Haida, a Native American language spoken on the Queen Charlotte Islands in British Columbia and in one community in Southeastern Alaska, is in critical condition. The remaining handful of speakers are all old and in ill health. This is the critical period for making a permanent record of the language, which is little known but significant both for its grammatical uniqueness and for the light it sheds on historical relations with other languages in the Northwest Coast. The PI studied Haida from 1975 to 1995, documenting the sound system and grammar, preparing a dictionary, and recording place names, personal names, oral narratives, and music. The goal of the project is to complete the second of a two-volume study of Haida syntax (volume 1 was completed in 1996). Much of the second volume, which will equal the first in size and scope, is drafted, although two years of full-time work are required to finish it, during which several month-long field trips will be undertaken to resolve problems. This study will be particularly significant for linguists interested in comparative syntax and will be of practical value to those Haidas who are working to save something of their language for future generations.
