THE VISION
THE PLAN
- LearnIipayAa.weebly.com is to be a free resource for anyone interested in learning 'Iipay Aa, the language of the Iipay people (also known as Ipai, Diegueno, Mission Indians, or Kumeyaay), focusing on the dialect of Mesa Grande, a region in northern San Diego county. Learners can use this website to supplement what they learn in classes or from the site's main sources, Couro's Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa and Dictionary of Mesa Grande Diegueno. Though it is never best to use a single source to learn a language, this site will attempt to ultimately provide all the lexical and grammatical information found in these two texts and make it possible for one to learn even if they have access to no other sources.
- The focus of this site will be the building of reading proficiency in the hopes that a learner will be able to convert the knowledge gained here into speaking and writing abilities, either through their own initiative or upon contact with a fellow speaker or learner.
THE PLAN
- Every week between February and March 17, 2019, a new chapter under Lessons will be released. These are to be complete lessons including reading practice, grammatical tips, and exercises with which an individual can reach a basic level of communicative ability in 'Iipay Aa.
- Each lesson will build on the previous one with ample review and additional vocabulary. Conversational expressions will be gradually introduced. By providing a generous amount of reading practice, I hope to make the learning process seamless and pain-free for people of any level of experience.
- The first seven lessons will teach the following:
- Singular nouns and third-person verbs, aiming at naming and describing things.
- Third-person verbs describing actions. Making verbs work as adjectives.
- The progressive tense. Words indicating place.
- Conjugating verbs in the first and second person singular. Words to indicate time.
- The definite article and related suffixes.
- Questions, and their related words and endings.
- The imperative mood.
- Future ideas: The Grammar and Vocabulary sections may be updated after the completion of the first seven lessons to provide a more organized reference for specific topics. Further lessons may be added to teach new topics.
TIMELINE OF OPERATIONS
The dates below are the deadlines I have set for the completion of the listed lessons. Chapters are numbered in 'Iipay Aa and given an English name demonstrating the grammatical functions the lesson is to focus on. By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to say the title and similar sentences in 'Iipay Aa.
The dates below are the deadlines I have set for the completion of the listed lessons. Chapters are numbered in 'Iipay Aa and given an English name demonstrating the grammatical functions the lesson is to focus on. By the end of the lesson, learners will be able to say the title and similar sentences in 'Iipay Aa.
February 4: Master plan and Lesson 1, 'Ehink: The Bird is Red, are published.
February 11: Lesson 2, Hewak: The Big Dog Runs, is completed.
February 18: Lesson 3, Hemuk: The Cow is Drinking Water.
February 25: Lesson 4, Chepap: I Eat, You Eat.
March 4: Lesson 5, Saarrap: The Hawk Flies in the Sky.
March 11: Lesson 6, Hamhuk: Where Are You Going? and Lesson 7, Piikay: Hit It!
March 18: Review of all previous chapters, possible additions to content or supplemental pages under the Grammar and Vocabulary sections.
February 11: Lesson 2, Hewak: The Big Dog Runs, is completed.
February 18: Lesson 3, Hemuk: The Cow is Drinking Water.
February 25: Lesson 4, Chepap: I Eat, You Eat.
March 4: Lesson 5, Saarrap: The Hawk Flies in the Sky.
March 11: Lesson 6, Hamhuk: Where Are You Going? and Lesson 7, Piikay: Hit It!
March 18: Review of all previous chapters, possible additions to content or supplemental pages under the Grammar and Vocabulary sections.
FUTURE OBJECTIVES
Following the completion of the lessons listed above, my priority has been to strengthen my own hold and understanding of the Kumeyaay language. I will work on other parts of the site and eventually return to the lessons, incorporating user feedback to expand and improve them before creating additional lessons for more complex grammatical constructions.
Some long-term goals:
Expanding the Vocabulary Range
As I continue to write text for reading practice in 'Iipay Aa, in order to make the content most practical and useful for learners, I will have to start using words beyond those offered by Ted Couro's textbook and dictionary. I will be pulling them out of the Barona Inter-Tribal Dictionary, and my method will be as follows:
Got suggestions? Contact the site creator.
Following the completion of the lessons listed above, my priority has been to strengthen my own hold and understanding of the Kumeyaay language. I will work on other parts of the site and eventually return to the lessons, incorporating user feedback to expand and improve them before creating additional lessons for more complex grammatical constructions.
Some long-term goals:
- Create a texts section with a transcript, analysis, and vocabulary of native speech. This will help inform my own future writing in 'Iipay Aa.
- Add concepts to the Grammar section so users can search for and learn specific aspects individually.
- Add sets of Vocabulary so users can look up words based on category and learn them as a set. Ideally with pictures, and possibly with an associated set on an outside flashcard/memorization site.
- Make a page with a thorough compilation of other online language resources and recommendations for print resources.
- Make a page with links to Kumeyaay historical and cultural information, as any learner of the language would need.
- Create online spaces where 'Iipay Aa/Tiipay Aa learners can interact, practice, and support each other. This may take the format of a Discord server, Facebook page, or alternative.
Expanding the Vocabulary Range
As I continue to write text for reading practice in 'Iipay Aa, in order to make the content most practical and useful for learners, I will have to start using words beyond those offered by Ted Couro's textbook and dictionary. I will be pulling them out of the Barona Inter-Tribal Dictionary, and my method will be as follows:
- Wherever possible, I will use the Mesa Grande term and spelling (i.e. from Couro & Langdon 1975 or Couro and Hutcheson 1973), even if it is not found in the BITD.
- If I must use a word from the BITD from outside the Mesa Grande dialect, I will try to use a word from close dialects of 'Iipay including Santa Ysabel, Barona, Viejas, etc.
- If there is no 'Iipay word for something in the BITD, I may use the Tiipay word, but adjust for spelling and other systematic differences between the languages.
- I will employ native words before loanwords, but may end up using both so that the learner has access to them.
- If I cannot find a word for something in any dictionary, I may try to make a "make up word" by turning a preexisting verb into a noun (See Couro and Langdon 1975, pg. 124 for full explanation). If this is not possible, I may borrow a word from Spanish and adjust it to fit 'Iipay Aa phonology (See Couro & Langdon 1975, pg. 212 and the Barona Inter-Tribal Dictionary, 2008, pg. 17).
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