Storyboards

The storyboard experiment had three objectives (i) to test classifier overlap, (ii) to reveal anaphoric use of the classifiers in the Oceanic languages, and (iii) to reveal the nature of classifier systems. With intentions for two primary uses: to collect narrative recordings recounting the events depicted in the storyboards, and to create basic literacy materials for the communities in the South Pacific. This will involve a limited print run of the storyboards and will be gifted to the local schools to help with vernacular literacy projects.

Method

Participants were presented with eight short stories, each with four pictures. The researcher began by informing participants that each narrative will be explained in Bislama and then asked them to retell the story in their own language. The researcher also asked each participant to tell them how they would claim the object in the picture belonged to the man or woman in the picture. Participants were also told that after the first picture in the story containing four pictures, they did not need to repeat the name of the object after picture one. They were simply instructed to use the term that means “his” or “hers”.

Results

Participants’ narration of the story reveals the consistency in their use of classifiers. Results are still under analysis.

Data

Data can be accessed…