Display problems?

Some users experience problems with the way that this website looks on their computers. There are several simple things that can be done to make the display appear as it should.

· The site seems to work better in the Mozilla Firefox browser than in other browsers. You can download Firefox free – just go to this site on the web and follow the instructions to install Firefox.: http://www.mozilla.com/firefox

· The site was developed using Unicode fonts, and to display it properly your browser should be set so that the encoding is compatible. To ensure that your browser is set properly you should open the browser and select ‘view’ from the drop-down tabs at the top of your screen; and then select ‘character encoding’ from the list there.Make sure that the character encoding is set to UTF-8.

· Some browsers may require add-ons for Adobe Acrobat to properly display all parts of the entries. To check for add-ons, go to http://www.adobe.com/downloads/ and download the free reader and/or add-ons.

· The sound files have been checked, and all seem to be working properly. If you can't hear the sound files, confirm that you have your speakers or headset plugged in correctly, and that the volume is not muted.

If you still have display problems, please contact your technical support personnel, or email Margaret Anderson at the following email address: Anderson@unbc.caPlease include a ‘screen shot’ of how the site displays on your screen. The screen shot below shows how the display should look when the entry for ‘great-grandchild’ is open.

Acknowledgements

List of contributors

A large number of people have made contributions to the development of the database from which this Sm’algyax Living Legacy talking dictionary has been developed. The following list provides brief details on many of these contributions. Sincere regrets if any individuals have been inadvertently omitted below.

Lexical Database and Software Development

The original database for this dictionary was developed through a process led by the Ts’msyen Sm’algyax Authority and the Sm’algyax Committee of School District 52. A graduate student in linguistics at the time, Tonya Stebbins was hired to establish the initial lexical database, which was based on data from John Dunn’s Practical Dictionary*, entered in SIL’s Shoebox software by Stebbins. Some data from Franz Boas’ publications on the Tsimshian was also referenced. The Sm’algyax committee then met regularly to add entries and to provide examples and details on meaning and usage for the entries. Members of the Sm’algyax committee include: Tammy Blumhagen, Doug Brown, Marjorie Brown, Alex Campbell, Sandra Carlick, Sampson Collinson, Pauline Dudoward, Stephanie Fisher, Verna Helin, Ernie Hill, Isabel Hill, Nadine Leighton, Sylvia Leighton, Theresa Lowther, Velna Nelson, Beatrice Robinson, Debbie Leighton-Stephens, Darlene Wilson and Mildred Wilson. After the printing of a draft of the initial database, Stebbins was hired to import the data to SIL’s LinguaLinks Software so that Margaret Anderson could use it as the basis for her research project, which provided funding to expand the dictionary, record and link sound files and images, and link lexical entries to texts that were transcribed and entered into a separate component of the database linked to the lexicon, including transcriptions of recordings made by John Dunn and Margaret Anderson and re-writings of texts by William Beynon from the collection that he sent to Boas in the 1930s. This work was a component of a project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, called The Spoken Land. Some data was added in the latter stages of this project from recordings and transcriptions by Fumiko Sasama, a linguist from Japan who has worked in Hartley Bay for the past twenty years. The content of the Sm’algyax curriculum taught in School District 52 is included in the database as well; this was developed by the Sm’algyax Committee, with Dr. Marianne Ignace. The exported dictionary has been available on the web as the Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary since 2003 at the following website: http://smalgyax.unbc.ca

Recording and Data Review/Confirmation

The following individuals have contributed enormously to the work on the Living Legacy database. Some of them made sound recordings, some assisted with confirmation of transcriptions and translations, while others entered data, edited sound files, and collected and prepared image files. Some made multiple contributions. Each of these individuals is a hero in the effort to retain and revitalize Sm’algyax: Clarence Anderson, Txałgiw; Tammy Blumhagen, Txałgiw; Alvin Bolton, Txałgiw; Bernice Bolton, Txałgiw; Arnold Booth, New Metlakatla, Alaska; Mary Booth, New Metlakatla, Alaska; Albert Brooks, Lax Kw’alaams; Doug Brown, Gitxaała; Marjorie Brown, Gitxaała; Bea Bryant, Lax Kw’alaams; Bert Bryant, Lax Kw’alaams; Alex Campbell, Lax Kw’alaams; Sampson Collinson, Gitxaała; Alfred Eaton, New Metlakatla, Alaska; George Eaton, Txałgiw; Lorraine Green, Lax Kw’alaams; Percy Green, Lax Kw’alaams; Isobel Hill, Gitxaała, Robert Hill, Txałgiw; Sylvia Leighton, Metlakatla; Darlene Leland, Txałgiw; Delores Lewis, Gitxaała; John Lewis, who was then a student of Sm’algyax provided one sound recording facilitated by his teacher, Tammy Blumhagen; Theresa Lowther, Txałgiw; Elinor Mason, Txałgiw; Morris Mason, Kitselas; Violet McKay, Lax Kw’alaams; Velna Nelson, Txałgiw; Perry Reece, Txałgiw; Fred Ridley, Txałgiw; Herbert (Sonny) Ridley, Jr., Txałgiw; Beatrice Robinson, Gitxaała; Delores Robinson, Txałgiw; Everett Robinson, Gitxaała; Violet (Tina) Robinson, Txałgiw; and Mildred Wilson, Txałgiw. Please note that village identifications in this list reference the home community of the speaker, not their current residence. All of the recordings were made by fluent speakers who grew up speaking the language except one file made by a student, as indicated above. When listening to a sound file it is generally possible for users of this talking dictionary to identify the speaker, since the file names for the sound recordings include the initials of the speaker and an abbreviation of their village home.

Sound Clips from Archival Recordings

While many of the sound recordings linked in the lexical database were recorded specifically for this project, support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada allowed Margaret Anderson to hire several individuals who catalogued a number of archival recordings made from 1968 to 1987. These were selected from recordings made by Dr John Dunn during his research in Kitkatla, and by Dr. Margaret Seguin Anderson during her research in Hartley Bay. Tammy Blumhagen and Theresa Lowther did a great deal of work in locating appropriate clips and cleaning them up with sound editing software. Archival Recordings included are from: Alfred Anderson, Txałgiw, Clarence Robinson, Txałgiw, Louisa Anderson, Txałgiw, Dorothy Brown, Gitxaała, Elizabeth (Betty Lou) Dundas, Txałgiw, Alfred Eaton, New Metlakatla, Alaska, Flora (Lola) Eaton, Txałgiw, Belle Eaton, Txałgiw, Cora Robinson, Txałgiw, Violet Robinson, Txałgiw, and Kathleen Vickers, Gitxaała.

Images Provided

Dr. Nancy Turner provided a large collection of photographs of plants, all with their Latin nomenclature – much appreciated! Several photographs were provided by the following: Nadine Leighton, Txałgiw and Donald Reece, Txałgiw, Edward Bryant, Lax Kw’alaams and Michael Dangeli, Vancouver. The artwork used at the top of this site is a collage of images from Bryant and Dangeli.

One PowerPoint image was provided by each of the following, who were then students of Sm’algyax at Charles Hayes Secondary School in Prince Rupert: Brianne Gladstone, Vance Leask, Vanessa Leighton, Graham Lindsay, William Nelson, Kiesha Pahl, and Alana Russell.

Recording and Editing Sound Clips, & Image Acquisition

Tammy Blumhagen, Txałgiw, Lorraine Green, Lax Kw’alaams, Theresa Lowther, Txałgiw and Morris Mason, Kitselas.

Scanning and editing of image clips from previous dictionaries and archival materials from Franz Boas, William Beynon and Marius Barbeau

Janice Astawa, Karla Booth, Charanda McLean, Keisha Pahl, and Alana Nelson.

Debbie Ridley, Txałgiw and Erin Seguin, Tracy, California.

Financial Support

First Peoples Heritage, Language and Culture Council/First Peoples’ Cultural Foundation facilitated several grants to for expansion of the original lexical database, and especially for the recording and editing of sound files now linked to most entries in the database.Support and accounting of these grants was provided at various points by the former Tsimshian Tribal Council (Pansy Blackmon) and the Hartley Bay Band Council office staff (Ann Clifton).

School District 52 has supported this project and other initiatives for the revitalization of the Sm’algyax language in numerous ways. The Aboriginal Education Council and the Aboriginal Education Department of School District 52 have supported the development of this and other resources. The district’s contributions have included substantial time and energy from Debbie Leighton-Stephens, as well as defraying expenses and facilitating meetings of the Sm’algyax Committee and the Ts’msyen Sm’algyax Authority. The Ts’mysen Sm’algyax Authority was

established under the auspices of the Tsimshian Tribal Council, and has been facilitated by the Aboriginal Education Council of the school district since the tribal council was disbanded.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada awarded a research grant to The Spoken Land project, for which Margaret Anderson was the primary researcher. The funds from this grant facilitated much of the work on this database.

The University of Northern British Columbia has provided support through Dr. Anderson’s research time, by providing research accounting services for the three-year SSHRCC grant that facilitated much of the work on this project, by hosting the online version of the Living Legacy Sm’algyax Talking Dictionary and generous assistance by computer support personnel.

Software and Support

The lexical database for the Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary was developed initially using SIL’s Shoebox software. It was subsequently shifted to SIL’s LinguaLinks software in order to facilitate inclusion of sound and image files. In 2009 the project was migrated to SIL’s FieldWorks software. The process of setting up the initial database was managed by Tonya Stebbins, and the shift to LinguaLinks was initially handled by Stebbins. Margaret Anderson then took over management of the database, and took a training course in the use of LinguaLinks taught by Peggy Griffin, and later contracted for some training and support by two SIL linguists, first Verna Stutzman and later Larry Hayashi. Hayashi has continued to provide support through the migration to SIL’s FieldWorks software, and has also provided excellent software tools to export the data in a format suitable for uploading to the web. He has also developed a software solution to export the entire database to a vocabulary manager tool that lets each learner set up an individual practice set, and to access entries as sound, image, text or a combination of all three; that vocabulary practice tool also includes a game that tests users’ mastery of the content. Though there is no partnership or affiliation whatsoever between the Ts’msyen and the SIL, the availability of their free software, fonts, and the generous support of several SIL linguists who contracted to provide training and consultation are much appreciated. I wish to express particular thanks to Larry Hayashi, who has done far more for this project than he ever contracted to do.

Font

This project uses the Segoe UI font for words and examples in Sm’algyax. This is a "unicode" font that facilitates display of characters such as ü (dotted u) and Ł (barred-ell) which are needed to represent the sounds of Sm'algyax accurately. This font should be standard on your computer, but if you don't have it please email Margaret Anderson and she'll send it as an email attachment: anderson@unbc.ca

Keyboard

Work on this project was facilitated by the use of software to adapt the normal keyboard of a computer for the special characters used in Sm’algyax. This software may be downloaded free by going to the following website: www.languagegeek.com and searching for the Sm’algyax keyboard.

Copyright and Use Restrictions

This website, its format and all component files are the property of the Ts’msyen Sm’algyax Authority, and are protected by copyright. No part may be copied, distributed or sold by any other individual or group. Permission to download files for educational purposes may be requested from the Ts’msyen Sm’algyax Authority, c/o Debbie Leighton-Stephens, Wap Sigatgyet, School District 52, Prince Rupert, British Columbia. If permission is granted for use of any material from this website, it is expressly agreed that the writing system will not be altered without written permission from the Ts’msyen Sm’algyax Authority.

Errors and Omissions

This is a living legacy, and it will never be ‘finished’ – there are inevitably errors and omissions in the present version as there were in previous ones. Users will note that many entries include analysis of words into several components. Some of these analyses are clear and will be readily accepted by fluent speakers, while others are quite tentative and should be understood as suggestions and questions to be resolved through continuing work on the database. Similarly, many words are listed as derivations, contractions, dialect variants, spelling variants, or free variants of other words, and these assignments of various types of variation should be considered tentative as only a small proportion have yet been reviewed by fluent speakers. The meaning and use of the proposed derivational suffixes should also be considered highly tentative until further work clarifies these; meanwhile, numerous examples have been provided for many of the forms still requiring analysis, and this may assist users in grasping their meanings and functions. Another component that should be considered tentative is the list of thesaurus categories or semantic domains connected with each entry; the process of assigning and confirming these remains to be completed, and entries may include semantic domains that are incongruent with their use. Further work based on the texts that have been and will be added to the database may assist in clarifying some of these questions.

While many people have contributed to this project, maintaining and editing the database for the Sm’algyax Living Legacy has for the past ten years been done by Margaret Anderson, and all errors and omissions are her responsibility. Please feel free to contact her with comments and corrections at anderson@unbc.ca.

This Dictionary is a true Living Legacy of Sm’algyax. We have tried to avoid errors, but we know that inevitably there will be some that we missed. We are continuing to make revisions, and would appreciate it if users let us know about errors that they encounter so that the next version of the dictionary can be even better. Email comments to anderson@unbc.ca. We intend to continue to work on the database and to release updated versions from time to time, with additional data and enhancements. If you are a fluent speaker, we hope that you will add your own voice to this Sm’algyax Living Legacy -- call Margaret Anderson at (250) 624-4569 to book a time to do a recording, or drop off photographs at the UNBC office in Prince Rupert for scanning.

We hope that you will enjoy using the talking dictionary.

Instructions for using the Talking Dictionary

If you know the Sm’algyax word you want to look up then do the following:

Select the first letter of the word from the top left hand corner.

Scroll to the word from the list on the left-hand side.

Click on the word. The entry will appear in the middle.

If you want to find Sm’algyax words by their English equivalents, do the following:

Try typing the English word in the top right hand corner. If the English word exists in the list, it will automatically scroll to it.

Click on the Tsimshian equivalent found underneath the English word. The Tsimshian entry will appear in the middle.

To hear Sm’algyax:

Many of the entries have recordings. Look for button and click on it. Please note that not all words have associated sound files yet, but we will keep adding sound files over the coming years.