This study examines language ideologies and communicative practices in the multilingual Vaupes re... more This study examines language ideologies and communicative practices in the multilingual Vaupes region of northwestern Amazonia. Following a comparative overview of the Vaupes as a ‘small-scale’ language ecology, it discusses claims from existing ethnographic work on the region in light of data from a corpus of video-recordings of sociolinguistic interviews and spontaneous everyday conversations. It shows how a practice-based and interdisciplinary approach combining language documentation methodology and ethnographic, structural linguistic, and interactional perspectives can contribute to understanding of macro and micro aspects of multilingualism, thus contributing to future work on the Vaupes, typologies of small-scale multilingual ecologies, and language contact research.
This article discusses language practice, ideology, and identity construction among the Kotiria (... more This article discusses language practice, ideology, and identity construction among the Kotiria (East Tukano), an indigenous people of the multilingual Vaupes region in northwestern Amazonia. Based on detailed analysis of speech from a young Kotiria girl, it presents a case study of dissonance between reported language ideology — founded on the notion of ‘linguistic loyalty’ and presumably resulting in norms of monolingual speech — and actual language practice in this region. Drawing from current sociocultural linguistic theory on code-switching and multilingualism, it concludes that the alternations observed in this sample of spontaneous and unguarded speech cannot be explained by appealing to notions of difference, but are motivated by discourse-pragmatic considerations linked to previously unidentified connections between ‘indexical ideology’ and linguistic practice. Rather than looking for a divergence explanation for language alternation, it postulates a hybrid solution that in...
Cet article decrit le marquage differentiel de l'objet (MDO) en tant que composante essentiel... more Cet article decrit le marquage differentiel de l'objet (MDO) en tant que composante essentielle du systeme de codification des actants dans la langue kotiria (wanano) appartenant au groupe oriental de la famille linguistique Tucano. Il illustre la grande frequence du cas multifonctionnel -re sur les objets, sur les obliques et sur certains constituants temporels. A l'interieur du systeme grammatical kotiria, le MDO codifie de l'information a la fois syntaxique et semantique en manifestant une certaine sensibilite a des hierarchies croisees en rapport avec le statut des constituants nominaux dans le discours (detinitude) et en rapport.
This article adds a voice from Amazonia to the reflective discussion on documentation projects de... more This article adds a voice from Amazonia to the reflective discussion on documentation projects designed within a ‘participatory’ or ‘collaborative’ paradigm of language research. It offers a critical assessment of one such documentation project carried out from 20072011 with the Kotiria and Wa’ikhana (East Tukano) language communities, who live in the remote Vaupés basin of the northwest Amazon. It examines aspects of the four-year project that most approximated the participative ideals that inspired it, including community input throughout all phases of the project, a ‘team-based’ approach grounded in local partnerships, and efforts to establish a more equitable division of power and responsibility, as well as greater self-determination in the organization of documentation activities. It also points out some of the difficulties encountered along the way and raises questions related to expectations, unforeseen consequences, and sustainability, questions that still remain to be answe...
This volume owes its development to a confluence of circumstances, not least of which is the veri... more This volume owes its development to a confluence of circumstances, not least of which is the veritable explosion of scholarship on Amazonian languages that has taken place over the last several decades. Though the description and analysis of the 300 or so still-existing languages spoken in Amazonia1 is still far from comprehensive, repositories of linguistic and anthropological academic references, such as the Etnolinguistica web site, clearly reflect exponential growth in the field since the 1990s.2This same period of expanding academic focus on Amazonian languages also saw the rise of new language documentation efforts and
RESUMO: Este artigo investiga padrões de variação de ordem de constituintes em Kotiria (Wanano), ... more RESUMO: Este artigo investiga padrões de variação de ordem de constituintes em Kotiria (Wanano), língua Tukano Oriental do noroeste amazônico, demonstrando que a variação reflete funções gramaticais e pragmáticas que interagem nos níveis da sentença e do discurso. Em sentenças, o posicionamento do argumento Sujeito, junto a sua realização lexical ou pronominal, codifica distinções de estrutura de informação e status como informação presumida/não-presumida, sendo assim mecanismo de reference-tracking. Em contraste, o posicionamento mais rígido de Objetos imediatamente antes do verbo e padrões de Marcação Diferencial de Objetos (Differential Object Marking-DOM), indicam um elo OV forte, que contribui para a interpretação sintática do constituinte O. Considerando o nível do discurso, a ordem é investigado à luz das noções de tópico e foco, que contribuem tanto a reference-tracking quanto à organização de saliência ao longo de trechos de discurso. Em Kotiria, ordem e realização lexical/...
This article analyzes the use of several response particles in face-to-face interaction in Wa’ikh... more This article analyzes the use of several response particles in face-to-face interaction in Wa’ikhana, an East Tukano language of northwestern Amazonia. Adopting a Conversation Analysis approach, we explore details of each particle, considering their prosodic shapes, the action contexts in which they occur, and their sequential positioning, all crucial to understanding their meanings in interaction. Our analysis shows that Wa’ikhana response particles exhibit both universal and language-particular properties, thus demonstrating the contributions of data from lesser-studied languages to research on language in social interaction, and the value of an interactional approach in the study of under-described, and often endangered, indigenous languages.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------ANALISANDO PARTÍCULAS EM WA’IKHANAEste artigo analisa o uso de um conjunto de partículas responsivas em interação cotidiana em Wa’ikhana, língua da família Tukan...
Ao longo dos últimos vinte anos, duas associações indígenas do povo Kotiria (Wanano), da região d... more Ao longo dos últimos vinte anos, duas associações indígenas do povo Kotiria (Wanano), da região do Alto Rio Negro, AM, vêm lutando pelo fortalecimento e manutenção de sua língua e cultura. A Associação da Escola Indígena Khumuno Wʉ’ʉ Kotiria (ASEKK), sediada na comunidade de Caruru-Cachoeira, promove atividades junto a cinco comunidades tradicionais na TI Alto Rio Negro, enquanto a Associação do Povo Kotiria (APOK) atua na cidade de São Gabriel da Cachoeira, AM, sede do município “mais indígena do Brasil”. Relatamos um pouco da história do protagonismo dessas organizações: suas preocupações, ações, desafios e conquistas, bem como das parcerias desenvolvidas na luta pelo reconhecimento e fortalecimento de seu patrimônio linguístico e identidade cultural.
... Kristine Stenzel Federal University of Rio de Janeiro / Museu Nacional, Brazil kristine.stenz... more ... Kristine Stenzel Federal University of Rio de Janeiro / Museu Nacional, Brazil kristine.stenzel@ colorado.edu / krstenzel@terra.com.br ... Patrilineal descent and identification with one's father's language group (whether or not accompanied by de facto language use, as we will see ...
This study examines language ideologies and communicative practices in the multilingual Vaupes re... more This study examines language ideologies and communicative practices in the multilingual Vaupes region of northwestern Amazonia. Following a comparative overview of the Vaupes as a ‘small-scale’ language ecology, it discusses claims from existing ethnographic work on the region in light of data from a corpus of video-recordings of sociolinguistic interviews and spontaneous everyday conversations. It shows how a practice-based and interdisciplinary approach combining language documentation methodology and ethnographic, structural linguistic, and interactional perspectives can contribute to understanding of macro and micro aspects of multilingualism, thus contributing to future work on the Vaupes, typologies of small-scale multilingual ecologies, and language contact research.
This article discusses language practice, ideology, and identity construction among the Kotiria (... more This article discusses language practice, ideology, and identity construction among the Kotiria (East Tukano), an indigenous people of the multilingual Vaupes region in northwestern Amazonia. Based on detailed analysis of speech from a young Kotiria girl, it presents a case study of dissonance between reported language ideology — founded on the notion of ‘linguistic loyalty’ and presumably resulting in norms of monolingual speech — and actual language practice in this region. Drawing from current sociocultural linguistic theory on code-switching and multilingualism, it concludes that the alternations observed in this sample of spontaneous and unguarded speech cannot be explained by appealing to notions of difference, but are motivated by discourse-pragmatic considerations linked to previously unidentified connections between ‘indexical ideology’ and linguistic practice. Rather than looking for a divergence explanation for language alternation, it postulates a hybrid solution that in...
Cet article decrit le marquage differentiel de l'objet (MDO) en tant que composante essentiel... more Cet article decrit le marquage differentiel de l'objet (MDO) en tant que composante essentielle du systeme de codification des actants dans la langue kotiria (wanano) appartenant au groupe oriental de la famille linguistique Tucano. Il illustre la grande frequence du cas multifonctionnel -re sur les objets, sur les obliques et sur certains constituants temporels. A l'interieur du systeme grammatical kotiria, le MDO codifie de l'information a la fois syntaxique et semantique en manifestant une certaine sensibilite a des hierarchies croisees en rapport avec le statut des constituants nominaux dans le discours (detinitude) et en rapport.
This article adds a voice from Amazonia to the reflective discussion on documentation projects de... more This article adds a voice from Amazonia to the reflective discussion on documentation projects designed within a ‘participatory’ or ‘collaborative’ paradigm of language research. It offers a critical assessment of one such documentation project carried out from 20072011 with the Kotiria and Wa’ikhana (East Tukano) language communities, who live in the remote Vaupés basin of the northwest Amazon. It examines aspects of the four-year project that most approximated the participative ideals that inspired it, including community input throughout all phases of the project, a ‘team-based’ approach grounded in local partnerships, and efforts to establish a more equitable division of power and responsibility, as well as greater self-determination in the organization of documentation activities. It also points out some of the difficulties encountered along the way and raises questions related to expectations, unforeseen consequences, and sustainability, questions that still remain to be answe...
This volume owes its development to a confluence of circumstances, not least of which is the veri... more This volume owes its development to a confluence of circumstances, not least of which is the veritable explosion of scholarship on Amazonian languages that has taken place over the last several decades. Though the description and analysis of the 300 or so still-existing languages spoken in Amazonia1 is still far from comprehensive, repositories of linguistic and anthropological academic references, such as the Etnolinguistica web site, clearly reflect exponential growth in the field since the 1990s.2This same period of expanding academic focus on Amazonian languages also saw the rise of new language documentation efforts and
RESUMO: Este artigo investiga padrões de variação de ordem de constituintes em Kotiria (Wanano), ... more RESUMO: Este artigo investiga padrões de variação de ordem de constituintes em Kotiria (Wanano), língua Tukano Oriental do noroeste amazônico, demonstrando que a variação reflete funções gramaticais e pragmáticas que interagem nos níveis da sentença e do discurso. Em sentenças, o posicionamento do argumento Sujeito, junto a sua realização lexical ou pronominal, codifica distinções de estrutura de informação e status como informação presumida/não-presumida, sendo assim mecanismo de reference-tracking. Em contraste, o posicionamento mais rígido de Objetos imediatamente antes do verbo e padrões de Marcação Diferencial de Objetos (Differential Object Marking-DOM), indicam um elo OV forte, que contribui para a interpretação sintática do constituinte O. Considerando o nível do discurso, a ordem é investigado à luz das noções de tópico e foco, que contribuem tanto a reference-tracking quanto à organização de saliência ao longo de trechos de discurso. Em Kotiria, ordem e realização lexical/...
This article analyzes the use of several response particles in face-to-face interaction in Wa’ikh... more This article analyzes the use of several response particles in face-to-face interaction in Wa’ikhana, an East Tukano language of northwestern Amazonia. Adopting a Conversation Analysis approach, we explore details of each particle, considering their prosodic shapes, the action contexts in which they occur, and their sequential positioning, all crucial to understanding their meanings in interaction. Our analysis shows that Wa’ikhana response particles exhibit both universal and language-particular properties, thus demonstrating the contributions of data from lesser-studied languages to research on language in social interaction, and the value of an interactional approach in the study of under-described, and often endangered, indigenous languages.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------ANALISANDO PARTÍCULAS EM WA’IKHANAEste artigo analisa o uso de um conjunto de partículas responsivas em interação cotidiana em Wa’ikhana, língua da família Tukan...
Ao longo dos últimos vinte anos, duas associações indígenas do povo Kotiria (Wanano), da região d... more Ao longo dos últimos vinte anos, duas associações indígenas do povo Kotiria (Wanano), da região do Alto Rio Negro, AM, vêm lutando pelo fortalecimento e manutenção de sua língua e cultura. A Associação da Escola Indígena Khumuno Wʉ’ʉ Kotiria (ASEKK), sediada na comunidade de Caruru-Cachoeira, promove atividades junto a cinco comunidades tradicionais na TI Alto Rio Negro, enquanto a Associação do Povo Kotiria (APOK) atua na cidade de São Gabriel da Cachoeira, AM, sede do município “mais indígena do Brasil”. Relatamos um pouco da história do protagonismo dessas organizações: suas preocupações, ações, desafios e conquistas, bem como das parcerias desenvolvidas na luta pelo reconhecimento e fortalecimento de seu patrimônio linguístico e identidade cultural.
... Kristine Stenzel Federal University of Rio de Janeiro / Museu Nacional, Brazil kristine.stenz... more ... Kristine Stenzel Federal University of Rio de Janeiro / Museu Nacional, Brazil kristine.stenzel@ colorado.edu / krstenzel@terra.com.br ... Patrilineal descent and identification with one's father's language group (whether or not accompanied by de facto language use, as we will see ...
Collection of short stories and illustrations in Wa'ikhana (East Tukano family), produced during ... more Collection of short stories and illustrations in Wa'ikhana (East Tukano family), produced during language-culture documentation workshops from 2005-2010
Coletânea de histórias e illustrações em Wa'ikhana (família Tukano Oriental), produzida durante oficinas de documentação cultural e linguístico entre 2005 e 2010
Kotiria ti khatiro, ti hirida ya’uri thu: Khumuno Wʉ’ʉ bu’eina ti da’rari. Livro de Vida e fortalecimento memorial do Povo Kotiria, pesquisado por alunos da escola Khumuno Wʉ’ʉ Kotiria, 2018
Bilingual (Kotiria-Portuguese) publication with 22 monographs written by graduates from the Kotir... more Bilingual (Kotiria-Portuguese) publication with 22 monographs written by graduates from the Kotiria Indigenous school, on aspects of Kotiria history, culture and knowledge.
Coletânea bilingue (Kotiria-Português) de 22 monografias escritas por alunos formados na Escola Indígena Kotiria, trazendo pesquisas sobre tópicos da cultura, história e de conhecimentos dos Kotiria
On this and other worlds: Voices from Amazonia - Studies in Diversity Linguistics 17, Language Science Press, 2017
This edited volume offers a collection of twelve interlinear texts reflecting the vast linguistic... more This edited volume offers a collection of twelve interlinear texts reflecting the vast linguistic diversity of Amazonia as well as the rich verbal arts and oral literature traditions of Amazonian peoples. Contributions to the volume come from a variety of geographic regions and represent the Carib, Jê, Tupi, East Tukano, Nadahup, and Pano language families, as well as three linguistic isolates. The selected texts exemplify a variety of narrative styles recounting the origins of constellations, crops, and sacred cemeteries, and of travel to worlds beyond death. We hear tales of tricksters and of encounters between humans and other beings, learn of battles between enemies, and gain insight into history and the indigenous perspective of creation, cordiality and confrontation. The contributions to this volume are the result of research efforts conducted since 2000, and as such, exemplify rapidly expanding investment and interest in documenting native Amazonian voices. They moreover demonstrate the collaborative efforts of linguists, anthropologists, and indigenous leaders, storytellers, and researchers to study and preserve Amazonian languages and cultures. Each chapter offers complete interlinear analysis as well as ample commentary on both linguistic and cultural aspects, appealing to a wide audience, including linguists, historians, anthropologists, and other social scientists. This collection is the first of its type, constituting a significant contribution to focused study of Amazonian linguistic diversity and a relevant addition to our broader knowledge of Amerindian languages and cosmologies. Media files complement the interlinear texts and are available for download.
"Indigenous Languages: verbal arts" offers transcribed and analyzed texts in twelve Amerindian la... more "Indigenous Languages: verbal arts" offers transcribed and analyzed texts in twelve Amerindian languages, together with reflection by indigenous researchers on tradition and innovation in verbal arts. Each contribution is is presented with fully bilingual versions including ethnographic and sociolinguistic information as well as linguistic analysis, each contributing to our understanding and appreciation of cultural and linguistic diversity in this International Year of Indigenous Languages.
"Línguas indígenas: artes da palavra" traz doze textos transcritos de execuções orais originais em línguas ameríndias, bem como uma reflexão, por parte de pesquisadores indígenas, sobre tradição e inovação nas sus artes das palavras. Em versões bilíngues, com informações etnográficas, sociolinguísticas e análise linguística, cada texto da coletânea contribui para o conhecimento e a valorização da diversidade cultural e linguística neste Ano Internacional das Línguas Indígenas.
The Upper Rio Negro region is remarkable not only for its high linguistic and ethnic diversity, b... more The Upper Rio Negro region is remarkable not only for its high linguistic and ethnic diversity, but also for the history of multilingualism and cultural interchange that have brought its peoples together. The fourteen chapters of this volume investigate this interaction, drawing on the insights provided by the languages and cultures of the region, and exploring how the Upper Rio Negro profile has been shaped by forces promoting both similarity and difference. The collection draws on the growing dialogue between linguists and anthropologists, and emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach to questions that involve both language and culture.
Companion volume to Alto Xingu, uma Sociedade Multilíngue (Franchetto, 2011), both available for download on the Museunacional link.
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Papers by Kristine Stenzel
Coletânea de histórias e illustrações em Wa'ikhana (família Tukano Oriental), produzida durante oficinas de documentação cultural e linguístico entre 2005 e 2010
Coletânea bilingue (Kotiria-Português) de 22 monografias escritas por alunos formados na Escola Indígena Kotiria, trazendo pesquisas sobre tópicos da cultura, história e de conhecimentos dos Kotiria
"Línguas indígenas: artes da palavra" traz doze textos transcritos de execuções orais originais em línguas ameríndias, bem como uma reflexão, por parte de pesquisadores indígenas, sobre tradição e inovação nas sus artes das palavras. Em versões bilíngues, com informações etnográficas, sociolinguísticas e análise linguística, cada texto da coletânea contribui para o conhecimento e a valorização da diversidade cultural e linguística neste Ano Internacional das Línguas Indígenas.
Companion volume to Alto Xingu, uma Sociedade Multilíngue (Franchetto, 2011), both available for download on the Museunacional link.