INDIAN ISLAND (AP) — The National Endowment for the Humanities has awarded a grant to help the Penobscot Nation create an updated dictionary of the tribal language.
The University of Maine, Penobscot Nation and American Philosophical Society aim to create a comprehensive printed version of the Penobscot Dictionary, complete with an English index and searchable online database.
A Penobscot Dictionary manuscript was created by pathologist and linguist Frank T. Siebert, Jr. and based on his work with native speakers from 1935-93 currently exists.
Researchers hope to add 30,000 to 45,000 words, phrases, sentences and usage examples from field notes and other archived materials to Siebert’s original manuscript.
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