A History of the Study of the Indigenous Languages of North America.

Intro -- A HISTORY OF THE STUDY OF THE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES OF NORTH AMERICA -- Editorial page -- Title page -- Copyright page -- Table of contents -- Preface &amp -- Acknowledgments -- List of Abbreviations -- List of Figures -- 1. Introduction -- 1.1 Aims of the book -- 1.2 Terms and definitions -- 1.3 Structure of the book -- 2. The languages of North America -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Genetic and areal overview -- 2.2.1 Introduction -- 2.2.2 Algonquian languages -- 2.2.3 Iroquoian languages -- 2.2.4 Eskimo-Aleut languages -- 2.2.5 Loss of the languages: Its causes and implications -- 2.3 Overview of structural characteristics -- 2.3.1 Introduction -- 2.3.2 Sound systems -- 2.3.3 Word and sentence structure -- 2.3.3.1 Polysynthesis -- 2.3.3.2 Noun incorporation -- 2.3.4 Gender -- 2.3.5 Classifiers -- 2.4 Concluding observations -- 3. Studies of the languages of North America -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Missionary and other pre-modern sources -- 3.3 From 1788 till the 1840s -- 3.4 Since the second half of the 19th century -- 3.5 Wider contexts -- 3.6 Concluding observations -- 4. Sound systems in Iroquoian languages -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Motifs in phonetic accounts -- 4.2.1 Introduction -- 4.2.2 Describing sounds in unwritten languages -- 4.2.3 Gaps in phonetic inventories -- 4.2.4 Uncommon sounds -- 4.2.5 'Confused' sounds -- 4.3 Images of languages and speakers -- 4.3.1 Introduction -- 4.3.2 Images of languages -- 4.3.3 Images of speakers -- 4.4 Concluding observations -- 5. Gender in Algonquian languages -- 5.1 Introduction -- 5.2 Early studies: 17th-19th centuries -- 5.2.1 Introduction -- 5.2.2 17th and 18th centuries -- 5.2.3 Late 18th and 19th century -- 5.3 Studies of Algonquian gender since the beginning of the 20th century -- 5.3.1 Introduction -- 5.3.2 Early 20th-century accounts -- 5.3.3 Bloomfield and Greenberg.

5.3.4 Gender and culture -- 5.3.5 Gender as a grammatical category -- 5.4 Concluding observations -- 6. Cherokee verbs for washing -- 6.1 Introduction -- 6.2 Cherokee verbs for washing: The life cycle of the example -- 6.2.1 Introduction -- 6.2.2 Origin (1818-c.1860) -- 6.2.3 Propagation (c.1860-c.1950) -- 6.2.4 Exposition and status quo (1952-present) -- 6.3 Images of languages and speakers -- 6.3.1 Introduction -- 6.3.2 Images of languages -- 6.3.2.1 Methodological issues -- 6.3.2.2 Abstract terms in 'primitive' languages -- 6.3.2.3 Abstract terms and the Cherokee example -- 6.3.3 Images of speakers -- 6.4 Concluding observations -- 7. Eskimo words for snow -- 7.1 Introduction -- 7.2 Eskimo words for snow: The life cycle of the example -- 7.2.1 Introduction -- 7.2.2 Origin (1894-c.1940) -- 7.2.3 Propagation (c.1940-c.1990) -- 7.2.4 Exposition and status quo (1986-present) -- 7.3 The Eskimo and Cherokee examples: A comparison -- 7.4 Concluding observations -- 8. Concluding discussion -- 8.1 Introduction -- 8.2 Life cycles of linguistic examples -- 8.3 Functions of examples -- 8.3.1 Methodology -- 8.3.2 Theory and ideology -- 8.4 Motifs -- 8.4.1 Complexity and 'richness' -- 8.4.2 Abstract and 'concrete' -- 8.5 Prospects -- References -- Index of Biographical Names -- Index of Subjects &amp -- Terms -- Index of Languages &amp -- Dialects.

This book traces the interpretations by European and American scholars of linguistic examples from Algonquian, Iroquoian and Eskimo-Aleut languages, illustrating the role of these examples in the origin and transmission of linguistic ideas, thus allowing a more holistic view of the history of language study in North America.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.