Developing Intermediate Language Learning Materials A Labrador Inuttitut Story Database

• Main Authors: Joan Dicker, Jen Havens, Memorial School, Ewan Dunbar, Alana Johns
• Other Authors: The Pennsylvania State University CiteSeerX Archives
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Subjects: Canada; inuktitut
• Online Access: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.206.4177; http://www.cs.cmu.edu/%7Eref/publiccs/Developing%20a%20Story%20Database.pdf

This paper 1 describes the collaboration between two linguists and a public school language teacher in the making of a story database for use in the second language learning of Labrador Inuttitut in Canada. First, we describe the process through which the collaboration took place. Linguists who are working with communities have linguistic goals, and communities have long-term language teaching goals. Where the two goals intersect, it is possible to have mutually useful collaboration. One of the challenges is to determine whether or not there is indeed intersection of goals so that precious time and effort is not wasted. Next, we describe the development of a story database that has the properties that we believe are optimal for intermediate language learners. It will have a large amount of original Inuktitut data and will also have extra information for learners that is hidden from view unless the learner chooses to look at it. We believe that Internet story publishing is faster, cheaper and can reach a larger audience than traditional publishing. It