The Salish Language Family: Reconstructing Syntax (Studies in the Anthropology of North American Indians) - Hardcover

Kroeber, Paul D.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 080322740X ISBN 13: 9780803227408

Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, 1999

Synopsis

In this pioneering study Paul D. Kroeber examines the history of an array of important syntactic constructions in the Salish language family. This group of some twenty-three languages, centrally located in the Northwest Coast and Plateau Regions, is noted for its intriguing differences from European languages, including the possible irrelevance of a noun/verb distinction to grammatical structure and the existence of distinctive systems of articles, which also often function as marks of subordination. Kroeber draws on and analyzes data from a wide range of textual and other sources. Centering his detailed investigation on patterns of subordination and focusing, he situates these against the broader background of Salish syntax, examines their interrelationships, and reconstructs their historical development. The result is a study that significantly enhances understanding of the structure and history of Salish. As important, Kroeber’s critical command of sources and well-considered historical proposals are exemplary, setting a methodological standard for Americanist scholarship.

About this title

About the Authors

Paul D. Kroeber is a research associate in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Paul D. Kroeber has written for International Journal of American Linguistics and Anthropological Linguistics. He is a research associate in the Department of Anthropology at Indiana University, Bloomington.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press
• Publication date: 1999
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080322740X
• ISBN 13: 9780803227408
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 461