Speaker: Soledad Chango (MIT) & William Pacheco (MIT)
Title: Prosody in Salasaka Kichwa & Developing Inquiry and Research in Eastern Keres Ki:wa-Dialect
Time: Thursday, May 15th, 12:30pm – 2pm
Location: 32-D461
Abstract: This week’s LingLunch will consist of two presentations by MIT Indigenous Language Initiative (MITILI) students:
Title: Prosody in Salasaka Kichwa (Soledad Chango, MIT)
Abstract: This thesis investigates the prosodic features of Salasaka Kichwa, focusing on the interaction between pitch, stress, and syntactic structure in both natural and elicited speech. Adopting a descriptive and analytical approach, it examines how pitch peaks align with informational focus and morphosyntactic elements such as topic and question particles—particularly -mi and -chu. Data was collected from ten native speakers (ages 13–65), including the author, in the Salasaka community, through a combination of read-aloud tasks and spontaneous speech, yielding approximately 150 utterances. Prosodic analysis was carried out in Praat and annotated using ToBI-style conventions. The results show that in non-interrogative utterances, nuclear pitch accents consistently fall on the final element of the verb phrase—typically the object in SOV or the verb in SV constructions—reflecting the language’s head-final syntax. This default pattern shifts when focus particles like -mi are present, which attract the pitch peak regardless of their position. In interrogative utterances, suffixes such as -chu override default prosodic alignment and compete with other morphemes like -wan, often determining the placement of nuclear stress. This study contributes to the documentation of an underrepresented variety of Northern Quechua and offers empirical insight into the syntax-prosody interface in head-final languages. It also situates Kichwa within broader conversations on language endangerment, standardization, and revitalization.
Title: Emerging Questions: Developing Inquiry and Research in Eastern Keres Ki:wa-Dialect (William Pacheco, MIT)
Abstract: As a first-year student in the MITILI program and a Kewa Pueblo educator — I approach theoretical linguistic research as both a learner and a community member. In this casual talk, I will share the questions and observations that are shaping my developing research on Eastern Keres (Ki:wa dialect), grounded in a commitment to community use and knowledge continuity. Drawing on my background in education and language revitalization, I’ll reflect on areas of linguistic interest that have emerged through teaching and listening: the complexity of the Keres verb conjugation system (which has been described as having between 12 and 30 classes), consonant clusters and sibilants, and semantic uses of reflexive prefixes. Rather than presenting findings, this talk will be a preview of the fieldwork I will be conducting this summer, with the goal of supporting both deeper linguistic analysis and practical outcomes in curriculum and teacher development for my community.