Melvatha R. Chee

Melvatha R. Chee, Ph.D., is Tsé Nahabiłnii, Kin Łichíi’nii, Hooghan Łání and Áshįįhí. She is originally from Lake Valley, New Mexico. A fluent Diné speaker, she has over 15 years of experience working professionally with her language. Dr. Chee’s linguistic work focuses mainly on analyzing Navajo child language data. Her primary goal is to look at how Navajo children learn to use the morphologically complex Navajo verb. Her secondary research goal focuses on building a Navajo language corpus. Her additional research interests include morphophonology, polysynthesis, semantics, morphology, first language acquisition, language sustainability, and the intersection between culture and linguistics. Dr. Chee is a United States Marine Corps Veteran and continually maintains a strong connection to her culture in order to enrich her Navajo language skills, knowledge, and wellbeing. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Linguistics and the Director of the Navajo Language Program at the University of New Mexico.

Email: mchee@unm.edu

Jalon Begay

Jalon Begay is Bitʼahnii nishłį́, Táchiiʼnii báshíshchíín, Dziłtlłʼahnii dashicheii, ʼáádóó Mąʼiideeshgiizhnii dashinálí. He is from Baaʼoogeedi (White Cone, AZ) and was raised in a Navajo-primary household. He holds an M.A. in Linguistics from UNM, with a focus on Navajo and Na-Dene languages, along with a B.F.A. in Studio Arts from Cooper Union. His research is focused on the documentation, description, and analysis of Navajo and other Athabaskan languages, with particular attention to verb morphology, paradigm structure, and lexicography. He is currently organizing and analyzing verb paradigm data from Young & Morgan’s The Navajo Language to support both classroom instruction and long-term documentation efforts. His other ongoing work applies programming and database methods to Navajo language documentation, including the development of structured lexical databases and computational resources to support teaching and revitalization of this low-resource language. This technical work is supported by hands-on experience in systems imaging, hardware troubleshooting, and IT support, alongside an ongoing A.A.S. in Computer Programming. He has taught in the Navajo Language Program since 2007.

Email: belo78@unm.edu