Lakota Lesson 2: The Silent Way

This Lakota lesson, second in the series, allows the learner to perceive a situation with meaning--and to figure out the appropriate Lakota or Dakota words to express that meaning. It follows from Lesson 1. With all lessons, turn off the sound to practice your own speaking.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Lakota
• Silent Way
• language learning
• Dakota'

[GenevieveElmer]

Im confused. (sorry white girl trying to learn Lakota) but I thought chong (spelling sorry again) was wood, so what does chazee or chawshaw mean?

[girma1jo]

@GenevieveElmer

I'm glad you are giving the language a try. If "can" (chan) applies to every object in the lesson, then the additional sounds (words) might communicate something about the differences in the objects? What might be difference you see?

[WhiteStarWoman]

have to agree w/germz. Like I'm not even sure what the word is suppose to be that we're talking about? Is it wood? and what is the differences in the different blocks? Does it have to do with the colors? or sizes? I'm soooooooo confused.  I can see how it would work but I need to know what in the heck we're supposed to be talking about? Also some kind of spelling would help me to understand what the word needs to sound like and help me to remember the sounds.

[girma1jo]

@WhiteStarWoman

Your questions -- Is it wood? Is it colors?-- lead you to the answers. It may take several lessons for you to get the right answers. It doesn't help if you find yourself using English to give meaning to the sounds and words and objects or actions. Two assumptions that help: one, assume that the sounds are simply talking about what you see, and, two, that the lessons are designed with the simplest and most visible answer the right one. Sounds/ letters come in lessons soon.

[123GERMZ]

you need subtitles and you need to tell the people what you are trying to teach its is a great idea I am lakota my self but you need to EXPLAIN THE VIDEOS AND WALK USE THOUGH AND TELL USE WHAT YOU ARE TEACHING !!!!

[girma1jo]

I appreciate what you are asking for. But while we use language to process almost all our information, language itself isn't information. So with learning our first language--no one could give us information because, well, we needed a language to process words and we didn't have a language. Translations weren't possible either. But we learned, on our own, with our native intelligence and curiosity, and these still work really well. Not a typical school approach though.

[rockeycc]

I think these lessons are great. I see that you are trying to teach us with the other side of our brain, to have us see what is trying to be said. It requires you to reason which is why it is difficult, but also has us curious which is the point of the exercise. sha would be red and zi is yellow so chan zi would be yellow wood or stick, block, etc and cha sha would be red stick, block, wood etc.

[FRANKSPEEDWAY]

@GenevieveElmer--- chan zi-yellow wood. chan sa-red wood. the "n" is nasalized...and for red wood..chan sa...the "s" is pronounced "sh"

[Sarkoja]

These are wonderful lessons. My husband is from Cheyenne River and speaks Lakota and Dakota..not 100% fluent but enough to carry his own in a conversation. I'm trying to learn too and your videos help a great deal. I hope someday if you have time, you may do some more. Pilamaya ye.

[Shalimar36]

@GenevieveElmer Hi, chan is wood, right? So let us look at other characteristics about the wood that stand out - color. So, chan is wood, chan zi is yellow wood which makes chan sa red wood. I also thought about long and short, but I think that is too vague. Do not apologize - you are learning! I too was (and still am) a little confused myself, but I am getting the idea of how he is trying to teach.

[GenevieveElmer]

Oh I get it now. Thank you so much for your lessons. This is by far the best way (for me at least) to learn a language. I think this is why I had so much trouble with Spanish in school. They would give us a word sheet with translations and say "here, memorize" this helps me to understand much better. Thank you again

[chimiskwew]

interesting, real language learning however it does require patience to work! keep at it! this does makes sense but reading words is the easiest way to forget spoken language - this is meant to teach you the traditional oral way so you can understand and speak the language