Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (June 17/05) - Languages can be a barrier among people.

On June 10, it was the celebration of a language that brought about 75 people together. The Dehcho Divisional Board of Education launched the second edition of the South Slavey verb dictionary.

Andy Norwegian, Dene language specialist for the Dehcho Divisional Board of Education, addresses the audience at the launch of the second edition of the Slavey verb dictionary in Fort Simpson on June 10. - Derek Neary/NNSL photo

Dene language specialist Andy Norwegian, who co-edited the dictionary with Phil Howard, united the audience in laughter when recounting how Slavey wordsmiths have had to be innovative.

Norwegian said he remembered sitting in the janitor's room at Dehcho Hall and asking former caretaker Frank Denethlon for some advice on South Slavey.

Denethlon had a question of his own for Norwegian: How come when the nurse visited the school, there were always more "gun cases" lying around, he asked in Slavey.

Gun cases, it turned out, was a clever synonym for condoms because the word "condom" never existed in the South Slavey language. The crowd roared.

Another adaptation that Norwegian mentioned is "machinery that has memory," in place of "computer," which was foreign to South Slavey.

These are just some of the many challenges that the Dene linguists have overcome. Norwegian noted that he consulted many elders, like Stanley Isaiah and Ted Trindell, in creating the reference book.

The second edition of the Slavey verb dictionary comes 15 years after the original. It contains many new entries and additional verb forms.

Nolan Swartzentruber, the Deh Cho's superintendent of education, commended Norwegian for his love of language and devotion to meticulously putting it on paper. He said Norwegian spent countless hours poring over the text making sure every accent was in place.

Phil Howard, the other co-editor, joined the celebration by a telephone link from his home in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Howard moved to Nahanni Butte in 1953 and began learning and transcribing the Slavey language.

"It's very gratifying for me to have these two volumes in my hand," Howard said.

Kevin Menicoche, MLA for Nahendeh, addressed the audience in Slavey. Later in English, he explained that he has been using the old South Slavey dictionary to help him make part of his member's statements in the legislative assembly.

"The only way I can help our language in our communities is by using it myself," said Menicoche, who was among the audience members to take home a copy of the new edition.