Survey of California and Other Indian Languages
Encyclopedia
The Survey of California and Other Indian Languages (originally the Survey of California Indian Languages) at the University of California at Berkeley documents
, catalogs, and archives the indigenous languages of the Americas
. The survey also hosts events related to language revitalization and preservation.
linguistics
professor Murray Emeneau and Mary Haas
in 1953. It was established with an official budget on January 1, 1953. Haas was a particular influence on the early working culture of the Survey. One student, Brent D. Galloway, recalled how several of Haas' students had used a Natchez
greeting, wanhetahnú·ʼis, and that "the tradition had apparently continued for over twenty years." (Haas' first publication had been on Natchez.)
The first project was a study of the Karuk language
by William Bright
, then a graduate student. Since its founding 80 doctoral dissertations have been written under the auspices of the Survey.
and Leanne Hinton
. The current director is Andrew Garrett
.
Language documentation
Language documentation is the process by which a language is documented from a documentary linguistics perspective. It aims to “to provide a comprehensive record of the linguistic practices characteristic of a given speech community”...
, catalogs, and archives the indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas
Indigenous languages of the Americas are spoken by indigenous peoples from Alaska and Greenland to the southern tip of South America, encompassing the land masses which constitute the Americas. These indigenous languages consist of dozens of distinct language families as well as many language...
. The survey also hosts events related to language revitalization and preservation.
Origins
The Survey was started as a pilot project by BerkeleyUniversity of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
professor Murray Emeneau and Mary Haas
Mary Haas
Mary Rosamund Haas was an American linguist who specialized in North American Indian languages, Thai, and historical linguistics.-Early work in linguistics:...
in 1953. It was established with an official budget on January 1, 1953. Haas was a particular influence on the early working culture of the Survey. One student, Brent D. Galloway, recalled how several of Haas' students had used a Natchez
Natchez language
Natchez was a language of Louisiana. Its two last fluent speakers, Watt Sam and Nancy Raven, died in the late 1930s. The Natchez nation is now working to revive it as a spoken language.-Classification:...
greeting, wanhetahnú·ʼis, and that "the tradition had apparently continued for over twenty years." (Haas' first publication had been on Natchez.)
The first project was a study of the Karuk language
Karuk language
Karuk or Karok is an endangered language of northwestern California. It is the traditional language of the Karuk people, most of whom now speak English....
by William Bright
William Bright
William Bright was an American linguist who specialized in Native American and South Asian languages and descriptive linguistics....
, then a graduate student. Since its founding 80 doctoral dissertations have been written under the auspices of the Survey.
Publications
The Survey published a series of "Reports" beginning in 1981, covering a variety of topics related to languages of California as well as Native American languages elsewhere. Some volumes were standalone works such as dictionaries, others were collections of varied articles. Beginning in 1976 the Survey began publishing the proceedings of Hokan–Penutian Workshop, which addressed the proposed Hokan and Penutian language families. Both resources are available online.Directors
In addition to Haas, the Survey has been directed by Wallace ChafeWallace Chafe
Wallace Chafe is an American linguist.Chafe was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He graduated from Yale University, where he obtained his doctorate in 1958. From 1975 to 1986 he was the director of the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages at the University of California, Berkeley...
and Leanne Hinton
Leanne Hinton
Leanne Hinton is an emerita professor of linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley. She specializes in American Indian languages, sociolinguistics, and language revitalization...
. The current director is Andrew Garrett
Andrew Garrett (linguist)
Andrew Garrett is a professor of linguistics at the University of California, Berkeley.He specializes in Indo-European languages, and the languages of California, especially Yurok....
.
External links
See also
- Classification schemes for indigenous languages of the AmericasClassification schemes for indigenous languages of the AmericasThis article is a list of different language classification proposals developed for indigenous languages of the Americas. The article is divided into North, Central, and South America sections; however, the classifications do not always neatly correspond to these continent divisions.-Gallatin...
- Indigenous languages of California
- Classification of Native Americans in California
- Native American history of California
- Traditional narratives (Native California)Traditional narratives (Native California)The Traditional Narratives of Native California are the legends, tales, and oral histories that survive as fragments of what was undoubtedly once a vast unwritten literature.-History of Studies:...
- Population of Native CaliforniaPopulation of Native CaliforniaEstimates of the Native Californian population have varied substantially, both with respect to California's pre-contact count and for changes during subsequent periods. Pre-contact estimates range from 133,000 to 705,000 with some recent scholars concluding that these estimates are low...