Negotiating meaning in X̱aad Kíl (Northern Haida)

This thesis explores strategies for negotiating meaning in X̱aad Kíl (Northern Haida) through transcription and translation of approximately one-and-one half hours of audio and audio-video recorded interactive talk between fluent L1 speakers. To contribute to a fuller understanding of the practices of turn-taking and repair in X̱aad Kíl, I use Conversation Analysis (CA) to analyze two mainly dyadic conversations, a recording of speech interaction during a dyadic storytelling session, and a set of archived recordings of Massett Haida speeches from the early 1970s. Intensive work with the last male fluent speaker of X̱aad Kíl, Lawrence Bell, provides important ethnographic, relational, and cultural context for the conversations and speeches, and brings to light important structural features, such as the use of response tokens and interjections. In addition to contributing to the documentation of previously unstudied conversation practices, the thesis also provides a resource for teachers and learners who are seeking to create conversation-based curriculum to develop language proficiency and work toward revitalization efforts.