55 Caddoan
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Logan Sutton
Abstract
The Caddoan family consists of five documented languages: Caddo, Wichita, Kitsai, Arikara, and Pawnee. Caddoan speakers were historically distributed in semi-sedentary agricultural villages through the southern and central Great Plains from eastern Texas to South Dakota. The contemporary Tribes are all based in Oklahoma, except for the Arikara, who belong to the Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara (MHA) Nation of North Dakota. This chapter summarizes briefly: (a) the historical and current statuses of the Caddoan languages, including documentation and revitalization efforts; (b) some of their well-described phonological and morphosyntactic features; and (c) understudied topics of interest within each language, and across the family as a whole, suggesting potentially rich avenues for future research. The Caddoan languages are characterized by strikingly small phoneme inventories, a high degree of polysynthesis, and complex morphophonology. We situate the robust morphology in larger morphosyntactic constructions and within various discourse contexts. Particular attention is given to 1) prosodic phonological features, such as vowel devoicing; 2) classificatory, deictic, and speaker perspectival constructions which highlight discourse dynamics beyond the level of the word; and 3) grammatical strategies for reference tracking.
Abstract
The Caddoan family consists of five documented languages: Caddo, Wichita, Kitsai, Arikara, and Pawnee. Caddoan speakers were historically distributed in semi-sedentary agricultural villages through the southern and central Great Plains from eastern Texas to South Dakota. The contemporary Tribes are all based in Oklahoma, except for the Arikara, who belong to the Mandan-Hidatsa-Arikara (MHA) Nation of North Dakota. This chapter summarizes briefly: (a) the historical and current statuses of the Caddoan languages, including documentation and revitalization efforts; (b) some of their well-described phonological and morphosyntactic features; and (c) understudied topics of interest within each language, and across the family as a whole, suggesting potentially rich avenues for future research. The Caddoan languages are characterized by strikingly small phoneme inventories, a high degree of polysynthesis, and complex morphophonology. We situate the robust morphology in larger morphosyntactic constructions and within various discourse contexts. Particular attention is given to 1) prosodic phonological features, such as vowel devoicing; 2) classificatory, deictic, and speaker perspectival constructions which highlight discourse dynamics beyond the level of the word; and 3) grammatical strategies for reference tracking.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Table of contents VII
-
VII Language revitalization
- 32 Reviving languages: Outcomes of a Mentor-Apprentice style learning study 717
- 33 Child and child-directed speech in North American languages 741
- 34 Decolonizing Indigenous language pedagogies: Additional language learning and teaching 767
- 35 Digital tools for language revitalization 789
- 36 Using archival materials for language reclamation 807
- 37 Changing notions of fieldwork 823
-
VIII Language families and isolates
- 38 Inuit-Yupik-Unangan: An overview of the language family 843
- 39 Dene – Athabaskan 875
- 40 Algonquian 931
- 41 Michif 951
- 42 Tsimshianic 985
- 43 Wakashan Languages 1013
- 44 Salish 1053
- 45 Chinookan family, with special reference to Kiksht and notes on Chinuk Wawa 1115
- 46 Sahaptian 1139
- 47 Karuk 1169
- 48 Wáˑšiw 1201
- 49 Pomoan 1223
- 50 California languages: Isolates and other languages 1247
- 51 Chumashan 1275
- 52 Yuman 1303
- 53 Uto-Aztecan 1333
- 54 Kiowa-Tanoan 1361
- 55 Caddoan 1407
- 56 Sketch of the Siouan Language Family 1447
- 57 Chitimacha 1519
- 58 Tunica 1545
- 59 Muskogean 1577
- 60 Iroquoian 1601
- 61 Unclassified languages 1627
- List of Authors 1649
- Index of languages 1673
- Index of names 1685
- Index of subjects 1695
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Preface V
- Table of contents VII
-
VII Language revitalization
- 32 Reviving languages: Outcomes of a Mentor-Apprentice style learning study 717
- 33 Child and child-directed speech in North American languages 741
- 34 Decolonizing Indigenous language pedagogies: Additional language learning and teaching 767
- 35 Digital tools for language revitalization 789
- 36 Using archival materials for language reclamation 807
- 37 Changing notions of fieldwork 823
-
VIII Language families and isolates
- 38 Inuit-Yupik-Unangan: An overview of the language family 843
- 39 Dene – Athabaskan 875
- 40 Algonquian 931
- 41 Michif 951
- 42 Tsimshianic 985
- 43 Wakashan Languages 1013
- 44 Salish 1053
- 45 Chinookan family, with special reference to Kiksht and notes on Chinuk Wawa 1115
- 46 Sahaptian 1139
- 47 Karuk 1169
- 48 Wáˑšiw 1201
- 49 Pomoan 1223
- 50 California languages: Isolates and other languages 1247
- 51 Chumashan 1275
- 52 Yuman 1303
- 53 Uto-Aztecan 1333
- 54 Kiowa-Tanoan 1361
- 55 Caddoan 1407
- 56 Sketch of the Siouan Language Family 1447
- 57 Chitimacha 1519
- 58 Tunica 1545
- 59 Muskogean 1577
- 60 Iroquoian 1601
- 61 Unclassified languages 1627
- List of Authors 1649
- Index of languages 1673
- Index of names 1685
- Index of subjects 1695
