INTERMEDIATE CREEK

For those who have progressed beyond introductory lessons, Intermediate Creek offers an expanded understanding of the language and culture of the Muskogee (Creek) and Seminole Indians. The first advanced textbook for the language, this book builds on the grammatical principles set forth in the authors’ earlier book, Beginning Creek: Mvskoke Emponvkv, providing students with knowledge crucial to mastering more-complex linguistic constructions.

Here are clear, comprehensive explanations of linguistic features such as the use of plural subject and object noun phrases; future tense and intentive mood; commands and causatives; postpositions and compound noun phrases; locatives; and sentences with multiple clauses. Linguistic anthropologist Pamela Innes and native speakers Linda Alexander and Bertha Tilkens have organized the book much as they did Beginning Creek. Each chapter begins with a presentation of the grammatical points to be learned, followed by new vocabulary, exercises, an essay relating the material to Muskogee and Seminole life, and suggested readings. Numerous diagrams and tables aid understanding, while an audio CD contains examples of spoken Mvskoke—conversations, a story, and a lullaby—and demonstrates the cadence and intonations of the language.

Given resurgent interest in the Mvskoke language but a paucity of classroom resources for advanced study, Intermediate Creek not only offers a practical means for learning but also marks a significant step in preserving and revitalizing an important Native language.

Pamela Innes is Associate Professor of Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Wyoming, Laramie.