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Pawnee
Language Program
Language Learning with Technology
A cooperative project between The Pawnee Nation and
Indiana University
The number of elders who still speak
Pawnee has reached a critical stage. The problem for
the Pawnee community, as it is for most American Indian
communities that are losing their languages, is this:
how can we preserve the voices of our elders and perpetuate
our language?
In 1997, the Pawnee Language Program
was established to create language instruction materials
to insure the survival of the Pawnee language - materials
that provide instruction for future generations of Pawnee
children and adults who are interested in their cultural
heritage and are committed to maintaining their language.
The program is a cooperative effort between the Pawnee
Nation (Pawnee, Oklahoma) and the American Indian Studies
Research Institute of Indiana University. Using current
computer and recording technologies this program provides
a multimedia curriculum that is suitable for use in
the classroom or by individuals.
Components
Multimedia
Dictionary that incorporates sound (native
speaker pronunciation), English translations, and illustrations.
Textbook for language
instruction, Introduction to the Pawnee Language (Skiri
Dialect).
Pawnee
Alphabet Book acts as a quick reference
guide for beginners and novice learners.
Multimedia Language Lessons
on CD-ROM that incorporate recordings of a native speaker
pronouncing vocabulary words and sentences, allow the
user to record his/her own pronunciation, and provide
immediate feedback.
The Multimedia Lessons include these
sections of study in each lesson:
In Written
& Spoken Sounds, students learn the sound system
of Pawnee in isolation and in words; and they listen
to native speakers pronounce the Pawnee and record and
playback their own pronunciation. In Vocabulary,
students not only learn word definitions, but also literal
translations; and they translate and classify words.
In Sentence Patterns students practice translating into
Pawnee and English, utilizing the vocabulary, grammar
and conversations they have learned.
Copies of instructional materials may be obtained from The Pawnee Nation of Oklahoma, Education Department P.O. Box 470, Pawnee, Oklahoma 74058
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