In 2012, UBC’s Department of Linguistics launched its Language of the Year initiative, an ambitious program designed to promote the study and revitalization of endangered languages by supporting and disseminating research on a single endangered language. The mission of the initiative is to share the culture and traditions of a community where an endangered language is spoken, and to foster long-lasting connections between UBC and these communities.
After a successful inaugural year which focused on Nata, a Bantu language of eastern Tanzania, in September the Department turned its attention to the Na-Dene language Tlingit (pronounced /ˈklɪŋˌkɪt/ “CLING-kit” in English), still spoken by about 200 people in southeast Alaska, the southern Yukon, and northern BC.
The Department’s approach to this initiative is unique in academic scope and community impact. It offers academics unparalleled ongoing access to native and non-native Tlingit speakers while giving the language learners ongoing access to linguists researching multiple aspects of the language. ArtsWIRE discussed the Tlingit initiative with PhD candidate Dzéiwsh James A. Crippen, author of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant making this year’s program possible, and his sponsor Associate Professor Rose-Marie Déchaine.
