29 Language classification
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Hannah J. Haynie
Abstract
Classification of North American languages has been central to the academic study of indigenous American cultures, their histories, and the more general human history of the Americas since the arrival of European colonists on the continent. Alternative classification proposals have relied on a variety of data types and different standards of evidence for relatedness and have resulted in taxonomies with varying levels of acceptance among linguists. To some extent, disagreement in classifying American languages also reflects the nature of the evidence: how well documented individual languages are, how well analyzed that documentation is, and how effectively and appropriately this data is utilized in various methodologies. This chapter briefly surveys some prominent classification proposals, discusses the data, methods, and theory that inform language classification projects, and takes a more detailed look at specific achievements and controversies in the classification of North American languages. The chapter concludes with commentary on the state of the field and prospects for the future.
Abstract
Classification of North American languages has been central to the academic study of indigenous American cultures, their histories, and the more general human history of the Americas since the arrival of European colonists on the continent. Alternative classification proposals have relied on a variety of data types and different standards of evidence for relatedness and have resulted in taxonomies with varying levels of acceptance among linguists. To some extent, disagreement in classifying American languages also reflects the nature of the evidence: how well documented individual languages are, how well analyzed that documentation is, and how effectively and appropriately this data is utilized in various methodologies. This chapter briefly surveys some prominent classification proposals, discusses the data, methods, and theory that inform language classification projects, and takes a more detailed look at specific achievements and controversies in the classification of North American languages. The chapter concludes with commentary on the state of the field and prospects for the future.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Table of contents VII
- List of North American families, languages, and dialects XIII
- Maps XLI
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I Sounds and sound structure
- 1 Acoustic phonetics 1
- 2 Articulatory phonetics 39
- 3 Tone 63
- 4 Segmental phonology 89
- 5 Prosodic morphology 109
- 6 Word prosody 135
- 7 Prosody beyond the word 155
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II Words
- 8 What is a word? 183
- 9 Word classes 205
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III Sentences
- 10 Syntax within the clause 247
- 11 Negatives 267
- 12 Questions and requests in North American languages 283
- 13 Information structure 305
- 14 Clause-combining: Relative clauses 323
- 15 Clause combining: Syntax of subordination and complementation 345
- 16 Switch-reference and event cohesion 363
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IV Discourse
- 17 Verbal art 385
- 18 Conversation structure 421
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V Meaning
- 19 Lexicalization and lexical meaning 453
- 20 Lexicography 479
- 21 Evidentiality 497
- 22 Pluractionality and distributivity 511
- 23 Mass and count nouns 527
- 24 Sense of place: Space, landscape, and orientation 547
- 25 A sense of time and world 577
- 26 Pragmatics 599
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VI Languages over space and time
- 27 Languages as dynamic systems: How grammar can emerge 619
- 28 Language contact and linguistic areas 647
- 29 Language classification 669
- 30 Archival-based sociolinguistic variation 689
- 31 Community-based sociolinguistic variation 701
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Table of contents VII
- List of North American families, languages, and dialects XIII
- Maps XLI
-
I Sounds and sound structure
- 1 Acoustic phonetics 1
- 2 Articulatory phonetics 39
- 3 Tone 63
- 4 Segmental phonology 89
- 5 Prosodic morphology 109
- 6 Word prosody 135
- 7 Prosody beyond the word 155
-
II Words
- 8 What is a word? 183
- 9 Word classes 205
-
III Sentences
- 10 Syntax within the clause 247
- 11 Negatives 267
- 12 Questions and requests in North American languages 283
- 13 Information structure 305
- 14 Clause-combining: Relative clauses 323
- 15 Clause combining: Syntax of subordination and complementation 345
- 16 Switch-reference and event cohesion 363
-
IV Discourse
- 17 Verbal art 385
- 18 Conversation structure 421
-
V Meaning
- 19 Lexicalization and lexical meaning 453
- 20 Lexicography 479
- 21 Evidentiality 497
- 22 Pluractionality and distributivity 511
- 23 Mass and count nouns 527
- 24 Sense of place: Space, landscape, and orientation 547
- 25 A sense of time and world 577
- 26 Pragmatics 599
-
VI Languages over space and time
- 27 Languages as dynamic systems: How grammar can emerge 619
- 28 Language contact and linguistic areas 647
- 29 Language classification 669
- 30 Archival-based sociolinguistic variation 689
- 31 Community-based sociolinguistic variation 701
