The Languages of the Andes
Series: Cambridge Language Surveys
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2004
Place of publication: Cambridge, UK
Language: eng
Number of pages: 718
Copyright date: 2004
Description: "The Andean and Pacific regions of South America are home to a remarkable variety of languages and language families, with a range of typological differences. This linguistic diversity results from a complex historical background, comprising periods of greater communication between different peoples and languages, and periods of fragmentation and individual development. The Languages of the Andes is the first book in English to document in a single volume the indigenous languages spoken and formerly spoken in this linguistically rich region, as well as in adjacent areas. Grouping the languages into different cultural spheres, it describes their characteristics in terms of language typology, language contact, and the social perspectives of present-day languages. The authors provide both historical and contemporary information, and illustrate the languages with detailed grammatical sketches. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book will be a valuable source for students and scholars of linguistics and anthropology alike."--BOOK JACKET.
Table of contents: title: List of tables; title: List of maps; title: Preface; title: Orthographic conventions; title: List of abbreviations; title: 1. Introduction; title: 2. The Chibcha sphere; title: 3. The Inca sphere; title: 4. The languages of the eastern slopes; title: 5. The Araucanian sphere; title: 6. The languages of Tierra del Fuego; title: 7. The Spanish presence; title: Appendix: inventory of languages and language families of the Andean region; title: References; title: Author index; title: Index of languages and ethnic groups; title: Subject index.