Documentation:RelLex/Cahto Dictionary

Cahto Dictionary

Relational Lexicography Knowledgebase
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Language Name

Cahto.

Alternate Language Names

Kato.

Region

California, United States.

Who

Sally Anderson (Compiler/Editor).

Others Involved

National Endowment for the Humanities (Funding).

This dictionary does not include the names of others involved. Those involved are mentioned anonymously through anecdotes on the Credits & Acknowledgements page to honour Cahto cultural practices.

Publishing Information

This dictionary was published in 2018 by SIL International. It was most recently updated in 2023.

How People are Cited

People are cited on the Copyright and Credits & Acknowledgements pages. Some speakers and contributors are cited by name, most are acknowledged through acecdotes and descriptions of their contributions to honour Cahto cultural practices.

How Information is Cited

Speakers, both those who worked on this dictionary directly (who are not cited by name but with anecdotes) and those who have impacted this dictionary through earlier work with the Cahto language, are cited on the Credits & Acknowledgements page of the site. Previous publications are cited on the Bibliography page.

Where is Information Coming from

Information in this dictionary comes from speakers, including those who have worked with language workers throughout the twentieth century (detailed below) and those who worked with the dictionary's compiler, who remain nameless out of respect for the language consultants, including a granddaughter of Gil and Rose Ray, who worked with both linguist Victor Golla and the compiler of this dictionary.

Missionary Pliny E. Goddard worked primarily with Captain Bill Ray in the early years of the twentieth century, collecting words and stories. Goddard also worked with Rose (nee Stevenson) Ray (Bill Ray's daughter-in-law), who provided colloquial speech forms. Two of Bill Ray's children, Gil Ray and Martina (nee Ray) Bell, worked with several researchers in the years to follow, providing information about Cahto culture, religion, and locations, as well as vocabulary. Anthropologist Edwin Meyer Loeb worked with Lucy (nee Cook) Ray (Bill Ray's wife) for Loeb's study of the Western Kuksu cult. Anthroplogist Harold Edson Driver worked with Alex Frazier for Driver's work on the Northwest California volume of cultural elements.

This dictionary was also compiled using previous publications, as listed on the dictionary's Bibliography page.

Tools and Framework used

This is an online dictionary created with Webonary.

Access

This dictionary is open access.

Included Languages and Directionality

Cahto to English; English to Cahto.

Dialects Included

There are at least two dialects included in this dictionary. They are identified through speaker initials, and the specific dialects are not identified.

Type of Dictionary

This is a bilingual, bidirectional digital dictionary.

How are Entries Organised

Entries are organized alphabetically by Cahto in the Cahto–English section, according to the alphabet found on The Cahto Alphabet page, which is also listed at the top of Cahto–English section of the dictionary. Entries include the Cahto headword, dialect information, part of speech, usage restrictions, the English definition(s), and variations. Some entries contain cultural information, detailed linguistic information, or comparisons to regional languages or cultures. Entries are organized by English in the Browse English section of the dictionary. Entries include the English headword and Cahto translation. Some entries contain more detailed linguistic information (such as the part of speech) and variations.

Users can sort entries topically by going to the Semantic Domains page, where entries are grouped according to universe/creation, person, language and thought, social behaviour, daily life, work and occupation, physical actions, states, and grammar. Entries are organized alphabetically by Cahto in these topical sections.

This dictionary can be searched using either Cahto or English, based on the part of speech and/or semantic domain.

This dictionary also contains external links, connecting users to other Cahto language resources.

Other Features

Feature	Included	More Information
Guide to use and understand	✅	On the Dictionary Entry Structure and Abbreviations pages
Audio	❌
Images	❌
Example phrases	✅	In many entries
Speakers marked	✅	Occasionally to mark dialect differences
Dialects marked	✅	Occasionally identified through speaker initials

External Links

Access the Cahto Dictionary here: https://www.webonary.org/cahto/