AC57 Schedule – Sunday, October 19

Event Time: 9:30 a.m.–9:55 a.m.

Event Time: 10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

Presenters:

• Ryan E. Henke is an assistant professor in Language Sciences at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. His research centers on the vitality of the Indigenous languages of North America, where he primarily works at the intersection of first language acquisition, language documentation and description, and language revitalization. Much of his recent research focuses on the usage of Northern East Cree morphosyntactic patterns in child-directed speech and how children learn such patterns.
• Julie Brittain is an Honorary Research Professor (retired) in the Department of Linguistics at Memorial University of Newfoundland. She has been director of the Chisasibi Child Language Acquisition Study (CCLAS) since 2004, continuing to research and publish in the area of first language acquisition of morphology/syntax of Northern East Cree. More generally, her area of specialization is the grammatical systems of Cree-Innu-Naskapi and ways in which linguistic research can support language vitality

Abstract:

This presentation shares observations on the usage of Initial Change (IC) in Northern East Cree child-directed speech (CDS). Recent studies (Brittain & Rose, 2021; Oney, 2021) have called for research on how children learn IC, which affects the first vowel/syllable of the verb complex and may present challenges for language learning due to its complex alternations. Given a dearth of available description for IC in NE Cree adult-level speech, we focus on CDS to gain a better understanding of the patterns presented to children in their language-learning journey.

The present study analyzes video recordings from the Chisasibi Child Language Acquisition Study (Brittain et al., 2007), which represent naturalistic interactions between one adult and one child from age 3;08 (three years, eight months) to 5;11. So far, we have analyzed four recordings (around 2.5 hours), which involve 155 verbs tokens using IC, and we have focused on factors such as attested sound changes and conditioning factors.

Existing linguistic description (Brittain & Rose, 2021; Collette, 2014; Junker et al., 2013) delineates approximately 10 sound changes involved with IC. In the CDS analyzed so far, five changes are not attested, and one change occurs most frequently: 95/155 verb tokens (61 percent) employ the IC pattern i>aa, as in (1–4). Much of this pattern’s prevalence can be explained by the frequency of lexemes beginning with /i/, which encode meanings such as ‘to do’, ‘to appear a certain way’, and ‘to be named something’.

In terms of conditioning factors, available sources are clear that wh-questions require IC (1). This is the most frequent conditioning factor present in the data (118/155 tokens, 76 percent). On the other hand, the literature does not go into much detail about other clausal conditions that involve IC. Our analysis shows a variety of possible conditions, including: constructions using a particle akuutaah ‘Okay; it’s fine; right there’ (2); complement clauses (3); and fronted emphatic demonstratives, which may be creating focus constructions (4).

(1) Taan aashinihkaataach an? 

taan ishinihkaataa-ch an 

wh be.namedII-0SGCJ that 

‘What is that called?’

(2) Aakutaah aashinihkaataach.

aakutaah ishinihkaataa-ch

OK be.namedII-0SGCJ

‘That’s how they call it.’

(3) Chichischaayimaau aa aasinihkaasut?

chi-chischaayim-aa-u aa isinihkaasu-t

2-knowTA-3.OBJ-nonSAP Q be.namedAI-3SGCJ

‘Do you know what it is called?’

(4) Maautaah waash aasinihkaasuyin [name] nimaa?

maau-taah waash isinihkaasu-yin [name] nimaa

this-LOC EMPH be.namedAI-2SGCJ name NEG

‘You are called like this, [name], eh?’

We look forward to sharing these in-progress results and receiving feedback from scholars interested in IC. Findings will offer implications for language science and for Cree communities, particularly those seeking more information on child language development as well as ways to inform planning, training, curricula, and assessment in language revitalization programs serving children and their families.

References

Brittain, J., Dyck, C., Rose, Y., & MacKenzie, M. (2007). The Chisasibi Child Language Acquisition Study (CCLAS): A progress report. In H. C. Wolfart (Ed.), Papers of the 38th Algonquian Conference (pp. 1–17). University of Manitoba.

Brittain, J., & Rose, Y. (2021). The development of preverbs in Northern East Cree: A longitudinal case study. First Language, 41, 376–405.

Collette, V. (2014). Description de la morphologie grammaticale du cri de l’Est (dialecte du Nord, Whapmagoostui) [PhD dissertation]. Université Laval.

Junker, M.-O., Salt, L., & Visitor, F. (2013). The Interactive East Cree Reference Grammar. The Interactive East Cree Reference Grammar. https://www.eastcree.org/cree/en/grammar/

Oney, B. (2021). Patterns of Cree preverb usage in early child language: A longitudinal case study [MA thesis]. Memorial University of Newfoundland.

Event Time: 10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Presenters:

• Chance Lockwood is a graduate student in linguistics at the University of Montana and plans to complete his master's degree in the spring of 2026. In prior years he has worked as an undergraduate research assistant for Professor Miyashita conducting research in Blackfoot prosody and currently works at the graduate level, researching the intonation of Blackfoot yes/no questions. His current research interests are North American Indigenous languages, language revitalization/documentation, phonetics/phonology, and prosody.
• Mizuki Miyashita

Abstract:

Cross-linguistically, the intonation of question sentences differs from the intonation of their declarative counterparts. For example, the intonation of an English interrogative is normally raised at the end of the sentence, while the intonation of a declarative is not. Also, in some languages the range of pitch is greater in question sentences than in statements. However, to our knowledge there are no intonation studies in Blackfoot that focus on interrogative sentences, only on other elements of intonation and prosody: e.g., pitch accent, acoustic correlations for prosodic prominence, prominence predictability, prosodic structure, intonation, and pitch movement. Using Praat, we examined the intonation patterns of 19 declarative-interrogative pairs produced by a native speaker of Blackfoot. Our research reports that sentence-final raising does not occur in Blackfoot yes-no questions. We also examined the pitch range difference within each pair, and the results showed no significant differences for interrogative and declarative pairs in Blackfoot. This study has the following significances. (i) It contributes to the typological study of intonation in interrogatives. (ii) It also contributes to the descriptive study of pitch movement in Blackfoot. (iii) This study assists Blackfoot pedagogy with information on authentic pronunciation of yes-no question sentences: It informs language teachers and learners about how Blackfoot yes-no questions are pronounced in terms of intonation, specifically focusing on the absence of final raising.

Event Time: 11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Presenters:

• S. Chandler
• M. Miyashita

Abstract:

We would like to share our story of community-academic collaboration on the development of community archiving for the Aaniiih language (also known as Atsina, White Clay, and Gros Ventre). The last fluent first-language speaker of Aaniiih passed away in the early 2000s, but there are active revitalization efforts by second-language speakers. In this context, teachers and scholars must use existing documented materials and what they have learned already. Through meetings in the past seven years, we have built a community-academic relationship. In our presentation, we first outline the efforts to build and maintain the White Clay language immersion program and our community-academic collaboration, from inception to the present. Then, we describe our community archiving project, which started this summer, focusing on the initial stage: dictionary digitization and audio annotation. The Aaniiih dictionary, compiled by the late Allan Taylor, is an important resource, containing extensive examples. However, it is not useful for language teaching as is, and it must be digitized and made searchable. The challenges of digitization include scanning a thick book without destroying the binding, OCR problems, and editing strategies. There also are recordings made in the 1980s that contain pronunciation of the examples that appear in the dictionary. We are brainstorming the best way to connect these recordings with the digitized dictionary. Our current idea involves annotation tools such as Praat’s TextGrid files and ELAN. We believe annotated materials in archived recordings maximize accessibility for users.

Event Time: 11:40 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Event Time: 10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

Presenters:

• Hunter Thompson Lockwood is a linguist working under David Costa in the Language Research Office at the Myaamia Center. Since 2008, he has worked with and for Algonquian language communities on language documentation and revitalization. His research touches on a broad variety of topics in and adjacent to linguistics.
• Daniela Inclezan is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering at Miami University. Her research focuses on knowledge representation and logic programming, with an emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration. Her work has applications in intelligent agents, natural language understanding, and socio-environmental challenges.

Abstract:

In this paper, we use DLV2 (and its predecessor DLV [1,2]) to model core morphophonological processes of myaamiaataweenki, the variety of Miami-Illinois taught by the Myaamia Center. DLV2 is an Answer Set Programming (ASP) system, allowing us to write logic programs that can encode complex morphophonological rules and constraints. This is a departure from what may now be called the typical approach to modeling Algonquian morphology; we discuss these differences in detail.

We present some of our results, showing how DLV2 can be used to model the grammar of Miami-Illinois and how a formal model of the language has benefitted revitalization efforts. Specifically, we discuss the areas of derivational morphology (decomposing stems according to [3]), inflectional morphology (generating core inflected forms for the community dictionary), and phonology (handling prosody in addition to basic morphophonological alternations).

Our work is positioned in the broader context of ILDA (the Indigenous Languages Digital Archive), which since 2012 has been the Myaamia Center's platform for connecting linguistic analysis of primary source material to community-facing language revitalization efforts. Since then, through the National Breath of Life, other communities have begun to use ILDA as part of their own language revitalization efforts. The goal of this work is to streamline the creation of myaamiaataweenki language reference materials like verb paradigms and dictionary entries, while also contributing to an ongoing conversation with other communities who use ILDA about what might be possible in their own local contexts.

References

1. Adrain, W.T., et al.: The ASP system DLV: advancements and applications. Künstliche

Intell. 32(2–3), 177–179 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/S13218-018-0533-0

2. Alviano, M., et al.: The asp system dlv2. In: Balduccini, M., Janhunen, T. (eds.) Logic

Programming and Nonmonotonic Reasoning, pp. 215–221. Springer International

Publishing (2017)

3. Goddard, I.: Primary and secondary stem derivation in algonquian. Int. J. Am. Linguist.

56(4), 449–483 (1990)

Event Time: 10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Presenters: 

• Jem Burch
• Leander He
• Corine Huang
• Katie Hur
• Kyra Kaya
• Alara O'Bryan
• Lejla Regan
• Nawal Naz Tareque
• Luke Weinbach
• Natalie Weber is Assistant Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Yale University. Their main interests lie in phonology and the interfaces between phonology and other components of grammar. Since 2011, their empirical focus has been Blackfoot, an Algonquian language spoken in Alberta and northern Montana. All other authors are research assistants in the Blackfoot Lab at Yale University, which began in 2020.

Abstract:

Background Blackfoot Words is a lexical database of word tokens in Blackfoot from sources spanning the years 1743–2017 (Weber et al. 2023). The published version (v1.1; 2022-07-11) includes 4,553 inflected word tokens across 9 sources. In v1.2 (to be published before the 2025 Algonquian Conference) each word token will be fully analyzed into a hierarchy of stems and components, with each linked to a standardized lemma. 

Goal We report on an on-going project to convert the current mySQL database to the Cross-Linguistic Data Format (CLDF; Forkel et al. 2018). Some advantages:

1. CLDF is a flexible but standardized format which is used for many online linguistic databases, including the World Atlas of Linguistic Structures (WALS; Dryer & Haspelmath 2013). 
2. It comes with a user-friendly and customizable web application.

Blackfoot Words is a challenge for this framework, as most CLDF applications are databases of standardized types (e.g., a dictionary) and not tokens.

Topics We present a draft of the Blackfoot Words CLDF web application and demonstrate several use cases. First, clicking any standardized lemma displays a list of all words containing a token of that lemma. Second, users can display the internal structure of any word token, with pathways to view related words. On the academic side, this database could be used for projects on historical change in Blackfoot, on morphophonology, and on morphosyntax. On the community side, the database preserves an older stage of the language and could be used for language revitalization in the future.

References

Dryer, Matthew S. & Haspelmath, Martin (eds.) 2013. WALS Online (v2020.4) [Data set]. Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.13950591. (Available online at https://wals.info, Accessed on 2025-07-27.)

Forkel, Robert. et al. 2018. Cross-Linguistic Data Formats, advancing data sharing and reuse in comparative linguistics. Scientific Data 5, 180205 doi:10.1038/sdata.2018.205.

Weber, Natalie et al. 2023. Blackfoot Words: A lexical database of Blackfoot legacy sources. Language Resources and Evaluation 57: 1207–1262. doi:10.1007/s10579-022-09631-2.

Event Time: 11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Presenters:

• Katherine Schmirler
• Inge Genee
• Antti Arppe

Abstract:

In this talk we explore some linguistic insights we have learned about Blackfoot morphology through computational modelling.

1) Allomorphy

To better model stem-initial allomorphy, we had to rework our existing model (e.g. Kadlec 2023; Schmirler et al. 2024) so each stem occurs with three—rather than two—allomorphs: word-initial, following a person prefix, and following a prestem. When modelling with the traditional two-allomorph approach (initial vs. non-initial), we required many optional morphophonological rules which, while practical for analysis, resulted in overgeneration of incorrect forms. Enumerating three allomorphs for every stem adds complexity to the lexicon, but allows us to include only regular morphophonology in the rules.

2) Relationship to the dictionary

To create these allomorph lists, we used the diagnostic forms given in Frantz and Russell (2017). See (1), where the diagnostic forms give all the information needed to complete our stem list.

(1)        Dictionary:      issk-a   ‘pail’    n-oohk-iksi       ‘my pails’         ómahk-ohk-a   ‘big pail’

Model:            issk                  ^SPoohk                                  ohk

Examining each stem in the dictionary allows us to identify subtypes of allomorphy not explicitly described in Frantz (2017), such as n ~ i2 seen in (2).

(2)        Dictionary:      náápioyis-(y)I ‘house’ poks-aapioyi-istsi ‘small houses’

Model:             náápioyis2                               i2áápioyis2

(y > Ø/s2_)                              (k > ks/_i2; i2 > Ø/s_a, s2 > Ø/_i)

However, the diagnostic forms are often insufficient to determine how a stem behaves in each position. Our three-stem approach has identified missing these diagnostic forms and therefore generates a line of future fieldwork that can refine the dictionary, the model, and our understanding of Blackfoot to better contribute to resources for education and revitalisation.

References

Frantz, Donald G. 2017. Blackfoot Grammar. 3rd ed. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

Frantz, Donald G., and Norma Jean Russell. 2017. Blackfoot dictionary of stems, roots and

affixes. Toronto: Toronto University Press. Kadlec, Dominik. 2023.

"A computational model of Blackfoot nouns and verbs." M.A., Department of Indigenous Studies, University of Lethbridge.

Schmirler, Katherine, Antti Arppe, and Inge Genee. 2024. Morphophonological Rule

Development and Real-Time Rule Testing with XFST: A Model for Blackfoot. In I. Genee, M. Macaulay, & M. Noodin (Eds.), Papers of the Fifty-Third Algonquian Conference (pp. 253–268). Michigan State University Press. https://doi.org/10.14321/jj.9345418.18

Event Time: 10:00 a.m.–10:30 a.m.

Presenters:

• Robert Hamilton

Abstract:

This paper examines the process of encountering Kije-Manito, "the Kind Spirit", through nanagatawenindisowin, "self-examination", and relates it bawadjigewin, simultaneously concurrent "dreaming". It begins by disrupting the stereotypical understanding of traditional Ojibway ontology. Using a non-essentialist methodology to deconstruct the homogeneity in the concept of Ojibway ontology, it shows it to be much more radically heterogenous, multiple, and diverse than commonly supposed. It argues that the binary distinction between authentic/inauthentic Ojibway ways of being arbitrarily excludes some ways over others, for example, preferring manitokewin over Anamiewin. Next, this paper exegetically reconstructs the system of Otchipwe Katolic Anamiewin, analysing and translating sections of the main texts that flesh out the central concept of Kiji-Manito. It discusses the role that nanagatawenindisowin plays in obtaining Kije-Manito's jawendjigewin, "pity", that is necessary for andji-bimadisiwin, "the changed life". Third, this paper compares the similarities and differences between manitokewin and anamiewin, relating nanagatawenindisowin to the Seven Grandfather Teachings, and the vision of Gizhe Manito to bawadjigewin, the concept of simultaneous concurrent dreaming in traditional Ojibway ontology. In this final section, this paper discusses three orders of bawadjigewin: ordinary, superordinary, and the final I - I encounter with Kije-Manito that culminates in the full andji-bimadisiwin.

Event Time: 10:30 a.m.–11:00 a.m.

Presenters:

• Maureen Matthew
• Carol Beaulieu

Abstract:

This paper is about the co-creation of six Anishinaabemowin /English books for the communities of the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage site. We look at the project from an Anishinaabe perspective making a distinction between an academic relationship framed by the production of scholarly work, jiigi-aya'ii ji-wiiji'ad awiya, and one characterized by equality and mutual benefit, owiisookaagewin. There is a unique history of Anishinaabe people on the Upper Berens River in Manitoba participating in anthropological and linguistic research, particularly in the famous friendship between American anthropologist A. Irving Hallowell and Chief William Berens in the 1930s, an excellent example of a whole-hearted academic relationship, jiigi-aya'ii ji-wiiji'ad awiya. While Hallowell’s relationship with William Berens was about insightful translation of Anishinaabe ideas into a scholarly discourse, our engagement over the past twenty years with the communities of the Pimachiowin Aki World Heritage site has allowed us to engage more actively with the priorities of community leaders. Starting in 2006, we wrote five academic papers in support of their UNESCO bid using the language and ideas of Anishinaabemowin speakers particularly Omishoosh and Jaamash of Pauingassi, Margaret Simmons (granddaughter of William Berens), and most importantly our friend the late Anishinaabe linguist Roger Roulette. Now that the Pimachiowin Aki bid has been successful, we have produced 6 bilingual Anishinaabemowin/ English books as part of a language support kit for the schools. The books are for – not about - these Anishinaabe communities, and they address their needs and interests in an open and mutually beneficial relationship, owiisookaagewin.

Event Time: 11:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Presenters:

• Roland Bohr

Abstract:

This presentation aims to inform on local Indigenous efforts to document and reinstate traditional places names in Asiniskaw Ithiniwak (Rocky Cree) communities in Northern Manitoba. The purpose of the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak (Rocky Cree) Place Names Project is to recover, reclaim, revitalize, and validate Rocky Cree knowledge of their places and placenames. The people of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation (NCN, Nelson House) have lived in the region of the Churchill River drainage since time before memory. The Asiniskaw Ithiniwak (Rocky Cree) have maintained their own histories and ways of knowing through traditions of recording and remembering, passed on in oral and written forms, through webs of relationships and culturally mediated protocols.

Based on these relationships, knowledge keepers of Nisichawayasihk Cree Nation have been gathering information on traditional local place names for many years and are now partnering with geographers and historians from the University of Winnipeg to bring this information back to their community and into local classrooms and homes. This presentation will introduce the Asiniskaw Ithiniwak (Rocky Cree) Place Names Project to gather feedback and input from Elders, knowledge keepers, educators and others working in this area. 

Event Time: 10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Presenters:

• Patty Krawec

Abstract:

This workshop will focus on re-storying traditional stories by imagining them in a different setting, telling them from a different perspective, or otherwise adapting them from their more familiar versions. Leanne Simpson does this in her book A Short History of the Blockade: Giant Beavers, Diplomacy and Regeneration in Nishnaabewin in which she retells a traditional Anishinaabe story about Nanaboozho and the Giant Beaver, locating their conflict on social media, and then showing how Nanaboozho’s response to the Giant Beaver provides a model for resistance and diplomacy.

The intention is to bring these stories into conversation with our current world to see how the knowledge encoded in our stories can speak to our current world and perhaps offer other paths forward. It also encourages participants to take our traditional stories seriously as a source of knowledge relevant to our lives. Participants can work from their own traditional stories or choose one that is provided from the William Jones archive of stories documented around Thunder Bay in 1906 that are available in English and Anishnaabemowin, allowing for language speakers to work within the language itself and extend the interpretive potential.

12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Bag/Box Lunch in 4th Floor Buffeteria