RIF 2019: SO Language Collection
PROJECT DESCRIPTION This corpus is an oral documentation of So, also known as Tepeth or Soo (ISO 639-3 teu), a highly endangered language spoken in eastern Uganda, Karamoja region. The corpus consists of word lists, phrase lists, audio recordings, and video recordings of the So language. These were compiled to serve as a source of data for description of the language and revitalization. Also, it was envisaged that the data can be used for general reference about the language. Below are details of Part I of the items in the corpus. 1) 7 word lists: English words and their equivalents in So. 2) 4 phrase lists: English sentences and their equivalents in So. 3) Audios: 8 songs, 1 set of count numbers, 2 dialogues, 5 personal experiences, 1 set of formulaic expressions (e.g. how to pray in So), 18 narratives, 7 procedural discourses, and 6 testimonies. 4) Videos: 8 dances, 1 drama, 4 songs, 8 descriptions of artefacts, 2 dialogues, 1 exhortation, 2 personal experiences, 4 procedural discourses (e.g. how to greet), and 8 testimonies. 5) Photographs of So speakers, places, and artefacts. The corpus was compiled by the following team of researchers: - Principal investigator: Celestino Oriikiriza Co-investigators: Fridah Katushemererwe, Michael Wangotta, Luke Francis Kiwanuka, and Deo Kawalya. Collaborators: Summer Institute of Linguistics (Entebbe) - Richard Nzogi, Michael Angunda, Gift Asiku, and Maria Stolen. Achva Academic College (Israel) - Sigal Uziel-Karl. The project began in December 2019 and ended in December 2020. We acknowledge our informants in Moroto, Napak, and Nakapiripirit. Also, we acknowledge our contact persons, in the districts above, and all other people who supported the project in one way or another. We are grateful to you for your efforts. The project was sponsored by Government of Uganda through the Makerere University Research and Innovations Fund (MakRIF). Part II of the corpus includes eighteen (18) narratives on traditional practices in agriculture among the So. The purpose of recording speakers about this subject area was not only to elicit a language text in So, but also to get the indigenous knowledge systems that could be of use today in the context of modern practices. This part of the project was conducted in March 2022, courtesy of the moral and financial support by Neil Dawson of University of Anglia (United Kingdom). This support was extended for collection of additional data to the So language documentary corpus. Neil, through INDIS (Indigenous Sustainable Development) was collaborating with CAES (College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Makerere University) to research the indigenous knowledge systems and traditional resources of the So/Tepeth, particularly on their potential to support socio-economic development. While in contact with the community members, they requested the team to incorporate the development of So language in their research. They proposed a number of activities ranging from collection of additional data for the documentary corpus to writing the language’s orthography. Therefore, a language team was brought on board to collect language data and process it as additional content to the existing corpus. The team included the following members: Principal investigator: Celestino Oriikiriza (Makerere University) Co-investigator: Richard Nzogi (Entebbe) So/Tepeth community leader: Michael Lokawua (Moroto) Interpreters: Stella Aiko and Moses Akol for recordings in Tapac; Kasimoro Otti and Lorem Mark for recordings in Kakingol; Logit Mark, Osike Paul, and Omet John for recordings in Lemsui; Kasirokot Steven and Lorem Mark for recordings in Moruita. Thanks to the speakers who were interviewed and recorded. The project is indebted to the team members for their efforts in building the second part of the documentary corpus of So:
Recent Submissions
-
Activities the So/Kadama do during the different seasons of the year
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on the activities the So/Kadama do during the different seasons of the year -
Managed grazing among the So/Kadama
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on the traditional practices of managed grazing among the So/Kadama -
The practice of gathering wild fruits and foods for use in the drought season
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on the traditional practices of gathering wild fruits and foods for use in the drought season -
Traditional ways of harvesting crops
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on the traditional ways of harvesting crops -
Food taboos among the So/Kadama
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on the food taboos among the So/Kadama -
How the Kadama do soil conservation
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on how the Kadama do soil conservation -
How the So/Kadama utilise plants for health and medicinal purposes
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on how the So/Kadama utilise plants for health and medicinal purposes -
How the So/Kadama go about hunting
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on how the So/Kadama go about hunting -
Livestock keeping as a source of livelihood among the Kadama
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on how livestock keeping is a source of livelihood among the Kadama -
How the So are coping with the adverse effects of climatic change
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on how the So are coping with the adverse effects of climatic change -
How water sources were preserved then and now
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives information on how water sources where preserved then and now -
Names of trees and plants
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives names of trees and plants and the importance of trees and plants today and in the past -
How the So people apply local methods to cope with the changes in weather
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives details on how the So people apply local methods to cope with the changes in weather. -
How the So people today handle pests and diseases
(2022)How the So people today handle pests and diseases that affect crops and livestock in their area and how they were handled in the past -
Plants with medicinal value for human-beings and livestock
(2022)In this recording, the speaker gives names of plants with medicinal value to both humans and livestock. -
Preservation of water sources in the traditional and modern times
(2022)The speaker was recorded giving traditional and modern times of water preservation -
Traditional ways of managing crop and animal pests and diseases
(2022)This recording is about the traditional ways the So people follow in managing crop and animal pests and diseases. -
Traditional So ways of crop harvesting and post-harvest handling
(2022)It was a sunny day in Kakingol village. The interview arrived in Kakingol village in the afternoon led by the community leader of the So people. -
Minority group's language facing extinction - research
(Daily Monitor, 2021-02-16)The language of the So (Tepeth), a minority tribe in Karamoja, is under threat of extinction because it does not exist in written form, a research by Makerere University reveals. -
Minority languages face extinction
(New Vision, 2021-02-22)Linguists in Uganda are worried that the threat of extinction to the languages spoken by small communities in Uganda is growing at a high rate. this has left them contemplating interventions of saving the languages.
RSS 1.0