This project seeks to document and revitalize the Weledeh dialect of Dogrib (Tåîchô Yatiì; Northern Athabaskan), a previously undocumented dialect spoken by the Yellowknives Dene, living in and around the communities of Dettah, Ndilô, and Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. Due to the community's proximity to the town of Yellowknife, language loss is more advanced among the Yellowknives Dene, and there are few fully fluent speakers under the age of 40.
The researcher, Alessandro Jaker, will be engaged in two main activities: 1) Developing beginners' level communicative teaching materials in Weledeh Dogrib, suitable for classroom use; 2) Developing an intermediate level Dogrib language reader, consisting of stories told by local elders. These stories will come with a glossary and footnotes, to help students still learning the language. These stories will also provide students with an opportunity to learn about traditional legends and local history.
Alessandro Jaker has been working with the Yellowknives Dene for several years; these materials will be produced in collaboration with the Goyatikö Language Center in Dettah, and eventually used for language classes in the community.
