Arapaho Lexical Database

Funded by the Documenting Endangered Languages grant from the National Endowment for Humanities, this project aimed to create the digital Arapaho Lexical Database. The core functionality of the database consists of an easy-to-use search in English or Arapaho, representation of all allophones and Proto-Algonquian forms of words, audio examples, and contextual use of words. In addition, it allows adding, removing, and expanding the existing entries for the database contributors.

Before the project began, the collected Arapaho lexicon already counted approximately 100,000 entries. Therefore, one of the objectives of this project was to confirm some of the lesser-used words with the native speakers and discover additional, undocumented forms. To achieve this goal, the project collected other video data of naturally occurring conversations and elicitations to add to the existing Arapaho dictionary.

As a research assistant to the project, I was involved in the data collection, entry, sorting process, transcriptions, interlinearization, and labeling of the Arapaho Data. To aid this project, I conducted research in the field with the Arapaho community, confirming the data through elicitations and recording new prompted conversations.