eldp data collection: some baram experiences dubi nanda dhakal tej ratna kansakar, yogendra prasad...
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ELDP Data Collection: Some Baram Experiences
Dubi Nanda DhakalTej R atna Kansakar,
Yogendra P rasad Yadava, Balaram Prasain,
K rishna Prasad Chalise, K rishna PoudelLinguistic and Ethnographic
Documentation of the Baram Language
(LEDBL), Tribhuvan University
Nepal
Introduction
Linguistic and Ethnographic Document ation of the Baram Language (LEEBL)
has been supported by Endangered La nguage Documentation Programme (E
LDP), School of Oriental land African St udies (SOAS), University of London an
d hosted by Tribhuvan University, Nepal.
May 2007 to April 2010.
Baram language
- A Tibeto Burman language spoken i n western Nepal.
Census (2001): Speakers 342 Our field survey: Speakers below 5
0 in number. All of them are above 50.
Fieldwork and setting Fieldwork for data collection began in
November 2007. Baram settlements are scattered at a
distance of a few kilometers Agriculture is their main profession Filled up sociolinguistic questionnaires
which helped identify the language consultants
The language is not used in natural setting.
Data collection
Tried to capture several communicative events following Himmelmann (1998)
Ethnographic topics (Franchetto (2006)
Genres (Lupke 2005) Grammar (Leech and Svartvik 1994) Other possible genres
Inventory of communicative events/genres (based on Him
melmann 1998)
Exclamative Directive Conversational Monological Ritual C CCC C CC Others
Language consultants
Dambar Bahadur Baram Age: 56 Can speak for a long time Has been working with since
December 2007 Very useful in making paradigms
and data elicitation for writing grammar
Mina Baram
Age:68 Can speak for a long time Texts have coherence A good narrator Has contributed several texts
related to procedural texts, reminiscences etc.
Tok Man Baram
Age: 64 Speaks relatively for a short time Texts have coherence Has contributed texts related to
myths, folk tales, procedural texts etc.
Tek Bahadur Baram
Age: 68 Speaks relatively for a short time Text has coherence Contributed the texts related to
cultural objects and ritual items/processes
Sample annotated lines
ref 029\ut hai hai ŋə... nidum\ELANBegin 00:01:22.060\ELANEnd 00:01:23.560\ELANParticipant RAM\txd हा�इ हा�इ ङ नि�दुम्\tx hai hai ŋə... nidum\mb hai hai ŋə... ŋi- dum\ge what what GF NPST- find\ft whatever available\ftn जे� जे� पा�इन्छ
\ref 032\ut hm... bən pəsdi lə pəchi lə\ELANBegin 00:01:27.770\ELANEnd 00:01:30.480\ELANParticipant RAM\txd ह्म ब� पास्दि��ल पाछिछ ल\tx hm... bən pəsdi lə pəchi lə\mb hm... bən pəs -di lə pəchi lə\ge GF forest enter -NTVZ PART later PART\ft after entering the forest\ftn ब� पासे� पाछिछ त
Setting
Controlled (Most sessions were recorded in our field office in Gorkha)
Natural (A few texts were recorded in the field)
We are advised to record the sessions so that the recordings do not have any disturbances.
Problems
CCCCCCC CCCCCCCC CCCCCCCCCCC Some texts have no coherence Some texts seem to be translation
of the Nepali texts into Baram C CCCCCCCC CC C CCC CCCCCCCC CCC CCCC
esentatiave corpus.
Genres difficult to record Natural conversation Ritual (language, ritual wailing) Riddles Proverbs Songs Formal genres (announcement,
speech, letters etc.) Some sessions related to grammar
Corpus
We have tried to make our corpus representative in terms of communicative events, genres, grammatical sessions etc.
However, some genres are very rare and difficult to record like natural conversation, ritual language, ritual wailing, proverbs, riddles etc.
Conclusion Make an inventory of communicative
events and genres Wor k wi t h di ff er ent speaker s Make an analysis of the texts of differ
ent speakers Make your sessi ons of moder at e l e
ngth. Recordsome sessi ons r el at ed t o gr ammar
as well.