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The languages of native North America / Marianne Mithun.

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Bibliographic Details
Online Access: Full Text (via ACLS)
Main Author: Mithun, Marianne (Author)
Format: eBook
Language:English
Published: Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1999.
Series:Cambridge language surveys.
Subjects:
Indians of North America > Languages.
Reference works.
Table of Contents:
  • Part I The Nature of the Languages 13
  • 1 Sounds and sound patterns 15
  • 1.1 Inventories 15
  • 1.2 Transcription conventions 20
  • 1.3 Syllable structure 22
  • 1.4 Tone 24
  • 1.5 Harmony 26
  • 1.6 Sound symbolism 31
  • 1.7 Native writing systems 34
  • 2 Words 37
  • 2.1 Polysynthesis 38
  • 2.2 Parts of words: roots, affixes, and clitics 39
  • 2.2.1 Morpheme order 42
  • 2.2.2 General compounding 44
  • 2.2.3 Noun incorporation 44
  • 2.2.4 The functions of roots and affixes 48
  • 2.3 Lexical categories: nouns and verbs 56
  • 3 Grammatical categories 68
  • 3.1 Person 69
  • 3.1.1 Inclusive and exclusive 70
  • 3.1.2 Long-distance coreference and empathy 73
  • 3.1.3 Obviation 76
  • 3.2 Number 79
  • 3.2.1 Inflectional number on nouns 79
  • 3.2.2 Inverse number 81
  • 3.2.3 Derivational and lexical number on nouns 82
  • 3.2.4 Verbal number 83
  • 3.2.5 Distributives 88
  • 3.2.6 Collectives 91
  • 3.2.7 Associatives 94
  • 3.3 Gender 95
  • 3.4 Shape, consistency, and related features 104
  • 3.4.1 Classificatory numerals 104
  • 3.4.2 Classificatory verbs 106
  • 3.5 Means and manner: 'instrumental affixes' 118
  • 3.6 Control 127
  • 3.6.1 The lexicon 127
  • 3.6.2 Verb morphology 128
  • 3.7 Space: location and direction 132
  • 3.7.1 Demonstratives 132
  • 3.7.2 Nominal adpositions, clitics, and affixes 137
  • 3.7.3 Verbal clitics and affixes 139
  • 3.8 Time 152
  • 3.8.1 Tense 152
  • 3.8.2 Aspect 165
  • 3.9 Modality: knowledge and obligation 170
  • 3.9.1 Sample modal paradigms 171
  • 3.9.2 Realis and irrealis 173
  • 3.9.3 Evidentials 181
  • 4 Sentences 187
  • 4.1 Predicates and arguments 187
  • 4.2 Word order 194
  • 4.3 Grammatical relations and case 204
  • 4.3.1 Nominative/accusative patterns 207
  • 4.3.2 Ergative/absolutive patterns 209
  • 4.3.3 Agent/patient and active/stative patterns 213
  • 4.3.4 Direct/inverse patterns 222
  • 4.3.5 A tripartite pattern 228
  • 4.4 Pattern combinations 230
  • 4.4.1 Nominative/accusative and ergative/absolutive 230
  • 4.4.2 Nominative/accusative and agent/patient 236
  • 4.4.3 Nominative/accusative and direct/inverse 239
  • 4.4.4 Ergative/absolutive and agent/patient 241
  • 4.5 Obliques and applicatives 244
  • 4.6 Possession 249
  • 4.7 Clause combining 260
  • 4.7.1 The expression of clause linkage 262
  • 4.7.2 Switch-reference 269
  • 5 Special language 272
  • 5.1 Baby talk, 'abnormal speech', and animal talk 272
  • 5.2 'Men's' and 'women's' language 276
  • 5.3 Narrative and ceremonial language 281
  • 5.4 Speech play 289
  • 5.5 Plains Sign Talk 292
  • Part II Catalogue of Languages 295
  • 6 Relations among the languages 297
  • 6.1 Dialect, language, and family 298
  • 6.2 Genetic relationship 300
  • 6.3 Stocks: hypotheses of more remote relationships 301
  • 6.4 Language contact 311
  • 6.4.1 Borrowing 311
  • 6.4.2 Linguistic areas 314
  • 6.4.3 Contact language 322
  • 7 Catalogue 326
  • 7.1 Language families and isolates 326
  • 7.2 Pidgins, creoles, and mixed languages 587.

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