Iroquois Linguistics Certificate at Syracuse University Comes at Important Time for Native Languages

From http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/09/02/iroquois-linguistics-certificate-at-syracuse-university-comes-at-important-time-for-native-languages-132152

Iroquois Linguistics Certificate at Syracuse University Comes at Important Time for Native Languages
By Gale Courey Toensing
September 2, 2012

Syracuse University will offer a new program in Iroquois linguistics this fall semester.

The Native American Studies Program in Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences has launched the Certificate in Iroquois Linguistics for Language Learners. This new undergraduate program targets students and teachers of Iroquois languages, and is designed to bolster Iroquois language revitalization efforts, according to a university news release.

The program is unique across the country in that it will focus on teaching about linguistics and linguistics systems specific to the six languages of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy: Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora. “So it’s not specifically focused on learning Mohawk, for example, but people interested in learning or teaching Mohawk will benefit from understanding the linguistics,” Arnold said. “Since most of the teachers in these revitalization programs are second-language speakers, there’s a demand for linguistics courses in which learners and teachers can learn the concepts and terminology to make better use of dictionaries and descriptive grammars written by linguists.”

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