This material is based on work supported by National Science Foundation grants BCS-0651787 and BCS-0853788 to the University of Alaska Southeast with Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff as Principal Investigator and by National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship 266286-19 to Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Symobls used in the transcription

  • {false start}
  • (added for clarity)
  • [translator/transcriber's note]
  • ??? = can’t understand
  • «Lingít quotation marks»

Software Used

Time-aligned text for this video was accomplished using ELAN, Versions 6.0 (2020), 6.1 (2021), and 6.3 (2022) Nijmegen: Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, The Language Archive. Retrieved from https://archive.mpi.nl/tla/elan

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Tlingit Conversation #1
Speakers are Ḵeixwnéi Nora Dauenhauer, Ḵaanáḵ Ruth Demmert, and G̱uneiwtí Marsha Hotch. Recorded June 29, 2007, at Bill Ray Center in Juneau, Alaska, by Ljáaḵkʼ Alice Taff.
Tlingit transcription by Daaljíni Mary Folletti and Kingeistí David Katzeek. English translation by Daaljíni Mary Foletti. Edited by X̱’aagi Sháawu Keri Edwards Eggleston and Ḵaachkoo.aaḵw Helen Sarabia, also by X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell.
Dís Tlein áwé, October.
Dis Tlein is October.
At dudzix̱éet kʼidéin.
It really is a breeding month.
Aaa.
Yes.
Ách áwé yéi s duwasáakw.
That is what they are called.
Aaá.
Yes.
Dis Tlein.
Big moon. (October)
Haa áyá tʼaawáḵ kwshé.
Well, maybe geese.
Aaá. Tlél áyá {dé gí} gi áwé yéi x̱ʼax̱wa.aax̱.
Yes. Maybe I didnʼt understand it.
Kagax̱toog̱éex' wé atx̱á.
Our contribution will be the food.
Aaá.
Yes.
Yakʼéi áyá.
Itʼs good.
Éitsk'.
Yum.
Chʼas Lingít x̱ʼéináx̱ tsú yó o x̱ʼagax̱tula.áat.
We are going to speak just in Lingít.
Aaa, tláx̱
Yes, very
haa g̱áa x̱ʼé kei kg̱wakʼéi.
it will be good to our taste.
Kanax̱too.aaḵw áx̱ at dulyéx̱ át immersion.
Let us try what people are making there with immersion.
Ax̱ x̱ʼéit shuwaxíx.
My words have run to an end. [literally: My mouth is at its end.]
Dóooo!
[interjection meaning, in this case something like, “See how you are!”]
Yoo x̱ʼatán!
Speak!
Yee yátxʼi daat x̱ʼanidataan!
Speak about your children!
Xʼoon sáwé i jeewú?
How many do you have?
Dax̱adooshúnáx̱ áwé wootee ax̱ yátxʼi.
I had seven children.
Daaxʼoon wé ḵáa yátxʼi ḵa násʼgináx̱ sháa yátxʼi.
Four male children and three female children.
Déix̱ áwé ḵut aa x̱waag̱éex'.
I have lost two of them.
Chʼa yeisú last March yátʼaa áwé wé shaawát aa woonaa.
Just this last March, one of the girls died.
Aaa, ax̱ téix̱ʼ akawliwálʼ.
It broke my heart.
Jee.
Gee.
Wutusikóo ḵu.aa, Dikée Aanḵáawu ayaawadlaaḵ.
We know though, that she made it to be with God.
Yakʼéi.
Itʼs good
Dikée Aanḵáawu x̱ánt uwagút.
She went to be with God.
Keijínnáx̱ ḵu.a áwé yatee du yátxʼi.
She has five children, though.
Oh, my.
Mhm.
Xʼoonináx̱ sáwé yatee i aayí?
How many are yours?
Daaxʼoon. Aaá.
Four. Yes.
Daaxʼooninax̱ yatee.
There are four of them.
Aaá, shuxʼwáa aayí, ax̱ sée.
Yes, the oldest one is my daughter.
Násʼgináx̱ wootee du yátxʼi.
She had three children.
Dáx̱náx̱ ḵáaxʼw ḵa tléix' shaawát.
Two boys and one girl.
Áwé yá dáx̱ aa ḵáa áwé car-ch uwajáḵ.
The second one, a boy, was killed by a car.
Aaá.
Yes.
Out the road here.
O! Ḵúnáx̱ áyá haa toowú woonéekw.
Oh! We were so very sad.
Tuli.aan.
He was kind.
Ḵunax̱ tuli.aan.
He was very kind.
And then ah, dáx̱ aa shaawát,
And then uh, the second girl,
dáx̱náx̱ yatee du yátxʼi.
she has two children.
Aaa, yá násʼgi aa ḵu.a ḵáa áwé.
And the third one was a boy.
Násʼgináx̱ yatee du yátxʼi.
He has three children.
Áwé du sháawu,
The woman he married,
du shaawádi wanáa yéi yatee yeedát.
he is separated from his woman right now.
Wáa sá kwshíyá has gasgítch?
Why is it that they do this?
Chʼa x̱át tsú yéi x̱wdzigeet.
Even I did the same thing.
And uh, Forestʼs shaatkʼátskʼu.
Forestʼs young girl.
Heʼs got, uh, 2, 2 girls, 2 boys, and 1 girl, 5.
Keijínináx̱ yatee du yátxʼi.
He has five children.
Násʼk sháa ḵa dáx̱náx̱
Three girls and two
ḵáaxʼw. Mhm.
boys.
Áwé ax̱ dachx̱án.
My grandchildren.
Ax̱ dachx̱ánxʼi yán ḵudzitee áwé x̱aatóow x̱á.
I have grandchildren and I count them also.
Has du yátxʼi ḵwa aadáx̱,
Their children, though, from that
dax̱adooshú, tléik',
seven, no,
nasʼgadooshú yatee,
there are eight,
has du yátxʼi.
their children.
Great grandchildren.
Ax̱ dachx̱ánxʼiyán, ḵu.aa tleiḵáanáx̱ yatee.
My grandchildren, though, there are twenty of them.
Jee!
Gee!
Jinkaat ḵa keijín aa ḵáaxʼw.
Fifteen men.
Ḵa keijín yatee wé sháa.
Five are women.
Wé ax̱ dachx̱ánxʼi yán.
My grandchildren.
Wé great-grandchildren ḵu.aa,
Those great-grandchildren, though,
jinkaat ḵa déix̱.
(are) twelve.
Ḵúnáx̱ has yatee dé.
They really are now.
Tláakw áyá iya.óo.
Youʼre getting them fast.
Gunalchéesh. Has du jeeyís at.óowu déi, [break in recording]
Thank you. They have their at.óow now. [break in recording]
... jikḵwanéix̱, g̱aat.
... I work on, sockeye.
Wé g̱aat díx̱'. Gee.
Those sockeye backbones.
Jinkaat ḵa déix̱ yáx̱ gí yéi wootee? G̱aat.
Werenʼt there about twelve?
Chʼa aan ḵu.aa yéi kwligéi tléinx' áwé. Jiiiimany.
Still, though, they are big ones.
Aan x̱at wulix̱éitl.
I have been fortunate with it.
Yeah, ḵúnáx̱.
Yeah, really.
Tle wé a shaayí teen áwé áx̱ akax̱lisʼéḵx̱.
With the heads, I smoke them.
Jee, ax̱ tláach ḵúnáx̱ du tuwáa wsigóo. She really liked it.
Gee, my mom really liked it.
Wé kaháakw tsú.
The eggs too.
Aaá.
Yes.
Kaatʼéexʼi gooḵ.
Salmon egg cheese.
Wáa sá iyasáakw?
How do you say it?
Kaatʼéexʼi gooḵ.
Salmon egg cheese.
{ka}
Kaatʼéexʼi
Hardened
gooḵ.
dried salmon eggs
Kaatʼéexʼi gooḵ.
Salmon egg cheese.
Gooḵ. {g un} G-O-O-K underline? Yeah. Aaá.
Dried salmon eggs.
Kaatʼéexʼi gooḵ.
Salmon egg cheese.
You could say gooḵ yéi kḵwasnéi.
You could say I am going to make salmon egg cheese.
Gooḵ yei kḵwasnei.
Iʼm going to make salmon egg cheese.
Gooḵ.
Dried salmn eggs.
Yéi googéink' áwé kaxḻasʼíxx̱i nooch, aag̱áa áwé
I always ferment it a little, and then
Aaá.
Yes.
brine tóodáx̱ sʼeeḵ tóode.
out of the brine and into the smoke.
Sʼeeḵ tóodáx̱ áwé kax̱laxákwx̱u nooch,
Out of the smoke, I always grind it,
we grinder tóonáx̱.
through the grinder.
Blender?
Aaá, tléik', grinder.
Yes, no, grinder.
Kax̱laxákwx̱u nooch aa.
I always grind it.
Cuisinart tsú yakʼéi, you know what that is?
Cuisinart is good too,
Tléik'.
No.
Aaa, yéi kwdigéikʼ.
Yeah, it is this small.
Tlei yax̱ át yaklaxáshx̱.
It cuts everything up.
Cuisinart.
Oh yeah.
Yeah.
Thatʼs good.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Aaa, ḵúnáx̱ yakʼéi.
Yes, itʼs really good.
Ḵúnáx̱ ax̱ x̱ʼéi yakʼéi wé Hi Ho crackers een.
Itʼs really delicious [really good to my mouth] with Hi Ho crackers.
Ách áwé, am,
Because of that, um,
I aayí i methods-zi sʼé du een kananeek du een keeneegín.
Yours, your methods, tell her about first, what you told her.
G̱aat ḵachóo lʼook kaháagu áwé,
Either sockeye or coho eggs,
yéi googéink' áwé kax̱lasʼíxx̱i nooch x̱a.óosʼidáx̱.
I always ferment it a little after I wash it.
Wé glass jar, ítʼchi tóot
The glass jar, in the glass
kax̱ajeilch.
I always put it in.
Yéi googéink' kawulsʼeexí áwé,
When it ferments just a little bit,
tsu rinse-ix̱ x̱alayéix̱.
I use a rinse.
Wé brine,
That brine,
brine kaadéi chʼa yéi googéink'.
just a little brine.
Chʼa yéi googéink' áwé atx̱ x̱walayéix̱ tle, sʼeeḵ tóodei.
I will use it a little bit then, put it into the smoke.
Gwál déix̱ yagyee.
Maybe two days.
Chʼa aadéi kaawunaayí yax̱.
It depends on the status (texture).
Aag̱áa áwé kax̱laxákwx̱u nooch.
And then I always grind it.
Wé grinder tóodáx̱,
From out of the grinder,
tlei wé ítʼch tóodei wé half pints.
then into half pint jars.
Tle freezer tóodei ḵa chʼa wé vaccum seal.
Then vacuum seal it to put in the freezer.
Wéi Hi Ho crackers een.
With those Hi Ho crackers.
Óosh gé x̱ʼéi idinook!
If only you could taste them! (right now)
Yéi googéink' akawdisʼéeg̱i yakʼéi.
A little bit smoked is good.
Yáa googéink', not too much, tlél ḵúdáx̱
A little bit, not too much, not too much.
Wé sʼeeḵ áwé.
That smoke.
Tléix' yagiyee shákdé kwshé? Aaá. Aaá.
Maybe one day? Yes. Yes.
Gwál déix̱ yagiyee {ḵúdáx̱} ḵúdáx̱ héen yáx̱ teeyí hél ushkʼé.
Maybe two days, if itʼs too much lie water, itʼs bad.
Aaá.
Yes.
Kalahéeni.
Watery.
Áwé i aayí déis aadéi yéi daa du
Itʼs your turn, the way you do
Tléil x̱wasakú.
I donʼt know.
Chʼas wé káx̱ kawdujixít áwé.
Just how itʼs written. [according to the recipe]
Uh, somebody-ch kawshixít áwé Dick-ch wusiteen áwé ax̱ jeeyís.
Somebody wrote it and Dick saw it and got it for me.
Xerox-ix̱ awliyéx̱. Thatʼs what I have.
He used a xerox.
Hóoch áwé ax̱ jeeyís awliyéx̱ yáax' sgóonde.
He made this for me here, for the school.
Éitsk'.
Yum.
Yéi awsinei.
He did it.
Yéi awsinei ax̱ jeeyís. Aaa. Good, yeah.
He did it for me. Yes.
Aag̱áa áwé g̱áatl kaadéi.
And then on crackers.
Éitsk'. Aag̱áa tle,
Yum. And then,
yakʼéi ḵachóo kʼúntsʼ een.
itʼs good, or with potatoes.
Áwé x̱waax̱áa,
And I ate it,
ax̱ sée áwé,
my daughter,
« Daa sáwé lichán? »
“What is smelly?”
Hel ulchán yá {t}
It doesnʼt stink, the
Du aayí.
Her thing.
Haaw. Kaháakw kasʼeex gí á wé?
Well. Maybe it was stink eggs?
How do you like your eggs gí áwé?
Sharp.
Dick makes the caviar.
Aaá.
Yes.
Russian aayí. Itʼs good.
That which belongs to the Russian.
Hóoch' áwé.
Thatʼs all.
Gunalchéesh. That is all.
Thank you.