60 Iroquoian
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Marianne Mithun
Abstract
The Iroquoian languages are indigenous to a wide area of eastern North America. The family consists of two main branches: Southern Iroquoian, represented only by Cherokee (CWY/Tsalagi), and Northern Iroquoian, consisting of Tuscarora (Skaru:ręʔ), Wendat (Huron)/Wyandot, Seneca (Onodowa’ga:’), Cayuga (Gayogoho:nǫʔ), Onondaga (Onųdaʔgegaʔ) Oneida (Onʌyotaʔa:ka:), and Mohawk (Kanien’keha’), as well as several other languages with limited documentation: Nottoway, Laurentian, and Susquehannock. A number of features of the languages are of special interest. While their inventories of sounds are not large, there have been intriguing developments in some of the sound systems, among them some complex stress patterns, some tone distinctions, and laryngeal spreading. Morphologically they are polysynthetic, and there is noun incorporation. Word order generally conveys information structure rather than syntactic role. Despite the structural complexities of the languages, there are now impressive projects underway in the communities, aimed at passing on the languages to new generations. There is a long Iroquoian cultural tradition of appreciating language, of valuing linguistic skill as an art form and cultivating it as a source of enjoyment. These projects are heightening such values and having powerful effects in the communities.
Abstract
The Iroquoian languages are indigenous to a wide area of eastern North America. The family consists of two main branches: Southern Iroquoian, represented only by Cherokee (CWY/Tsalagi), and Northern Iroquoian, consisting of Tuscarora (Skaru:ręʔ), Wendat (Huron)/Wyandot, Seneca (Onodowa’ga:’), Cayuga (Gayogoho:nǫʔ), Onondaga (Onųdaʔgegaʔ) Oneida (Onʌyotaʔa:ka:), and Mohawk (Kanien’keha’), as well as several other languages with limited documentation: Nottoway, Laurentian, and Susquehannock. A number of features of the languages are of special interest. While their inventories of sounds are not large, there have been intriguing developments in some of the sound systems, among them some complex stress patterns, some tone distinctions, and laryngeal spreading. Morphologically they are polysynthetic, and there is noun incorporation. Word order generally conveys information structure rather than syntactic role. Despite the structural complexities of the languages, there are now impressive projects underway in the communities, aimed at passing on the languages to new generations. There is a long Iroquoian cultural tradition of appreciating language, of valuing linguistic skill as an art form and cultivating it as a source of enjoyment. These projects are heightening such values and having powerful effects in the communities.
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
