paper analyzes the learner variety of one of the apprentices during their first year in the program. The paper focuses on the apprentice's usage of verbal morphology, specifically pronominal affixes, tense-aspect and modal suffixes, and negative constructions.
Hinton (2011) demonstrates how the learning and teaching of endangered languages have features an... more Hinton (2011) demonstrates how the learning and teaching of endangered languages have features and needs that are distinctly different from the teaching of heritage languages and of second languages (whether foreign or majority languages). In the United States, many indigenous languages are being offered as university language classes to fulfill foreign language requirements. In examining the Native American Language Program (NALP) at the University of Oklahoma (OU), we find that university-level endangered language classes contain a mixture of second language learners, heritage language learners, and endangered language learners. Each of these groups of learners have distinct motivations, attitudes, and pedagogical needs.
In Fall 2010: Cheyenne, Muscogee Creek -4 semesters Cherokee, Choctaw, and Kiowa -3 semeste... more In Fall 2010: Cheyenne, Muscogee Creek -4 semesters Cherokee, Choctaw, and Kiowa -3 semesters 12 instructors, first and second language speakers SURVEY Language Background 4. Non-University ______ language classes taken (circle): 1 yr high school, 2 yrs high school, 3 yrs high school, 3+ yrs high school, no previous experience, community classes, online classes 5. University-level _____ classes taken, if applicable (circle): 1 semester, 2 semesters, 3 semesters, 3+ semesters 6. Do your parents or family members speak _____ at home? (circle): Always Usually Occasionally Never Course 7. My favorite part of this course is (check all that apply): 8. I feel I need more (check all that apply): grammar explanations/exercises conversation activities lectures homework compositions listening activities opportunities to speak with others in class tests cultural and historical information other:______________
Oklahoma Workshop on Native American Languages, Apr 14, 2012
Plains Apache is a Southern Athabaskan language with no fluent first language speakers that is sp... more Plains Apache is a Southern Athabaskan language with no fluent first language speakers that is spoken in southwestern Oklahoma by semi-speakers and rememberers. Given the absence of fluency, any future endeavors with the language by either academic researchers and/or the heritage language community will necessarily have to rely heavily on previously documented materials. Finding and accessing previous documentation is already a priority for any endangered language community, but it is even more urgent for a language like Plains Apache. This paper examines why the challenges of accessing documented and archived data of endangered native North American languages exist in general and specifically discusses the accessibility, or lack thereof, of all the known documentation of Plains Apache.
Archiving has become an integral part of documentary linguistics, but the linking of archiving with language documentation was not really articulated or considered part of ethical professional behavior until the late 1990s. As such there is a large amount of unarchived and currently inaccessible endangered language documentation for many native North American languages collected during the twentieth century. As a research assistant on a project to document the Plains Apache language, I have been gathering all the known documentation of the language to contribute to the dictionary that will be created as part of the project. The discussion in this presentation will focus on the linguistic content, presence or lack of metadata, and ease of access of currently accessible Plains Apache documentation. Making any and all previous documentation known and accessible will be valuable not only to any members of the Plains Apache community for any future endeavors at language revitalization, but also to researchers and linguists for guiding current and future work with those who still have some knowledge or memory of the language.
Teaching Documents by Juliet Morgan
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Papers by Juliet Morgan
The first section of this paper provides some background information on Plains Apache and the data used in this paper. Section 2 briefly introduces some of the basic elements of Plains Apache grammar, focusing on the verbal prefix complex. Section 3 outlines the classificatory verb system of Plains Apache, focusing on Set B verbs. Section 4 examines the stem variations in the Set B classificatory verbs caused by mode and aspect and proposes aspectual prefixes based on this analysis. Section 5 discusses how the availability of classificatory verb forms in the archival data limits the analysis. Section 6 summarizes the findings.
Conference Presentations by Juliet Morgan
Archiving has become an integral part of documentary linguistics, but the linking of archiving with language documentation was not really articulated or considered part of ethical professional behavior until the late 1990s. As such there is a large amount of unarchived and currently inaccessible endangered language documentation for many native North American languages collected during the twentieth century. As a research assistant on a project to document the Plains Apache language, I have been gathering all the known documentation of the language to contribute to the dictionary that will be created as part of the project. The discussion in this presentation will focus on the linguistic content, presence or lack of metadata, and ease of access of currently accessible Plains Apache documentation. Making any and all previous documentation known and accessible will be valuable not only to any members of the Plains Apache community for any future endeavors at language revitalization, but also to researchers and linguists for guiding current and future work with those who still have some knowledge or memory of the language.
Teaching Documents by Juliet Morgan
The first section of this paper provides some background information on Plains Apache and the data used in this paper. Section 2 briefly introduces some of the basic elements of Plains Apache grammar, focusing on the verbal prefix complex. Section 3 outlines the classificatory verb system of Plains Apache, focusing on Set B verbs. Section 4 examines the stem variations in the Set B classificatory verbs caused by mode and aspect and proposes aspectual prefixes based on this analysis. Section 5 discusses how the availability of classificatory verb forms in the archival data limits the analysis. Section 6 summarizes the findings.
Archiving has become an integral part of documentary linguistics, but the linking of archiving with language documentation was not really articulated or considered part of ethical professional behavior until the late 1990s. As such there is a large amount of unarchived and currently inaccessible endangered language documentation for many native North American languages collected during the twentieth century. As a research assistant on a project to document the Plains Apache language, I have been gathering all the known documentation of the language to contribute to the dictionary that will be created as part of the project. The discussion in this presentation will focus on the linguistic content, presence or lack of metadata, and ease of access of currently accessible Plains Apache documentation. Making any and all previous documentation known and accessible will be valuable not only to any members of the Plains Apache community for any future endeavors at language revitalization, but also to researchers and linguists for guiding current and future work with those who still have some knowledge or memory of the language.