Intelligent Plains Cree dictionary for word formation project

In Cree languages, forming an action word (verb) is no simple task. You need to know who does the action, who or what the action is being done to, whether either participant has a soul or not, when the action happened, and whether someone knows the action will or might happen.

With collaborators at the ALTLab, the NRC is developing a new interface for itwêwina, the intelligent Plains Cree dictionary that analyses and assists with Plains Cree word formation. It can deconstruct existing words to reveal each parameter that goes into forming the word, and build words based on parameters that users input. We are also extending these word formation and analysis technologies to spelling and grammar checkers and syllabics converters.

Collaborators

• Alberta Language Technology Laboratory (ALTLab)
  The ALTLab researches and creates language technology for Indigenous languages, most notably Plains Cree, but also Woods Cree, Tsuut'ina, Northern Haida, Odawa, Blackfoot and Arapaho. Their tools focus on grammatical breakdown of words, spell checkers, grammar checkers, intelligent online dictionaries and text-to-speech.
• Maskwacîs Education Schools Commission
• Cree Literacy Network

Objectives

• Update the intelligent Plains Cree dictionary web application: new interface including word analyzer, grammar and spell-checkers and syllabics converter
• Expand intelligent dictionaries to more Indigenous languages

Deliverables

• New interface for the itwêwina intelligent Plains Cree dictionary
• Plains Cree syllabics converter
• Open-source repository for the dictionary web application, for developers

Project team

• Eddie Antonio Santos, Application Development Specialist, NRC
• Dr. Antti Arppe, Director, ALTLAB
• ALTLab collaborators