A central question of modern linguistics is "Which properties are shared by all human languages, and which are not?" This is a question that forms part of a general investigation into the human mind and human nature. Within linguistics, this question is addressed through careful study of the world's languages. A particular priority is the study of endangered languages, especially those whose inner workings look dramatically different from those already familiar to linguists. In this project, MIT PhD student Seth Cable will conduct a detailed study of several properties of the highly endangered language Tlingit, spoken in Alaska, British Columbia and Yukon. The focus of the study is the grammar of questions in Tlingit, especially those with so-called 'wh-words' (e.g. English "who" and "what"). Tlingit questions show an unusual mix of properties that offers crucial information about the nature of such sentences in all human languages.
This research has implications for the study of human cognition more generally, with possible practical implications in such areas as language technologies for question interpretation. This project will also directly aid ongoing efforts to document and revitalize the Tlingit language. In doing so, this project will advance the preservation of this unique cultural inheritance of the Tlingit people. The recordings made during this study will be archived at the Sealaska Heritage Institute, preserving for future Tlingit generations the voices and the words of their forebears.
