Southeast Alaska Indigenous Languages Assessment

A 2020 Assessment by Central Council of Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska

The Cultural Heritage & Education department is conducting a survey to identify interest in and capacity for Southeast Alaska Indigenous language revitalization efforts. The responses received will be used to inform department planning efforts and develop future opportunities and funding requests.

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* 1. Which community to you reside in?

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* 2. What is your age?

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* 3. Are you citizen of a federally recognized tribe? Check any that apply.

Tlingit

Haida

Tsimshian

Alaska Native

Native American

None of the above

Other (please specify)

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* 4. Are you an enrolled citizen of Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska?

Yes

Unsure

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* 5. Please indicate which Southeast Alaska Indigenous language(s) you are interested in studying.

Lingít Yoo X̱ʼatángi (Tlingit language)

X̱aad Kíl (Haida language)

Sm'algya̱x (Tsimshian language)

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* 6. Do you have formal education in the language(s) you indicated interest in studying? (Formal education includes a structured course at the high school or college level.)

Yes

If yes, please describe formal education.

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* 7. Do you have informal education in the language(s) you indicated interest in studying? (Informal education includes conversations with fluent speakers and self-study.)

Yes

If yes, please describe informal education.

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* 8. Do you know fluent speakers who can mentor Southeast Alaska Indigenous language learners?

Yes, I know and am in contact with someone willing to mentor.

Yes, I know of but am not in contact with someone that may be willing to mentor.

No, there are no fluent speakers in my community or that I know.

Please identify fluent speakers who may be willing to mentor Southeast Alaska Indigenous language learners.

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* 9. How would you identify your ability comprehend Lingít Yoo X̱ʼatángi (Tlingit language)?

I can’t understand any of the language yet.

No experience - I donʼt understand anything.

Novice, low - I understand a handful of words and some basic phrases.

Novice, mid - I can understand many phrases and the names of clans and people.

Novice, high - I can recognize a number of words but cannot make sense of what is being said.

Intermediate, low - I can grasp topics in conversations, but cannot understand what they are saying about them.

Intermediate, mid - I can follow many conversations, but might not be able to translate what was said.

Intermediate, high - I can follow most conversations, and can summarize what is being said.

Advanced, low - I am rarely in a situation where have no understanding of what is being said, and can accurately interpret what is being said.

Advanced, mid - I can understand everything that I hear, including the nuances of how the verb is changing, although some new topics might be difficult to follow.

Advanced, high - I can understand everything that I hear, including new topics and speculation, and can tell the difference between everyday language and higher forms of speaking.

Superior - I can accurately translate what I hear regardless of the speaker and content, which includes the ways that metaphors are being used and how the words specifically relate to cultural information.

Distinguished - I can understand any speaker from any generation that has been recorded and accurately translate anything I hear, including noting fine details of verbs, and give an appropriate response to any given speech act.

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* 10. How would you identify your ability to speak Lingít Yoo X̱ʼatángi (Tlingit language)?

No experience

Novice, low - I speak a handful of words and am working on proper pronunciation.

Novice, mid - I speak about 100 words/phrases and pronounce most sounds correctly.

Novice, high - I speak about 500 words/phrases, can introduce myself, and can use basic substitutions in sentences.

Intermediate, low - I can communicate concrete exchanges and predictable topics in cultural and social settings using mostly memorized phrases.

Intermediate, mid - I am learning to correctly conjugate verbs and contribute to conversations with phrases in the language or in English.

Intermediate, high - I can correctly use a wide variety of conjugated verbs and adequately respond to most conversations and speeches.

Advanced, low - I can speak for long periods of time about a variety of subject matter, using properly conjugated verbs and object/subject combinations.

Advanced, mid - I can speak about most topics, can express doubt and certainty, and can theorize and use logic in the language.

Advanced, high - I can describe events in any timeframe using clauses and metaphors, interpret long narratives, and utilize all verb modes correctly, although there may be occasional errors.

Superior - I am able to use language fluently and accurately on all levels of day-to-day conversation and can recite histories and tie my speech to cultural materials without relying on English grammar to convey information.

Distinguished - I am able to tell important stories in ways that accurately mimic storytelling masters, can use portions of the language that are often considered "Old", and can translate anything I hear in English.

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* 11. How would you identify your ability comprehend X̱aad Kíl (Haida language)?