Phase 2 of RGC 

Phase 2 is a continuation of the first workshop(s) and can occur anytime between 3 months to 1.5 years after the completion of Phase 1. Phase 2 consists of another 2-week workshop where more grammar is collected and investigated, with the grammar from Phase 1 being confirmed or revised along the way. 

Whereas the goal of Phase 1 is to establishing a tentative writing system, the goal of Phase 2 is to analyze narrative discourse grammar, particularly to facilitate naturalness in translation. 

Overview: Phase 1

Goals: 

(1) Check & revise all reference books & literacy materials drafted after Phase 1*

(2) Cover the remaining morphology & syntax topics 

(3) Investigate discourse grammar

Estimated Time Needed: 

2 weeks (1 workshop)

*See Between Phases for more information on recommended books and materials.  

Planning for Phase 2

After the writing system has been tested through literacy book development and translation work, the team can begin Phase 2, assuming the tentative writing system is readable and acceptable to the language community. 

Before scheduling the second workshop, be sure that you receive the completion of any assignments you gave at the end of Phase 1, including the following: 

• All texts used in Phase 1, revised according to the agreed-upon spelling rules

 • Literacy materials with correct spelling or 5 additional interlinearized texts

When you have received the completed assignments, schedule the workshop and send a formal invitation, as with the first workshop. If funding is an issue, or if you noticed that some of the participants in the first workshop were not suited for language development, you can invite fewer participants to the second workshop. However, everyone who is actively developing the language (for example, by drafting materials) should be invited.

Workshop Activities

Phase 2 begins by reviewing and discussing any reference books and materials created after Phase 1. This includes the following:

• Discussing any changes requested by the community for the alphabet book, story book and dictionary. 

• Reviewing all the grammar learned in Phase 1 by working through the lessons and exercises of the Vowel/Consonant/Tone book and the Grammar Book, revising as needed. 

The next step is to research the phonology of all new words, using the same card-based activities as in Phase 1. Any remaining morphemes and syntactic constructions should also be investived, again using the same methods as in Phase 1. 

However, the majority of the workshop time should be spent studying discourse grammar and having participants apply what is learned to drafted portions of Scripture (if available).

After Phase 2

When the second workshop is complete, the language development team should work on revising and expanding the existing books and also draft a new grammar book on discouse. This new grammar book will primarily serve as a reference book for translators, helping improve naturalness of the drafted translation by showing how the the story-tellings style of the target language differs from that of the source langauge. It is possible to complete a draft of the discourse book, as well as revisions of the existing books, within 3 months of the Phase 2 workshop. 

As more literacy books and Scripture portions are drafted in the following years, the language assistant should help ensure that the agreed-upon writing system and discourse grammar are consistently applied. This is best achieved by giving specific suggestions for corrections, along with references to the grammar books. As language developers learn to consult the beginning dictionary and grammar books, these books become effective reference tools for the ongoing production of literacy materials and Scripture. While additional linguistic analysis will be needed beyond RGC, the grammar collected during these workshops lays an adequate linguistic foundation for both the initial writing system and translation work.