May 14th
Today was the first day of elicitations for our group. Each of us have been assigned a specific Brazilian Indigenous language, Macuxi for Greg, Ye’kwana for Guilherme and Taurepang for me (Octavia). In the morning, Guilherme and I worked alongside Suzi on Taurepang. The Taurepang consultant was Diene, a Taurepang woman who attends the Federal University of Roraima. We were also accompanied by Isabella’s student Vitória during this session. We began with translating a simple noun list and then moved onto adjectives and the different instances they could be used. Diene was very knowledgeable and provided us with detailed answers. Greg and Isabella worked with Olendina on Macuxi with focus on translating nouns and verbs, and verb paradigms. Isabella’s students accompanied the session as well. After our first session, we broke for lunch at the student café.
In the afternoon we continued with our elicitation session, Guilherme and I continued to work alongside Suzi on Taurepang with Diene for the first hour. In the second hour, the Ye’kwana consultant Josemar arrived. Guilherme and Isabella worked together on translations of adjectival constructions in Ye’kwana for the rest of the afternoon. Greg continued working on Macuxi but with a new consultant: França. Although a new experience for us all, with different challenges such as language barriers or lack of experience, it was a great first day. A great deal of data was collected, and personally it feels as though I am piecing together a puzzle with each sentence.
Later in the evening, we went to a restaurant called Tapiocaria Cangaço that served local food such as tapioca (similar to crepes but with a different texture), cuscuz, and various juices made of local fruit such as soursop and cashew. The restaurant had a northeast theme throughout with different photos and art representing this region of Brazil. The food was excellent, and no one had any complaints. It was a great look into local cuisine and had amazing ambiance.
Overall it was a jam-packed day with new and exciting experiences throughout!
Post by Octavia Andrade-Dixon
Research Excursion Program 