Deg xiqi xinatr’iditlghusr -- Conversational Deg Xinag
Plan for 10/16/01 class
A}ixi antr’ixixidili’anh. We learn with each other.

Student goals for the semester:

Sam’s measurable goal for this semester is to be able to use our weekly greetings in conversation.  We have 10 questions requiring answers so Sam has 20 sentences he’s preparing to use with ease.  If, by the end of the semester he’s comfortable using 15 sentences in a conversational setting, he will have reached 75% of his goal.  He won’t get a C or D grade for 75%.  He will be able to use 15 sentences that he couldn’t use before.  He’ll feel great about this accomplishment. 

I need measurable goals from each student, please.  I believe this will help students by making each of you focus on something to really learn.  You’ll know that you have learned what YOU wanted to learn.  You’ll be proud.  This is a way to take charge of your own learning.

Your measurable goals help me plan the class to meet student needs.  For instance, knowing that Sam is focusing on the greetings, I’ll make sure that we go through them each week.

Your measurable goals help our class continue.  I do considerable public relations work to make sure that we can continue to meet.  Our class is expensive because of the many sites hooked into our audioconferences and because we pay our core group of elders for each class.  I have to convince administrators that we are worth this extra cost to UAF. An ANLC professor, who didn’t know about our class, said to me last spring, “I don’t think a conversation class over the telephone is a good idea.  It wouldn’t be effective.”  I was happy to be able to tell him that we have been meeting for 6 years and that students ARE LEARNING.  I could refer him to the 2 published articles about our class.  The best way to show outsiders that we are learning is to say, “This student learned this, that student learned that…”  That’s where your measurable goals come in.

Your measurable goals help ALL people who are working on learning their ancestral languages.  As Dr. Richard Littlebear says, “This is the first time we have lost our languages.”  So we all have to figure out something NEW. No one knows what will work to regain language use in communities where it is fading. We can support everyone else’s effort in this work by sharing what we are doing and how we are doing it.  For this reason Beth, Donna and I plan to give a presentation about our class to the Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages of the Americas in San Francisco in January.  There we can share your measurable goals showing what works and how you have taken charge of your own learning.

Greetings:

Ade’. [Hello]

Ndadz dengit’a? [How are you?]

Ngidenax? [And you?]

Ndagh dhedo? [Where are you?] answer: “…dhisdo.”

Q’iydong ndagh ghingdo’? [Where were you yesterday?] “ …ghisdo.”

Venhdida’ ndagh tedo}? [Where will you be tomorrow?]   “…tasdo}” [I will be in…]

Ni’egh ndadz dixet’a?[How’s the weather?] Are you ready with your answers about the weather?

Q'iydong ndadz dixighet'a'? [What was the weather yesterday?]

Dran ndadz dangit’an’? [What did you do today?] 

Ndadz ditet’e}. [What are you going to do tomorrow?] Find out the future form of the verb that you want.  …q’otasineyh [I’ll be working at ....]

Conversation among speakers: Let’s not skip this again.  I regret having done so last week.

QUESTIONS:

Getiy ngichux ghison’.

I ate too much. (YOU ate too much?

So} ditidhi'on’. (Should so} and tso} sound the same?)

It's getting dark.

Tso} de’on’.

It’s dark.

 Vigidiggitr ghinon xidivida’

Ghino = ‘work’

Fiddle festival

Does this mean “where/when they work with fiddles”?

Tthog iy dhid log  (spelling?)

Where there’s old stuff (antique store)

Xughizre’. (Check on how to say this right.)

It was good weather.

Chenh sidral iy. (Check on how to say this right.)

Next time.

GRAMMAR:

Vantr’ixisineg.

I don’t know about it. Change person to ‘he doesn’t know.’…

Xantr’ixisineg.

I don’t know.

Git’on’ ditidhiq’onh.

Git’on’ deq’onh.

So} ditidhi'on’.

Tso} de’on’.

Practice verbs.

Leaves are starting to turn color. [burning] 

Leaves are turning color. [burning]

It's getting (starting to get) dark.

It’s dark.
   

REVIEW: 

Ndadz dene ___ deg xiq’i.

Time or place + q'i, = on or like the time or place

xiq'i  = as if

How do you say _ in Deg Xinag?
 

Sits’ida’on

My friend , my relation

‘Isda’ nididong ningiyo’. (glottal stop at end of ningiyo’?)

My cousin when did you come? Men to men

Ughuda nididong ningiyo’. (Do we need to start with possessive person prefix as suggested below?)

 -ughuda' = cousin (male or female)

-ughuda' yozr = female cousin (respectful) 

-ghuda' = (woman's) *sister-in-law

My cousin when did you come? Women to women
 

Dindlidik common phrases.  sounds

  

PHRASES we use this class:

   

Ni’egh Gileg:

Weather Song:
   
   
   
   

Xiyts’in’ xelanh. (xel’anh?)

It’s Fall.
   

A}ixi antr’ixixidili’anh. We learn with each other.

Dixudz inuxdatl. Gilixudz iy.