Laurestine Bradford field notes, recordings and related materials for Tlingit language, 2024-2025

Laurestine Bradford and Zlata Odribets received a Jacobs Research Fund Group grant in 2024 and 2025.

Researcher Laurestine Bradford met with consultant Anyàłashâsh Sam Johnston in Teslin, YT for 2-4.5 hours per day during eight weekdays from July 8th to 17th, 2024. Consultant Shuwuteen Margaret Bob was present during the elicitation sessions on July 15-17th. The project aimed to investigate the range of meanings of Tlingit pluractional suffixes, gaining key data to support our analysis of how the observed meanings arise predictably from systematic combinations.

Researcher Zlata Odribets met with native Tlingit speaker Khudaxhghaaháa Ben Jackson and Tlingit language learner Xwanlein Virginia Oliver, in Wrangell, Alaska, for 2-4.5 hours per day during eight weekdays from July 31st to August 9th, 2024. Elicitations with Mr. Jackson focused on the different functions of the d- prefix in Tlingit verbs, such as its use in subject-/object-suppressing constructions and reflexives/reciprocals. The researchers were able to gain a deeper understanding of the functions of the d- classifier and is facilitating the development of a theory of its use. Additionally, continuing Researcher Bradford's investigations, Researcher Odribets elicited some data on an uncommon pluractional suffix with Mr. Jackson.

As of 2025, Laurestine Bradford was a PhD candidate at the McGill University Department of Linguistics in Montreal and is working to profile the aspectual classes of the Tlingit language. She also holds degrees in Linguistics, Mathematics, and Philosophy from the University of Toronto. She has authored several papers, including "Repeated partial events create conative interpretations in Tlingit," "Conativity as repeated beginning in Tlingit pluractional verbs," and "Large Subsets of Euclidean Space Avoiding Infinite Arithmetic Progressions."

Source: https://laurestine.github.io/, accessed November 24, 2025