Embedded Files
Wrapping Up Unit 3
By this point in Unit 3, the workshop team will have identified the following:
The language's general word order
Key TAM distinctions
Several productive derivational morphemes and their meanings
The underlying morpheme associated with each inflection and derivation, as well as the phonologically-conditioned allomorphs
Means of marking subject/object agreement, case, and negation (as applicable)
Clitics, particles, and independent pronouns
The ordering of morphemes affixed to the verb root
The functional load of grammatical tone (if applicable)
Any vowel harmony changes in relation to affixation
The team will also have made initial decisions in regards to...
How to write inflected and derived verb forms
Where to mark word divisions within the verb phrase
The remaining 1-2 days can be used to edit teaching aids, update the lexicon, and draft literature using the proposed orthography.
Photographer Credit: Marc Ewell
Overview: Unit 3 Outputs
Output Goals:
Edit materials (teaching aids, lexicon, stories)
Draft new content (proverbs, poems, stories)
Time Estimate:
Editing: ½ day
Writing: 1 day
Materials Needed:
Printed draft of the alphabet book and/or other teaching aids
Print out of verb entries from the lexicon (for updating)
Previously written stories and proverbs (for editing)
Notebooks (for writing new material)
Writing utensils (pens, pencils, etc.)
Edit Materials
Take approximately a half-day to incorporate Unit 3 decisions into existing materials, such as alphabet books and lexicons.
Update Teaching Aids
Update Teaching Aids
As a team, review alphabet books and other teaching aids that were created during Units 1 & 2. Edit content on vowels, tone, etc. to incorporate Unit 3 discoveries and decisions. Also update any example sentences to reflect Unit 3 decisions on how to write verbs and word boundaries.*
*If example sentences have not yet been drafted, the work team could use this time to write sentences for existing teaching aids (e.g. alphabet book, vowel booklet, etc.).
Revise the Lexicon
Revise the Lexicon
Update verb entries to reflect Unit 3 orthography decisions. Also add entries for any new words collected.
Correct Folktales & Other Stories
Correct Folktales & Other Stories
Spend some time reviewing previously written stories.* Select a few of the stronger participants to lead the team in collectively updating spellings and word boundaries according to the agreed upon guidelines.
*These may be stories that were written during or after Unit 2.
Draft New Content
Set aside approximately 1 day for participants to use the proposed orthography to draft new content into their language. This can include songs, proverbs, poems, short stories, or other literature, depending on each participant's preference.
Some workshop teams choose to compile these works into collections, such as a story booklet or poetry collection, that can be printed out for the closing ceremony at the end of Unit 4.* Time is allotted in Unit 4 for correcting and finalizing these drafts.
*For example, the Mengisa team wrote and corrected as many as 32 texts of various genres over the course of their workshop.
“I’m overjoyed that I can go back to our own village to teach these stories we created by ourselves.”
- Anonymous, Naca Language Workshop Participant (Southeast Asia)
Post-Unit 3 Assignments
The following tasks are recommended between Units 3 and 4, for linguists and participants respectively:
Workshop Leader & Linguist Facilitators:
Write up a short document describing and illustrating decisions made in Unit 3. Also note any decisions that were deferred to the final unit. Distribute the write-up to all members of the workshop team.
Revise electronic copies of teaching aids, stories, and the lexicon, according to Unit 3 updates and additions.
Write up a sketch of the language's verbal inflections and derivations.
Participants:
Continue drafting and editing proverbs, poems, and stories using the proposed orthography.
Discuss the new orthography rules with others in the language community and gather feedback.
Quick Links:
Quick Links:
Page updated
Report abuse