Shaetlan grammar & dictionary
This primer is the first bilingual grammatical description of Shaetlan. It is regularly updated - click here for the latest version (PDF, 174ps, 5.38 MB).
We are working on a comprehensive grammar of Shaetlan. The structure of the grammar will follow the standard typological convention to make it maximally compatible with other typological grammars of languages of the world, and by that to secure a place for Shaetlan on the global linguistic maps and surveys. The grammar will be bilingual in Shaetlan and English.
The grammar will be structured from the smallest linguistic unit of the sounds of the languages and its phonemes (meaning distinguishing sounds) over morphology (the building blocks of words) and various levels of syntax (the structure of phrases and clauses) to pragmatics (how information is organised) and discourse structures. The grammar will illustrate features with 4-lined examples: data IPA line, orthographically transcribed line, gloss line (using the standard Leipzig Glossing Rules), and translation line. The grammar will also include sections on the lexicon, false friends, and culture notes.
The dictionary is currently being worked on with the help of the Shaetlan-speaking public through Da Spaektionary, a custom-built online platform developed by James Stewart. It is a collaborative dictionary that allows the public to have their say on the way that Shaetlan should be spelled, and lets them submit new words and phrases that haven’t been printed in previous printed dictionaries before. Youcan send through audio recordings for anybody else to listen to, and you can tell us where words are used through the isles to allow the mapping out of the differences between districts. Take part and help shape the future of Shaetlan by clicking here!
The data is analysed using the standard tools: Audacity, Praat, Elan and FLEx. The grammar and dictionary will be freely available online here.