What in the world is Phonemics? That's what I was asking when I looked at our course schedule. I have since learned that Phonemics is the science of alphabet formation. It is the process of reducing a language to writing. This process involves four different stages.
1. Phonetics - this is the stage where each different sound in the language gets a different symbol. This is unlike our alphabet where any given letter can sound any number of ways. Take for instance how many ways the sound "u" can be spelled: boot, blue, flute, to, suit, new, through, you, shoe, two, flu etc. This inconsistency would be a nightmare when transcribing sounds in another language, so, each different sound gets a different symbol. This way we can reproduce the sounds accurately and consistently.
2. Interpretation - This addresses the problem that certain phonetic sounds could be written accurately in more than one way. For example using the symbol "dz" instead of "j" as in jug.
3. Analysis - This is the process of determining which phonetic symbols are significant to the native speaker and which ones are simply variations that aren't significant at all. For example, as English speakers, we don't notice that we sometimes aspirate our "p's" and sometimes we don't. Aspiration is that puff of air that escapes when we say a letter.
So that this makes more sense, get a piece of paper about 1 inch wide and 4 inches long. Hold it close to your lips and say the word "paper." Notice how the paper "jumps" more when you say the first "p" than it does when you pronounce the second "p". That's because the first "p" is aspirated and the second one is not. We don't see this variation in sound as being two totally different letters. They are non-significant to us. But in some languages, the aspiration is as clear to them as the letters "t" and "d" are clearly differnt to us. Analysis helps us determine what sounds are significant to them and which ones are just variations of the same sound.
4. Orthograpy - This is deciding which letters will be used in everyday writing to represent the significant sounds of the language - i.e. their alphabet!
So...that's a quick intro to Phonemics. Our class did not go too deep with this because the majority of this task is given to linguists - and a linguist I am not!
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Dobu Wrap-up
Hey folks!
In the middle of April we finished up our Dobu Practicum by writing several papers. These papers were summaries of what we learned - not by research on the internet, but by building relationships with the Dobu characters, asking questions, observing their daily life, interacting with them and learning bits of their language. After eight weeks of this kind of interaction, we made conclusions about Dobu culture and their themes. By 'themes' I mean this: every culture has values that drive that people to do what they do (so do we as Americans). Each person in that culture begins to learn what those values are from little on up; it is instilled in them. Based on what those around them value, determines how they themselves learn to behave in that society.
What drives the Dobu people on the Tewara Island of Papua New Guinea to do what they do? The five main drivers (themes) I saw are as follows: Manipulation (of spirits and people), Power, Being a good person, Fear and Jealousy. These themes show up in every area of Dobu life. At the end of our papers we had to explain how these drivers would affect relationship-building and a Church plant. We looked for what could be a 'bridge' or a 'barrier' in building relationships, teaching God's word, and in planting a Church.
If I knew how, I would attach my paper to this blog so you could read it for yourself.
All for now. I have a fish fry with my church to get to!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
More Scenes from Dobu Land
'Yogalo' is the name of our "Dobu" language helper. In these pictures, our team is learning from him how he makes his meals.
Putting it into practice!
Much of our training here in school has been focused on the four stages of language and culture learning. Right now we are in the middle of our Dobu practicum which is giving us the chance to put each of these four stages into practice. The 'Dobu' are a people group off the islands of Papua New Guinea. (Praise the Lord there is now a Body of believers on those islands!). The teachers here have worked hard to assimilate as much as possible life in the Dobu village before Christ was made known to them.
Our class has been divided into small teams of 4-6 people. Each team has a 'Dobu' language and culture helper. Through building a friendship with our 'Dobu' helper we are learning his way of life, what he believes and how he perceives the world around him. For the Dobu, we are finding out more each day that his life revolves around 'saying the right words' to the spirit-world so that he can manipulate the spirits to act as he wants them to.
Our team is learning how to build friendships, observe, ask good questions, record this information and make sound conclusions regarding the Dobu's system of belief. At the end of this practicum we will write a paper on how we would go about planting a church in this tribe based on what we know they believe - their particular areas of spiritual blindness.
This practicum has been my favorite part of the whole training here. I wish you could come and see for yourself!
Charting Genealogies
Check it out! Look at the key and find the symbols in the genealogy chart. These are they symbols we will be using in the tribe to determine how everyone is related.
A look at Kinship
For the most part, kinship is not as important to those of us in the western world as it is to those who are not. Many of us live hundreds of miles away from brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents etc. It is likely that we have relatives we have not even met and probably will never meet, and might not even care to! However, the vast majority of tribal cultures are organized around their kinship relationships. How/whom they fight, how they settle disputes, the work they do in the village, the gifts they give, their status in the village, obligations to each other are all determined by kinship relationships. You better believe that they KNOW who their relatives are!
The catch for us westerners is to understand that they more than likely don't view their relatives as we view our relatives. In the Hawaiin kinship system, a person calls all of the males in the first ascending generation the same thing he would call his father (i.e. all of his uncles would be called whatever he calls his father). The same with the females in the first ascending generation; all of the 'aunts' would be called whatever the person calls his mother. Because of this, the children of those 'aunts' and 'uncles' would be called that person's brothers and sisters, and they would relate to each other in that way.
There are four other kinship systems: Iroquois, Sudanese, Crow and Eskimo. These names were derived from the particular people group where the system was discovered. Each system has its own way of tracing descent and in turn, how they relate to each other because of what they call each other. In our thinking, we would naturally expect that our dad is more responsible for our well-being than he is someone else's kids. However, in one tribe, the father is more responsible for his sister's kids than he is for his own children.
Why in the world is kinship analysis important to planting a tribal church? That's what I wanted to know when we started getting into this! Kinship dictates how the people relate to each other through gift-giving, obligations, privileges etc. Understanding kinship is one of the keys to our understanding of why they do what they do and why they behave that way to each other - and even later on down the road how they relate to us.
Knowing this will help us to teach the Bible more clearly when we start talking about relationships in Scripture - God as our Father, we are His children - brothers and sisters in Christ, and even how God wants us to relate to those outside of the Body of Christ regardless of where they fall in line with being my kin.
SEE BELOW FOR A FUN SONG ON KINSHIP AT IT'S BEST! "I'm My Own Grandpa"
The catch for us westerners is to understand that they more than likely don't view their relatives as we view our relatives. In the Hawaiin kinship system, a person calls all of the males in the first ascending generation the same thing he would call his father (i.e. all of his uncles would be called whatever he calls his father). The same with the females in the first ascending generation; all of the 'aunts' would be called whatever the person calls his mother. Because of this, the children of those 'aunts' and 'uncles' would be called that person's brothers and sisters, and they would relate to each other in that way.
There are four other kinship systems: Iroquois, Sudanese, Crow and Eskimo. These names were derived from the particular people group where the system was discovered. Each system has its own way of tracing descent and in turn, how they relate to each other because of what they call each other. In our thinking, we would naturally expect that our dad is more responsible for our well-being than he is someone else's kids. However, in one tribe, the father is more responsible for his sister's kids than he is for his own children.
Why in the world is kinship analysis important to planting a tribal church? That's what I wanted to know when we started getting into this! Kinship dictates how the people relate to each other through gift-giving, obligations, privileges etc. Understanding kinship is one of the keys to our understanding of why they do what they do and why they behave that way to each other - and even later on down the road how they relate to us.
Knowing this will help us to teach the Bible more clearly when we start talking about relationships in Scripture - God as our Father, we are His children - brothers and sisters in Christ, and even how God wants us to relate to those outside of the Body of Christ regardless of where they fall in line with being my kin.
SEE BELOW FOR A FUN SONG ON KINSHIP AT IT'S BEST! "I'm My Own Grandpa"
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Here's a 'first' for ya!
Okay. I know I've been to a nursing home before, so that's not the 'first' in this entry. The 'first' for me is that, after being here for seven months, I am finally able to participate in the official off-campus ministry program! If my body (more specifically, my hip/back) cooperates, I'll be going every Tuesday from 2:00-3:00 p.m. Yesterday the Activities Director at the Home took me around and let me meet the ones that don't get as many visitors. For starters, I'll be giving my attention to the five ladies I just met. My time there will include being a listener, maybe reading to them (Scripture or other books), singing to them/with them, painting their nails etc. To serve in this way after being 'laid low' for many months is like filling my lungs with fresh air.
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