Exploratory vocabulary collection session (speaker M28; Labai dialect) ; Séance exploratoire d'enquête de vocabulaire

Work with Lamu Gatusa only extended over two sessions, on August 11th and August 12th, 2009. The second session was recorded. This is an exploratory elicitation session: the items were transcribed as they were being said; the speaker and the investigator discussed in Chinese over the meaning of words, cases of homophony, issues of transcription, and so on. The purpose was to devise a first version of a transcription system in the International Phonetic Alphabet, which Mr. Lamu would then use (and develop further) for transcribing Na stories, proverbs and rituals and preparing annotated bilingual editions. A note about Mr. Lamu Gatusa's name: his name in Na is /lɑ˧mbv˧ kɤ˧tʰv˥sɑ˥/. The phonetic approximation of this Na name in Mandarin Chinese is Lamu Gatusa (Chinese characters: 拉木•嘎吐萨). His pen-name is 石高峰: Shi Gaofeng.