The Tlingit Gesture System I Sealaska Heritage
15 videos • 241 views • by Sealaska Heritage Institute The purpose of this video is to make the Tlingit Gesture System (TGS) accessible to Tlingit language instructors and learners. Tlingit gestures can be used to teach Tlingit to English-speaking students without relying on English translations. Teachers can begin with the gestures to convey the meaning to be taught. In our experience, teaching Tlingit with gestures and signs is more efficient and intuitive than using English translations of the Tlingit. The gestures typically include motions with the hands and arms and the observer receives the information visually. The physical movements of the gesture supplements information conveyed by spoken Tlingit. Gestures are used to coincide with the translation of a Tlingit word or phrase. This simultaneous form of presentation cannot be accomplished by providing only an English translation for two reasons. First, the Tlingit and English versions cannot be spoken simultaneously. Second, the word order in English is markedly different from the word order required by Tlingit grammar. Therefore, a word-for-word English translation could be confusing for the learner. But the “word order” in a gesture system or a sign language is more flexible; the gestures or signs can be arranged so that they coincide with the Tlingit word order. SHI recommends that teachers prepare a Tlingit-language unit by first introducing the gestures. Once the students have demonstrated an understanding of the gestures, the teacher may proceed to teach the Tlingit words and phrases by using the gestures simultaneously. From “The Tlingit Gesture System and How It Can Be Used to Teach Tlingit Without Using English,” a manuscript by Jeff Leer, October 2nd, 2024. Most of the gestures documented in this video were provided by Elizabeth Nyman and were documented by Jeff Leer, Ph.D., during fieldwork in Alaska and Canada. Dr. Leer is a linguist on the staff of Sealaska Heritage Institute. A few gestures were provided by Franklin James and John Duncan of Sitka, taken from videotapes documented by Roby Littlefield and kindly shared with SHI. Mr. Frank Henry Kaash Katasse provides the demonstrations.