美洲原住民語言并不是一种语言，甚至也不是属于一种语系，而是美洲所有原住民的各种语言的总称。其中瑪雅語曾经有自己的文字系统。随着15世纪末开始西方殖民主义者的到来，美洲原住民数量在几百年的时间里锐减，再加上文化的同化，大部分美洲原住民语言都已经灭绝，目前即使会说美洲土著语言的大部分人也是操双语的人群。因为缺少研究材料，对美洲土著语言的研究很不足，目前对許多美洲土著语言的分类说法不一，尚不能把语系确定下来，只能暂时分为语组，大致有如下个语组，有几百种以上的语言，有许多语言现在能流利的说的人不足几十甚至几个人，大部分已经灭绝。

語系種類

北美洲
 爱斯基摩-阿留申语系(Eskimo-Aleut)分布于北极地带，包括：
 因纽特语
 阿留申语

 納-德內語系(Na-Dené)广泛分布在加拿大西部和美国的阿拉斯加州，主要包括：
 特林吉特语(Tlingit)
 阿萨帕斯卡语(Athabaskan)

 阿尔吉克语系(Algic)广泛分布在北美东海岸，从加拿大东部到美国落矶山以东的广大地区，主要有以下几种：
 阿爾岡昆諸語言(Algonquian)
黑腳語
夏延語

克里語
奧吉布瓦語

（Sauk–Fox–Kickapoo）

(Yurok)
(Wiyot)

 萨利希语系(Salishan)分布从加拿大西部到美国西部太平洋沿岸：
 贝拉库拉语族（Bella Coola）
 海岸萨利希语族（Coast Salish）
 内陆萨利希语族（Interior Salish）

 （Tsimshianic）分布於不列顛哥倫比亞省西北部、克奇坎與安妮特島

 （Wakashan）分布於北美西北海岸與溫哥華島

 (Siouan–Catawban)分布於北美大平原大部分：
 （Western Siouan）
蘇族語 
(Assiniboine)
(Stoney)
(Crow)
 †（Catawban†）

 (Kiowa-Tanoan)分布於北美大平原，新墨西哥、堪薩斯、奧克拉荷馬與德克薩斯：
 (Kiowa)
 (Jemez)
 (Tiwa)
 (Tewa)

 (Caddoan)分布於北美大平原，現今分布於北達科他南部與奧克拉荷馬

 易洛魁語系(Iroquoian)分布於北美東部，主要於五大湖東部與聖勞倫斯河流域：
 塞尼卡語（Seneca）
 （Cayuga）
 （Onondaga）
 （Oneida）
 （Mohawk）
 切羅基語（Cherokee）

 (Muskogean)分布於美國東南部：
（Chickasaw）
喬克托語（Choctaw）
克里克-塞米諾爾語（Creek-Seminole）
希奇提-密卡蘇奇語（Hitchiti-Mikasuki）
（Apalachee†）
（Alabama）
（Koasati）

中美洲
 (Yuman–Cochimí)分布在美国加利福尼亚州南部與亞利桑那州西部，以及墨西哥下加利福尼亞州
 
 猶他-阿茲特克語系分布从美国犹他州到墨西哥广大地区
 
 
 
 休休尼語
 （Colorado River Numic language）
 
 
 
 
 納瓦特爾語

歐托-曼格語系（Oto-Manguean）主要分佈在墨西哥，曾經分佈到尼加拉瓜與哥斯大黎加，包括薩波特克語、米斯特克語、等等

 馬雅語系分布在中美洲和墨西哥南部地区：
 犹加敦语支(Yucatec Maya)
 乔尔泽套语支(Cholan–Tzeltalan)
 瓦斯蒂克语支(Huastecan)
 坎合巴祖赫语(Kanjobalan–Chujean)
 基切马梅语支(Quichean–Mamean)

南美洲
 阿拉瓦克语系(Arawakan)分布在加勒比海岛屿到南美洲安第斯山以东的大部分地区

 奇布恰语系(Chibchan)分布在中美洲南部到哥伦比亚北部地区

 克丘亚语系分布在南美洲安第斯山以东北部地区

 图皮语系(Tupi)分布在南美从玻利维亚、巴拉圭到阿根廷地区

 舒阿尔语系(Shuar)分布在亚马逊河上游森林中地区

參考文獻

引用

来源 

 Bright, William. (1984). The classification of North American and Meso-American Indian languages. In W. Bright (Ed.), American Indian linguistics and literature (pp. 3–29). Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter.
 Bright, William (Ed.). (1984). American Indian linguistics and literature. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-009846-6.
 Brinton, Daniel G. (1891). The American race. New York: D. C. Hodges.
 Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
 Campbell, Lyle; & Mithun, Marianne (Eds.). (1979). The languages of native America: Historical and comparative assessment. Austin: University of Texas Press.
 Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (Ed.). (2005). Ethnologue: Languages of the world (15th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. ISBN 1-55671-159-X. (Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com ).

 北美洲

 Boas, Franz. (1911). Handbook of American Indian languages (Vol. 1). Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 40. Washington: Government Print Office (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology).
 Boas, Franz. (1922). Handbook of American Indian languages (Vol. 2). Bureau of American Ethnology, Bulletin 40. Washington: Government Print Office (Smithsonian Institution, Bureau of American Ethnology).
 Boas, Franz. (1929). Classification of American Indian languages. Language, 5, 1–7.
 Boas, Franz. (1933). Handbook of American Indian languages (Vol. 3). Native American legal materials collection, title 1227. Glückstadt: J.J. Augustin.
 Bright, William. (1973). North American Indian language contact. In T. A. Sebeok (Ed.), Linguistics in North America (part 1, pp. 713–726).  Current trends in linguistics (Vol. 10). The Hauge: Mouton.
 Goddard, Ives (Ed.). (1996). Languages. Handbook of North American Indians (W. C. Sturtevant, General Ed.) (Vol. 17). Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution. ISBN 0-16-048774-9.
 Goddard, Ives. (1999). Native languages and language families of North America (rev. and enlarged ed. with additions and corrections). [Map]. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press (Smithsonian Institution). (Updated version of the map in Goddard 1996). ISBN 0-8032-9271-6.
 Goddard, Ives. (2005). The indigenous languages of the southeast. Anthropological Linguistics, 47 (1), 1–60.
 Mithun, Marianne. (1990). Studies of North American Indian Languages. Annual Review of Anthropology, 19(1): 309–330.
 Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.
 Powell, John W. (1891). Indian linguistic families of America north of Mexico. Seventh annual report, Bureau of American Ethnology (pp. 1–142). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office. (Reprinted in P. Holder (Ed.), 1966, Introduction to Handbook of American Indian languages by Franz Boas and Indian linguistic families of America, north of Mexico, by J. W. Powell, Lincoln: University of Nebraska).
 Powell, John W. (1915). Linguistic families of American Indians north of Mexico by J. W. Powell, revised by members of the staff of the Bureau of American Ethnology. (Map). Bureau of American Ethnology miscellaneous publication (No. 11). Baltimore: Hoen.
 Sebeok, Thomas A. (Ed.). (1973). Linguistics in North America (parts 1 & 2).  Current trends in linguistics (Vol. 10). The Hauge: Mouton. (Reprinted as Sebeok 1976).
 Sebeok, Thomas A. (Ed.). (1976). Native languages of the Americas. New York: Plenum.
 Sherzer, Joel.  (1973).  Areal linguistics in North America.  In T. A. Sebeok (Ed.), Linguistics in North America (part 2, pp. 749–795).  Current trends in linguistics (Vol. 10). The Hauge: Mouton. (Reprinted in Sebeok 1976).
 Sherzer, Joel. (1976). An areal-typological study of American Indian languages north of Mexico. Amsterdam: North-Holland.
 Sletcher, Michael, ‘North American Indians’, in Will Kaufman and Heidi Macpherson, eds., Britain and the Americas: Culture, Politics, and History, (2 vols., Oxford, 2005).
 Sturtevant, William C. (Ed.). (1978–present). Handbook of North American Indians (Vol. 1–20). Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution. (Vols. 1–3, 16, 18–20 not yet published).
 Vaas, Rüdiger: ‘Die Sprachen der Ureinwohner’. In: Stoll, Günter, Vaas, Rüdiger: Spurensuche im Indianerland. Hirzel. Stuttgart 2001, chapter 7.
 Voegelin, Carl F.; & Voegelin, Florence M. (1965). Classification of American Indian languages. Languages of the world, Native American fasc. 2, sec. 1.6). Anthropological Linguistics, 7 (7): 121-150.
 Zededa, Ofelia; Hill, Jane H. (1991). The condition of Native American Languages in the United States. In R. H. Robins & E. M. Uhlenbeck (Eds.), Endangered languages (pp. 135–155). Oxford: Berg.
 Debian North American Indigenous Languages Project 

 南美洲

 Adelaar, Willem F. H.; & Muysken, Pieter C. (2004). The languages of the Andes. Cambridge language surveys. Cambridge University Press.
 Fabre, Alain. (1998). "Manual de las lenguas indígenas sudamericanas, I-II". München: Lincom Europa.
 Kaufman, Terrence. (1990). Language history in South America: What we know and how to know more. In D. L. Payne (Ed.), Amazonian linguistics: Studies in lowland South American languages (pp. 13–67). Austin: University of Texas Press. ISBN 0-292-70414-3.
 Kaufman, Terrence. (1994). The native languages of South America. In C. Mosley & R. E. Asher (Eds.), Atlas of the world's languages (pp. 46–76). London: Routledge.
 Key, Mary R. (1979). The grouping of South American languages. Tübingen: Gunter Narr Verlag.
 Loukotka, Čestmír. (1968). Classification of South American Indian languages. Los Angeles: Latin American Studies Center, University of California.
 Mason, J. Alden. (1950). The languages of South America. In J. Steward (Ed.), Handbook of South American Indians (Vol. 6, pp. 157–317). Smithsonian Institution Bureau of American Ethnology bulletin (No. 143). Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office.
 Migliazza, Ernest C.; & Campbell, Lyle. (1988). Panorama general de las lenguas indígenas en América. Historia general de América (Vol. 10). Caracas: Instituto Panamericano de Geografía e Historia.
 Rodrigues, Aryon. (1986). Linguas brasileiras: Para o conhecimento das linguas indígenas. São Paulo: Edições Loyola.
 Rowe, John H. (1954). Linguistics classification problems in South America. In M. B. Emeneau (Ed.), Papers from the symposium on American Indian linguistics (pp. 10–26). University of California publications in linguistics (Vol. 10). Berkeley: University of California Press.
 Sapir, Edward. (1929). Central and North American languages. In The encyclopædia britannica: A new survey of universal knowledge (14 ed.) (Vol. 5, pp. 138–141). London: The Encyclopædia Britannica Company, Ltd.
 Voegelin, Carl F.; & Voegelin, Florence M. (1977). Classification and index of the world's languages. Amsterdam: Elsevier. ISBN 0-444-00155-7.

外部連結 

 Catálogo de línguas indígenas sul-americanas 
 Diccionario etnolingüístico y guía bibliográfica de los pueblos indígenas sudamericanos
 Towards a general typology of South American indigenous languages. A bibliographical database
 South American Languages
 Society to Advance Indigenous Vernaculars of the United States  (SAIVUS)
 Indigenous Peoples Languages: Articles, News, Videos
 Documentation Center of the Linguistic Minorities of Panama
 The Archive of the Indigenous Languages of Latin America
 Indigenous Language Institute 
 The Society for the Study of the Indigenous Languages  of the Americas  (SSILA)
 Southern Oregon Digital Archives First Nations Tribal Collection  (collection of ethnographic, linguistic, & historical material)
 Center for the Study of the Native Languages of the Plains and Southwest
 Project for the Documentation of the Languages of Mesoamerica
 Programa de Formación en Educación Intercultural Bilingüe para los Países Andinos 
 Native American Language Center (University of California at Davis)
 Native Languages of the Americas 
 International Journal of American Linguistics 
 Our Languages (Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Centre)
 Swadesh Lists of Brazilian Native Languages

 
語系