April 30, 2019 - Indigenous Language Revitalization: The Lunaapeew Project

Great Explorations: Indigenous Language Revitalization - The Lunaapeew Project
This talk explores challenges and new ways of documenting and revitalizing endangered languages, with a focus on the Lunaapeew language of Delaware First Nation. A work in progress.

Abstract: How do you save and revitalize an undocumented language that is almost extinct? This talk explores challenges and new ways of documenting and revitalizing endangered languages, with a focus on the Lunaapeew language of Delaware First Nation. A work in progress.

Safieh Moghaddam (Assistant Professor, Centre for French and Linguistics), Juvenal Ndayiragije (Associate Professor, Centre for French and Linguistics), Brent Stonefish (Indigenous Consultant), and Bruce Stonefish (Indigenous Consultant)

Safieh Moghaddam (Ph.D. University of Toronto) is an Assistant Professor of Linguistics, Teaching Stream in the Centre for French and Linguistics, UTSC. She teaches several courses including Introduction to Linguistics, Syntax, English Grammar, Morphology, Sociolinguistics, Language Diversity and Language Universals. Her research mainly focuses on the syntax and morphology of endangered languages, teaching and learning strategies, online learning, hybrid learning, and the structure of online courses. She is a native speaker of Persian and has in-depth knowledge and expertise in several languages including French, Turkish, Arabic, Sorani Kurdish, Dari, Pashto, and Davani.

Juvénal Ndayiragije (Ph.D., UQAM, Montréal) is an Associate Professor of Linguistics. He teaches Syntax courses in the Centre for French & Linguistics, and the graduate programme of the French Department, University of Toronto. His research focuses on the role of functional categories in the syntax of natural languages and parametric variation. It involves extensive fieldwork on various non-related and less-studied languages including Creoles (Haiti), Fongbè (Bénin), Kirundi (Burundi), Kinyarwanda (Rwanda), Malagasy (Madagascar) and Mandarin/Cantonese. Endangered languages are his next project. If you speak one, talk to him.

Great Explorations, is a series of academic discussions we hope will inspire our communities. Our special thanks to our engaged, critical thinkers who attend our speaker series. The dialogues that came out of these talks, both in-person and online via Zoom, are integral to our campus community and Scarborough communities at large. We welcome your input for future topics, as well as a review of previous recorded sessions available on YouTube.