Speaker Use of Speaker Use of Grammatical Voice in Grammatical Voice in

LacandónLacandón

Connecting Data with Connecting Data with MetadataMetadata

IntroductionIntroduction Lacandon Maya has a number of different grammatical Lacandon Maya has a number of different grammatical

voices that are used in varying frequency by different voices that are used in varying frequency by different speakers. It is possible to discover the socio-linguistic use of speakers. It is possible to discover the socio-linguistic use of grammatical voice in Lacandon discourse, by relating the grammatical voice in Lacandon discourse, by relating the consultant information in the metadata to the annotated consultant information in the metadata to the annotated texts in which the different voices occur. We will texts in which the different voices occur. We will demonstrate how this is done and offer some preliminary demonstrate how this is done and offer some preliminary findings. First, we will give a general overview of Voice in findings. First, we will give a general overview of Voice in the Yucatecan Mayan languages, and the patterns of use of the Yucatecan Mayan languages, and the patterns of use of this grammatical category found in our Lacandon texts. We this grammatical category found in our Lacandon texts. We will then outline the method we used to explore the will then outline the method we used to explore the sociolinguistic use of Voice, and demonstrate the process in sociolinguistic use of Voice, and demonstrate the process in a step-wise fashion.a step-wise fashion.

VoiceVoice Voice is an overt grammatical category pertaining to verbs. Voice is an overt grammatical category pertaining to verbs. Voice is well developed in Mayan languages.Voice is well developed in Mayan languages. Lacandón Maya has a number of different grammatical voices that Lacandón Maya has a number of different grammatical voices that

are used in varying frequency by different speakers.are used in varying frequency by different speakers.

Patterns of voice in Yucatecan Patterns of voice in Yucatecan languageslanguages

Abbreviations: RTV root transitive verb, IV intransitive verb, TV Abbreviations: RTV root transitive verb, IV intransitive verb, TV transitive verb, DTV derived transitive verb, CVC verb root, V verb transitive verb, DTV derived transitive verb, CVC verb root, V verb stem, -Vl vowel + l suffixstem, -Vl vowel + l suffix

Note: Major/Minor voice distinction from Hofling (1997).Note: Major/Minor voice distinction from Hofling (1997).

Examples of voice in Examples of voice in LacandónLacandón

Canonical passiveCanonical passivets’ah T. ts’ah T. givegivets’aba k’uxu7 ts’aba k’uxu7 achiote is givenachiote is given. .

(Nar_Forest_CK)(Nar_Forest_CK) ts’ah-ts’ah-bb-Vl k’uxu7-Vl k’uxu7

give-PASS-IIS achiote give-PASS-IIS achiote Agentless passiveAgentless passive

ts’apah. ts’apah. be givenbe given ts’ap ti7 chEk xokts’ap ti7 chEk xok. He was given to the . He was given to the

mermaidmermaid. (ChakXok_KM). (ChakXok_KM)ts’ah-ts’ah-pp-ah PREP. chEk xok-ah PREP. chEk xokgive-PASS-DTR PREP. red sirengive-PASS-DTR PREP. red siren

AntipassiveAntipassivetsikbarnah. tsikbarnah. he chattedhe chatted. (Chak_Xok_BM). (Chak_Xok_BM)tsikbal-tsikbal-nn-ah-ahchatchat-AP-CIS-AP-CIS

The questionsThe questions

Do Lacandón women Do Lacandón women use passive voice use passive voice more than men?more than men?

Do Lacandón women Do Lacandón women use antipassive voice use antipassive voice more than men?more than men?

Search optionsSearch options

ShoeboxShoebox Only works on open files. Only works on open files. Cannot provide information on Cannot provide information on consultants.consultants.

WinGrepWinGrep Searches all files. Searches all files. Provides customizable output. Cannot Provides customizable output. Cannot provide information on consultants provide information on consultants other than the name of the speaker.other than the name of the speaker.

A relational databaseA relational database best suits our best suits our needs.needs.

Converting Shoebox texts to Converting Shoebox texts to Access tablesAccess tables

Create tab-Create tab-delimited files from delimited files from Shoebox textsShoebox texts

Put each record into Put each record into its own row with its own row with each field delimited each field delimited by a tabby a tab

Relational Database

Texts Table

filename transcription

translationsannotations

ConsultantsTable

age

sex

person

Content Table

name and code

genres

filenames

other

other

Search ResultsSearch Results

Approximately 7,800 annotated Approximately 7,800 annotated recordsrecords

Only 27 examples of canonical and Only 27 examples of canonical and agentless passiveagentless passive

54 examples of antipassive54 examples of antipassive

Male to female ratio of all Male to female ratio of all transcribed records in Lacandón transcribed records in Lacandón

corpuscorpus

female speech145318%

male speech644082%

The corpus is not evenly divided between male The corpus is not evenly divided between male speech and female speech.speech and female speech.

Men have a higher percentage of speech in our Men have a higher percentage of speech in our database.database.

This ratio is considered when determining usage This ratio is considered when determining usage statistics.statistics.

PassivesPassives

22

5

22

5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Number of Records

Actual Records Expected Records

Actual versus Expected

female spoken records

male spoken records

AntipassivesAntipassives

51

3

44

10

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Record Count

Actual Records Expected Records

Actual versus Expected

female spoken records

male spoken records

Passives and GenresPassives and Genres

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

Frequency

chants conversations descriptions interview narrative

Genres

Actual Records

Expected Recordsr

Narratives have the highest frequency of passive use.Narratives have the highest frequency of passive use. Descriptive type texts have far fewer passives than expected.Descriptive type texts have far fewer passives than expected.

ComplicationsComplications Almost impossible to search for morphologically Almost impossible to search for morphologically

unmarked forms.unmarked forms. Antipassive is overtly marked in the completive Antipassive is overtly marked in the completive

aspect, not in the incompletive aspect.aspect, not in the incompletive aspect. Other considerations necessary for more elusive Other considerations necessary for more elusive

linguistic elements.linguistic elements.

VoiceVoice AspecAspectt

TAM-TAM-(Tense/ Aspect/ (Tense/ Aspect/

Mood)Mood)

-Pronoun-Pronoun

Verb Verb stemstem

il ‘see’il ‘see’

English English glossgloss

ActiveActive

IncInc k-ink-in w-il-ikw-il-ik I see I see it.it.

ComCom t-int-in w-il-ahw-il-ah I saw I saw it.it.

AntipassiAntipassiveve

IncInc k-ink-in w-ilw-il I see.I see.

ComCom il-il-nn-ah--ah-enen

I saw.I saw.

DemonstrationDemonstration

Canonical passive and agentless passive Canonical passive and agentless passive are glossed PASS.are glossed PASS.

Shoebox Texts

Tab-delimited file

text table

filename

reference number

person

transcription

morphemes

morphemic gloss

free translations

Metadata

Consultant information

Sessioninformation

consultants table content table

name and code

age

sex

other

filenames

genres

other

Relational Database

Texts Table

filename transcription

translationsannotations

ConsultantsTable

age

sex

person

Content Table

name and code

genres

filenames

other

other

Shoebox Texts

Tab-delimited file

text table

filename

reference number

person

transcription

morphemes

morphemic gloss

free translations

Metadata

Consultant information

Sessioninformation

consultants table content table

name and code

age

sex

other

filenames

genres

other

Convert texts to tab-Convert texts to tab-delimited filesdelimited files

Each tier of annotation Each tier of annotation becomes a column.becomes a column.

Each column is separated by Each column is separated by a tab.a tab.

Each record becomes a row.Each record becomes a row.

Shoebox Texts

Tab-delimited file

text table

filename

reference number

person

transcription

morphemes

morphemic gloss

free translations

Metadata

Consultant information

Sessioninformation

consultants table content table

name and code

age

sex

other

filenames

genres

other

Import tab-delimited fileImport tab-delimited file

Import the tab-Import the tab-delimited file delimited file into Access to into Access to create a texts create a texts table.table.

Shoebox Texts

Tab-delimited file

text table

filename

reference number

person

transcription

morphemes

morphemic gloss

free translations

Texts TableTexts Table

Metadata

Consultant information

Sessioninformation

consultants table content table

name and code

age

sex

other

filenames

genres

other

Shoebox Texts

Tab-delimited file

text table

filename

reference number

person

transcription

morphemes

morphemic gloss

free translations

Import consultant Import consultant informationinformation

The information The information for each consultant for each consultant is imported from is imported from the files the IMDI the files the IMDI metadata editor metadata editor creates.creates.

Metadata

Consultant information

consultants table

name and code

age

sex

other

Consultants tableConsultants table

Entering session Entering session informationinformation

Access cannot Access cannot easily import the easily import the IMDI files in a IMDI files in a usable format. usable format.

Session Session information is information is entered manually entered manually at this time.at this time.

Metadata

Sessioninformation

content table

filenames

genres

other

Content tableContent table

Filename and text Filename and text genre are the genre are the only fields in this only fields in this table.table.

More fields may More fields may be added later.be added later.

Shoebox Texts

Tab-delimited file

text table

filename

reference number

person

transcription

morphemes

morphemic gloss

free translations

Metadata

Consultant information

Sessioninformation

consultants table content table

name and code

age

sex

other

filenames

genres

other

What relationships can What relationships can do for youdo for you

? speaker? speaker? Sex of speaker? Sex of speaker

PASS in mgPASS in mg

QueryQuery

Creating a queryCreating a query Find PASS in morpheme Find PASS in morpheme

gloss fieldgloss field Provide the value of the Provide the value of the

speaker field.speaker field. Lookup and return the Lookup and return the

sex of the speaker.sex of the speaker.

Relational Database

text table

filename transcription

translationsannotations

consultants table

age

sex

name and code

person

content table

genres

filenames

Passives query – Passives query – Datasheet viewDatasheet view

References and AbbreviationsReferences and AbbreviationsDanziger, Eve. 1990. A Clamour of Danziger, Eve. 1990. A Clamour of

Voices: Processes of Intransitivization Voices: Processes of Intransitivization in the Mayan Language of the Greater in the Mayan Language of the Greater Yucatan Peninsula. Paper presented Yucatan Peninsula. Paper presented Dec. 2 1990 in “Mayan and Chibchan Dec. 2 1990 in “Mayan and Chibchan Languages”, at the 29Languages”, at the 29thth Conference on Conference on American Indian Languages, American American Indian Languages, American Anthropological Association Meetings, Anthropological Association Meetings, Nov. 29 – Dec. 2, 1990, New Orleans.Nov. 29 – Dec. 2, 1990, New Orleans.

Hofling, Charles Andrew and Felix Hofling, Charles Andrew and Felix Fernando Tesucún. 1997. Fernando Tesucún. 1997. Itzaj Maya-Itzaj Maya-Spanish-English DictionarySpanish-English Dictionary. University . University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.

Bricker, Victoria, Eleuterio Po’ot Yah and Bricker, Victoria, Eleuterio Po’ot Yah and Ofelia Dzul de Po’ot. 1998. Ofelia Dzul de Po’ot. 1998. A A Dictionary of the Maya Language As Dictionary of the Maya Language As Spoken in Hocabá, YucatanSpoken in Hocabá, Yucatan. University . University of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.of Utah Press, Salt Lake City.

TAM Tense/Aspect/Mood TAM Tense/Aspect/Mood (Hofling 1997)(Hofling 1997)

RTV root transitive verb RTV root transitive verb IV intransitive verb IV intransitive verb TV transitive verbTV transitive verb DTV derived transitive DTV derived transitive

verbverb CVC verb rootCVC verb root V verb stem, V verb stem, -Vl harmonic vowel -l-Vl harmonic vowel -l IIS Incompletive IIS Incompletive

intransitive status intransitive status (Hofling 1997)(Hofling 1997)

DTR Detransitive DTR Detransitive (Hofling 1997)(Hofling 1997)

CIS Completive CIS Completive intransitive Status intransitive Status (Hofling 1997)(Hofling 1997)

PREP PrepositionPREP Preposition AP AntipassiveAP Antipassive PASS PassivePASS Passive Inc Incompletive AspectInc Incompletive Aspect Com Completive AspectCom Completive Aspect