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On the computational modelling of Michif verbal morphology

From National Research Council Canada

DOIResolve DOI: https://doi.org/10.18653/v1/2021.eacl-main.226
AuthorSearch for: 1; Search for: 1; Search for:
Affiliation
  1. National Research Council of Canada. Digital Technologies
FormatText, Article
Conference16th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics, EACL 2021, April 19-23, 2021, Online
Abstract
This paper presents a finite-state computational model of the verbal morphology of Michif. Michif, the official language of the Métis peoples, is a uniquely mixed language with Algonquian and French origins. It is spoken across the Métis homelands in what is now called Canada and the United States, but it is highly endangered with less than 100 speakers. The verbal morphology is remarkably complex, as the already polysynthetic Algonquian patterns are combined with French elements and unique morpho-phonological interactions.The model presented in this paper, LI VERB KAA-OOSHITAHK DI MICHIF handles this complexity by using a series of composed finite-state transducers to model the concatenative morphology and phonological rule alternations that are unique to Michif. Such a rule-based approach is necessary as there is insufficient language data for an approach that uses machine learning. A language model such as LI VERB KAA-OOSHITAHK DI MICHIF furthers the goals of Indigenous computational linguistics in Canada while also supporting the creation of tools for documentation, education, and revitalization that are desired by the Métis community.
Publication date
PublisherAssociation for Computational Linguistics
In
  • Proceedings of the 16th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics: Main Volume (April 2021): 2631–2636.
LanguageEnglish
Peer reviewedYes
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Record identifierf3055ccb-fc1b-472b-bd46-b02bd0188d4c
Record created2021-06-11
Record modified2023-11-03
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