LIN 199.23W: Exploring Heritage Languages

HW 2 : Getting familiar with library resources

The purpose of this assignment is to help you get more familiar with the resources that our University of Toronto Library has to offer. You will gain some general knowledge about doing research (virtually) in the library, as well as some information specifically about researching heritage languages.

Please choose one Heritage Language spoken in Toronto to focus on for this assignment. Your task is to create a webpage that introduces readers to a specific heritage-language community in Toronto. It should tell viewers about resources available for speakers of this language, or for people interested in learning more about the language.

What you will need for this assignment:

• The introduction to library resources that Fabiano Takashi Rocha will provide during class in Week 2
• To know where Robarts Library is, both physically and virtually
• Time to explore, surf, skim -- several hours will be needed
• APA guidelines for academic writing, especially for documenting sources. You might start with this tutorial.
  • "APA" stands for the American Psychological Association, but this set of guidelines is used in many Social Science fields, including linguistics. MLA (Modern Language Association) and the Chicago Manual of Style are other common sets of guidelines
• Software to create a webpage
  • You can create a webpage in Word. Create your document in the usual manner, then Save as Web Page. (These instructions might help.)
  • Or you might want to try a program like wordpress.com. Set up a blog there and then use their instructions on how to make a homepage. (Just use their free options!)
  • NEW: If you create a website that's actually "live" (visible online), then just submit the URL in Quercus. If you create .html pages that are just saved on your computer (like if you use Word to make the pages), be sure upload all the parts of your website to Quercus. You may have multiple pages, pictures, etc. I can only see what you upload. Easiest is to .zip (compress) all the files together and upload that.

What you will produce:

• A webpage that addresses the questions below.
• Your completed pages will be posted online at the Heritage Language Variation and Change in Toronto website. The public will be able to see and use your pages (unless you specify to the instructor that you don't want your file posted publicly--that's ok).
  • Please incorporate the color-coding for the different languages into your webpage (if you write about one of these languages):

    Language	HTML Colour Code
    Cantonese	#FF0000
    Faetar	#9966FF
    Hungarian	#6B8E23
    Italian	#006633
    Korean	#660033
    Polish	#FF3333
    Portuguese	#accc19
    Russian	#0033FF
    Tagalog	#1be0d6
    Ukrainian	#FF3333

• Be sure to take advantage of the ease of inserting hyperlinks to make links directly to any interesting online resources you mention.
• Make it look good -- you can be artistic here!
• Make sure it's easy to read -- best to keep it simple.
• If you have trouble thinking about how to organize your page, try Googling "creating good webpages tips" and follow some of the guidelines there.
• You have one week to complete this assignment. Submit it in Quercus by uploading the .htm file you create OR type in the URL of your online homepage. Be sure to submit it before class on the due date.

The page should be designed to answers these questions for viewers:

1. What are some resources for speakers of this language?
2. What are some resources for people interested in learning more about the language?

I will also be looking for answers to these 3 questions, which you can incorporate as you like:

1. How many publications does the library hold that are written about the language you choose? What kind of publications or documents are they? To answer this, focus on three of these types:
   • journals (academic)
   • magazines (non-academic)
   • audio materials
   • newspapers
   • dictionaries
   • textbooks
   • linguistic atlases

   For the three types you choose, imagine you are helping a new visitor to Robarts. Explain how to find Robarts Library materials about your favourite Heritage Language. Be sure to mention the keyword(s) you use, the subject(s) you specified, and how you searched. Attach a screenshot with search results for one of your searches.

2. (About) how many publications does Robarts Library hold that are written in the language you choose? What kind of publications or documents are they?


3. What did you find that was interesting and/or helpful? For a sample of at least five such documents, describe what is interesting and provide appropriate citations.

   Check the APA guidelines to see how to appropriately cite the different types of documents or e-resources that you mention.

Last updated Jan. 10, 2023