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Language Demography
by Francisco Moreno-FernándezLanguage Demography presents, exemplifies, and develops linguistic concepts involved in demography and the demographic concepts involved in sociolinguistics. The first introductory guide of its kind, it is presented in a way that is accessible to non-specialists. The book includes numerous examples of the sources and types of data used in this field, as well as the various factors affecting language demography. Taking a global perspective supported by examples, it gives explanations of how demolinguistic analyses are performed and their main applications in relation to minority and majority languages. Language Demography will be of interest to students from a range of disciplinary backgrounds, from linguistics and modern languages to sociology, anthropology, and human geography.
Language, Discourse, and Praxis in Ancient China
by Zhenbin SunThis book investigates Chinese comprehension and treatment of the relationship between language and reality. The work examines ancient Chinese philosophy through the pair of concepts known as ming-shi. By analyzing the pre-Qin thinkers' discourse on ming and shi, the work explores how Chinese philosophers dealt with issues not only in language but also in ontology, epistemology, ethics, axiology, and logic. Through this discourse analysis, readers are invited to rethink the relationship of language to thought and behavior. The author criticizes and corrects vital misunderstandings of Chinese culture and highlights the anti-dualism and pragmatic character of Chinese thoughts. The rich meaning of the ming-shi pair is displayed by revealing its connection to other philosophical issues. The chapters show how discourse on language and reality shapes a central characteristic of Chinese culture, the practical zhi. They illuminate the interplay of Chinese theories of language and Dao as Chinese wisdom and worldview. Readers who are familiar with pragmatics and postmodernism will recognize the common points in ancient Chinese philosophy and contemporary Western philosophy, as they emerge through these chapters. The work will particularly appeal to scholars of philosophy, philosophy of language, communication studies and linguistics.
Language Diversity and Education
by David CorsonThis introductory text for students of linguistics, language, and education provides background and up-to-date information and resources that beginning researchers need for studying language diversity and education. Three framing chapters offer an update on the philosophy of social research, revealing how important language is for all the processes of learning in which humans engage, whether it is learning about the world through education, or learning about the nature of social life through research in the human sciences. These chapters also review the links between language, power, and social justice, and look at dynamic changes occurring in "language diversity and education" research. Four central chapters give state-of-the-art, comprehensive coverage to the chief areas of language diversity that affect the practice of education: standard and non-standard varieties; different cultural discourse norms; bilingual and ESL education; and gendered discourse norms. This book is intended for graduate students of applied linguistics, sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, the social psychology of language, anthropological linguistics, and other related disciplines; and graduate students of education, including in-service teachers taking advanced professional development courses. Special features enhance its usefulness as a text for courses in these areas: * A clear, jargon free writing style invites careful reading. * All ideas are well within the range that graduate students in the language disciplines or in education can relate to their work, but theoretical ideas are kept to a necessary minimum and linked with practical examples in every case. * Extensive references guide readers to the book's up-to-date, international, and cross-cultural bibliography. * "Discussion Starter" questions at the end of each chapter highlight key points and stimulate informed, reflective discussion.
Language Dominance in Bilinguals
by Carmen Silva-CorvalánWith contributions from leading scholars of bilingualism, Language Dominance in Bilinguals is the first publication to survey different approaches to language dominance, along with suggested avenues for further research. It illustrates how a critical approach to the notion of language dominance, as well as its operationalisation and measurement, can provide new insights into this burgeoning area of research. Drawing on adult and child data from a variety of language pairs, the chapters discuss how language dominance is to be conceptualised and distinguished from such related constructs as language proficiency and language competence. This volume is the first of its kind to present an overview of different approaches to language dominance from across the theoretical spectrum, as well as suggested avenues for further research. Accessibly written, Language Dominance in Bilinguals is a valuable new addition to the field and essential reading for students and scholars working in bilingualism, speech therapy and education.
The Language Families Of Africa: Second edition (Routledge Revivals)
by A WernerPublished in 1925, this introduction provides an accessible account of language families in Africa. Covering the five families of African languages: the Sudan family, the Bantu family, the Hamitic family, the Bushman family and the Semitic family, it provides a detailed study of the languages, phonetics and linguistic content. The book will be of use to anyone interested in the history and development of human speech.
Language for Teaching Purposes: Bilingual Classroom Discourse And The Non-native Speaker Language Teacher
by Emma RiordanThis book’s innovative approach proposes Language for Teaching Purposes as a distinct field of enquiry and practice within Language for Specific Purposes. It uses robust theoretical and empirical evidence to demonstrate the specificity of language used by teachers teaching language, and the complex decisions teachers make around language choice and use in language classrooms. These complexities are shown to affect Non-native Speaker Language Teachers in particular so that their language needs must be met in teacher training programmes. Set in the Anglophone foreign language teaching world, this book will appeal to anyone involved in teacher training, language teaching or the investigation of classroom discourse.
Language Hacking French (Languag Hacking with Benny Lewis)
by Benny LewisIt's true that some people spend years studying French before they finally get around to speaking the language. But here's a better idea. Skip the years of study and jump right to the speaking part. Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of French, #LanguageHacking shows you how to learn and speak French through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfected by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. Using the language hacks -shortcuts that make learning simple - that Benny mastered while learning his 11 languages and his 'speak from the start' method, you will crack the language code and exponentially increase your language abilities so that you can get fluent faster. It's not magic. It's not a language gene. It's not something only "other people" can do. It's about being smart with how you learn, learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not, and using what you've learned to have real conversations in French from day one.The Method #LanguageHacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration with traditional methods. It focuses on the conversations that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in order of difficulty like most courses. This means that you can have conversations immediately, not after years of study. Each of the 10 units culminates with a speaking 'mission' that prepares you to use the language you've learned to talk about yourself. Through the language hacker online learner community, you can share your personalized speaking 'missions' with other learners - getting and giving feedback and extending your learning beyond the pages of the book . You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
LANGUAGE HACKING FRENCH (Learn How to Speak French - Right Away): A Conversation Course for Beginners
by Benny LewisCrack the Code and Get Fluent Faster!"I had to learn [a new language] in a handful of days for a TV interview. I asked Benny for help and his advice was invaluable." - Tim Ferriss What if you could skip the years of study and jump right to speaking French? Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. It's about learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not - and using what you've learned to have real conversations in French - from day one!Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of a language, Language Hacking French shows you how to learn and speak French immediately through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfect by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. The Method Language Hacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration and the 80/20 principle of learning (Benny's ten #languagehacks show you how to achieve more with less!). It focuses on the conversations and language that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in the order of difficulty like most courses. This means you can start having conversations immediately. Course FeaturesEach of the 10 units culminates with a speaking mission that you can choose to share on the italki Language Hacking learner community (www.italki.com/languagehacking) where you can give and get feedback and extend your learning beyond the pages of the book. The audio for this course is available for free on library.teachyourself.com or from the Teach Yourself Library app.You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
Language Hacking German (Languag Hacking with Benny Lewis)
by Benny LewisIt's true that some people spend years studying German before they finally get around to speaking the language. But here's a better idea. Skip the years of study and jump right to the speaking part. Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of German, #LanguageHacking shows you how to learn and speak German through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfected by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. Using the language hacks -shortcuts that make learning simple - that Benny mastered while learning his 11 languages and his 'speak from the start' method, you will crack the language code and exponentially increase your language abilities so that you can get fluent faster. It's not magic. It's not a language gene. It's not something only "other people" can do. It's about being smart with how you learn, learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not, and using what you've learned to have real conversations in German from day one.The Method #LanguageHacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration with traditional methods. It focuses on the conversations that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in order of difficulty like most courses. This means that you can have conversations immediately, not after years of study. Each of the 10 units culminates with a speaking 'mission' that prepares you to use the language you've learned to talk about yourself. Through the language hacker online learner community, you can share your personalized speaking 'missions' with other learners - getting and giving feedback and extending your learning beyond the pages of the book . You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
Language Hacking German (Language Hacking)
by Benny LewisIt's true that some people spend years studying German before they finally get around to speaking the language. But here's a better idea. Skip the years of study and jump right to the speaking part. Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of German, #LanguageHacking shows you how to learn and speak German through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfected by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. Using the language hacks -shortcuts that make learning simple - that Benny mastered while learning his 11 languages and his 'speak from the start' method, you will crack the language code and exponentially increase your language abilities so that you can get fluent faster. It's not magic. It's not a language gene. It's not something only "other people" can do. It's about being smart with how you learn, learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not, and using what you've learned to have real conversations in German from day one.The Method #LanguageHacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration with traditional methods. It focuses on the conversations that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in order of difficulty like most courses. This means that you can have conversations immediately, not after years of study. Each of the 10 units culminates with a speaking 'mission' that prepares you to use the language you've learned to talk about yourself. Through the language hacker online learner community, you can share your personalized speaking 'missions' with other learners - getting and giving feedback and extending your learning beyond the pages of the book . You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
Language Hacking Italian (Languag Hacking with Benny Lewis)
by Benny LewisIt's true that some people spend years studying Italian before they finally get around to speaking the language. But here's a better idea. Skip the years of study and jump right to the speaking part. Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of Italian, #LanguageHacking shows you how to learn and speak Italian through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfected by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. Using the language hacks -shortcuts that make learning simple - that Benny mastered while learning his 11 languages and his 'speak from the start' method, you will crack the language code and exponentially increase your language abilities so that you can get fluent faster. It's not magic. It's not a language gene. It's not something only "other people" can do. It's about being smart with how you learn, learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not, and using what you've learned to have real conversations in Italian from day one. The Method #LanguageHacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration with traditional methods. It focuses on the conversations that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in order of difficulty like most courses. This means that you can have conversations immediately, not after years of study. Each of the 10 units culminates with a speaking 'mission' that prepares you to use the language you've learned to talk about yourself. Through the language hacker online learner community, you can share your personalized speaking 'missions' with other learners - getting and giving feedback and extending your learning beyond the pages of the book . You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
Language Hacking Italian (Language Hacking)
by Benny LewisIt's true that some people spend years studying Italian before they finally get around to speaking the language. But here's a better idea. Skip the years of study and jump right to the speaking part. Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of Italian, #LanguageHacking shows you how to learn and speak Italian through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfected by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. Using the language hacks -shortcuts that make learning simple - that Benny mastered while learning his 11 languages and his 'speak from the start' method, you will crack the language code and exponentially increase your language abilities so that you can get fluent faster. It's not magic. It's not a language gene. It's not something only "other people" can do. It's about being smart with how you learn, learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not, and using what you've learned to have real conversations in Italian from day one. The Method #LanguageHacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration with traditional methods. It focuses on the conversations that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in order of difficulty like most courses. This means that you can have conversations immediately, not after years of study. Each of the 10 units culminates with a speaking 'mission' that prepares you to use the language you've learned to talk about yourself. Through the language hacker online learner community, you can share your personalized speaking 'missions' with other learners - getting and giving feedback and extending your learning beyond the pages of the book . You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
LANGUAGE HACKING MANDARIN (Learn How to Speak Mandarin - Right Away): A Conversation Course for Beginners
by Benny LewisCrack the Code and Get Fluent Faster!"I had to learn [a new language] in a handful of days for a TV interview. I asked Benny for help and his advice was invaluable." - Tim Ferriss What if you could skip the years of study and jump right to speaking Mandarin? Sound Crazy? No, it's language hacking. It's about learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not - and using what you've learned to have real conversations in Mandarin - from day one!Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of a language, Language Hacking Mandarin, shows you how to learn and speak Mandarin immediately through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfect by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. The Method Language Hacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration and the 80/20 principle of learning (Benny's ten #languagehacks show you how to achieve more with less!). It focuses on the conversations and language that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in the order of difficulty like most courses. This means you can start having conversations immediately. Course FeaturesEach of the 10 units culminates with a speaking mission that you can choose to share on the italki Language Hacking learner community (www.italki.com/languagehacking) where you can give and get feedback and extend your learning beyond the pages of the book. The audio for this course is available for free on library.teachyourself.com or from the Teach Yourself Library app.You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
Language Hacking Spanish (Languag Hacking with Benny Lewis)
by Benny LewisIt's true that some people spend years studying Spanish before they finally get around to speaking the language. But here's a better idea. Skip the years of study and jump right to the speaking part. Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of Spanish, #LanguageHacking shows you how to learn and speak Italian through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfected by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. Using the language hacks -shortcuts that make learning simple - that Benny mastered while learning his 11 languages and his 'speak from the start' method, you will crack the language code and exponentially increase your language abilities so that you can get fluent faster. It's not magic. It's not a language gene. It's not something only "other people" can do. It's about being smart with how you learn, learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not, and using what you've learned to have real conversations in Spanish from day one.The Method #LanguageHacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration with traditional methods. It focuses on the conversations that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in order of difficulty like most courses. This means that you can have conversations immediately, not after years of study. Each of the 10 units culminates with a speaking 'mission' that prepares you to use the language you've learned to talk about yourself. Through the language hacker online learner community, you can share your personalized speaking 'missions' with other learners - getting and giving feedback and extending your learning beyond the pages of the book . You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
Language Hacking Spanish: A Conversation Course For Beginners (Language Hacking)
by Benny LewisIt's true that some people spend years studying Spanish before they finally get around to speaking the language. But here's a better idea. Skip the years of study and jump right to the speaking part. Sound crazy? No, it's language hacking. Unlike most traditional language courses that try to teach you the rules of Spanish, #LanguageHacking shows you how to learn and speak Italian through proven memory techniques, unconventional shortcuts and conversation strategies perfected by one of the world's greatest language learners, Benny Lewis, aka the Irish Polyglot. Using the language hacks -shortcuts that make learning simple - that Benny mastered while learning his 11 languages and his 'speak from the start' method, you will crack the language code and exponentially increase your language abilities so that you can get fluent faster. It's not magic. It's not a language gene. It's not something only "other people" can do. It's about being smart with how you learn, learning what's indispensable, skipping what's not, and using what you've learned to have real conversations in Spanish from day one.The Method #LanguageHacking takes a modern approach to language learning, blending the power of online social collaboration with traditional methods. It focuses on the conversations that learners need to master right away, rather than presenting language in order of difficulty like most courses. This means that you can have conversations immediately, not after years of study. Each of the 10 units culminates with a speaking 'mission' that prepares you to use the language you've learned to talk about yourself. Through the language hacker online learner community, you can share your personalized speaking 'missions' with other learners - getting and giving feedback and extending your learning beyond the pages of the book . You don't need to go abroad to learn a language any more.
Language, Identity and Education on the Arabian Peninsula: Bilingual Policies in a Multilingual Context
by Louisa BuckinghamThis collection examines the urban multilingual realities of inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula in the early 21st century from the perspectives of learners, teachers and researchers. Focusing on both public and private spheres, it considers the importance of both English and immigrants' languages in a context of rapid socioeconomic development. Extending beyond English-Arabic societal bilingualism, the language practices of the Peninsula's citizens and residents serve multiple purposes in their daily lived realities. Chapters on home and heritage languages, identity, ELT, commercial signage and academic publishing contribute to a deepening understanding of the inherent linguistic diversity in these dynamic societies.
Language, Identity, and Stereotype Among Southeast Asian American Youth: The Other Asian
by Angela ReyesThis book—an ethnographic and discourse analytic study of an after-school video-making project for 1.5- and second-generation Southeast Asian American teenagers—explores the relationships among stereotype, identity, and ethnicity that emerge in this informal educational setting. Working from a unique theoretical foundation that combines linguistic anthropology, Asian American studies, and education, and using rigorous linguistic anthropological tools to closely examine video- and audio- recorded interactions gathered during the video-making project (in which teen participants learned the skills for creating their own video and adult staff learned to respect and value the local knowledge of youth), the author builds a compelling link between micro-level uses of language and macro-level discourses of identity, race, ethnicity, and culture. In this study of the ways in which teens draw on and play with circulating stereotypes of the self and the other, Reyes uniquely illustrates how individuals can reappropriate stereotypes of their ethnic group as a resource to position themselves and others in interactionally meaningful ways, to accomplish new social actions, and to assign new meanings to stereotypes. This is an important book for academics and students in sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, discourse analysis, and applied linguistics with an interest in issues of youth, race, and ethnicity, and/or educational settings, and will also be of interest to readers in the fields of education, Asian American studies, social psychology, and sociology.
Language, Identity, and Syrian Political Activism on Social Media (Routledge Studies in Language and Identity)
by Francesco L. SinatoraLanguage, Identity, and Syrian Political Activism on Social Media is an empirical contemporary Arabic sociolinguistic investigation informed by theories and notions developed in the fields of Arabic linguistics, sociolinguistics, discourse analysis and linguistic anthropology. Building on the Bakhtinian concept of linguistic hybridity, this book conducts a longitudinal analysis of Syrian dissidents’ social media practices between 2009 and 2017. It shows how dissidents have used social media to emerge in the discourse about the Syrian conflict and how language has been used symbolically as a tool of social and political engagement in an increasingly complex sociopolitical context. This monograph is ideal for students, sociolinguists and researchers interested in Arabic language and identity.
Language Identity, Learning, and Teaching in Costa Rica: Core Theoretical Elements and Practices in EFL (Global South Perspectives on TESOL)
by Lena Barrantes-Elizondo Cinthya Olivares-GaritaThis edited collection provides a comprehensive and locally situated understanding of English language teaching from the perspective of dedicated and experienced language professionals and researchers in Costa Rica. The book uses a series of reflective sections that interconnect theory and practice in a non-English-dominant context in order to inform and transform pedagogical practices. The chapters depict a wide-ranging image of English language teaching and learning in the region, encouraging in-service teachers, TESOL specialists, and ELT scholars to critically reassess, rethink, and relearn teaching and learning as more than a political decision in an educational curriculum. Ultimately promoting the practice as dynamic, ever-changing, and culturally situated, the book will be highly relevant to researchers, academics, scholars, and faculty in the fields of teacher education, educational research, EFL, and modern foreign languages.
Language Ideologies: Critical Perspectives on the Official English Movement, Volume II: History, Theory, and Policy
by Roseann Dueñas González Ildikó MelisFirst published in 2001. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
Language Ideologies: Critical Perspectives on the Official English Movement, Volume I: Education and the Social Implications of Official Language
by ROSEANN DUEÑAS GONZÁLEZ; ILDIKÓ MELISHow do educators balance the rights of the rapidly growing percentage of the United States' population whose first language is not English or whose English differs from standard usage with the rights of the majority of students whose first and generally only language is English? This two-volume set addresses the complicated and divisive issues at the heart of the debate over language diversity and the English Only movement in the U.S. public education. Blending social, political, and legal analyses of the ideologies of language with perspectives on the impact of the English Only movement on education and on classrooms at all levels, Language Ideologies: Critical Perspectives on the Official English Movement offers a wide range of perspectives that teachers and literacy advocates can use to inform practice as well as policy. This exhaustive, two-volume collection not only updates existing information on the English Only movement in the United States, but also includes the international context, looking at the emergence of English as a world language through a postcolonial lens. The complexity of the debate is also reflected in the exceptionally diverse list of contributors, who speak from varying disciplines and backgrounds including sociology, linguistics, university administration, the ACLU, law, ESL, and English. Both volumes explore the political, legislative, and social implications of language ideologies. Volume 1: Education and the Social Implications of Official Language focuses in particular on the consequences for the classroom. In Volume 2: History, Theory, and Policy, the focus is on the implications for policymakers and language-program administrators.
Language Ideologies and Linguistic Identity in Heritage Language Learning (Routledge Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics)
by Rachel Showstack Diego Pascual y Cabo Damián Vergara WilsonLanguage Ideologies and Linguistic Identity in Heritage Language Learning addresses the ways in which discourses about language value and identities of linguistic expertise are constructed and negotiated in the Spanish heritage language (HL) classroom, and how the classroom discourse shapes, and is shaped by, the world outside of the classroom.The volume examines the sociopolitical contexts, personal histories, and communicative practices of Spanish teachers and students in two diverse geographic regions: the US states of Texas and Kansas. Adopting an integrated sociocultural approach, it considers the ways in which individuals draw from multiple linguistic resources and social practices in daily interaction and how they articulate their beliefs about language through storytelling. Rich interactional data, examples from social media, and stories of community engagement are utilized to demonstrate how Spanish heritage speakers use language creatively and proactively to legitimize and claim power in their home and community linguistic practices.This is an invaluable resource for applied linguists who seek to better understand the relationship between language, ideology, and identity and for graduate students and researchers in the fields of linguistics, Spanish, and HL education.
Language Ideology and Order in Rising China
by Minglang ZhouThis text considers contemporary China’s language ideology and how it supports China as a rising global power player. It examines the materialization of this ideology as China’s language order unfolds on two front, promoting Putonghua domestically and globally, alongside its economic growth and military expansion. Within the conceptual framework of language ideology and language order and using PRC policy documents, education annals, and fieldwork, this book explores how China’s language ideology is related to its growing global power as well as its domestic and global outreaches. It also addresses how this ideology has been materialized as a language order in terms of institutional development and support, and what impact these choices are having on China and the world. Focusing on the relationship between language ideology and language order, the book highlights a closer and coherent linguistic association between China’s domestic drive and global outreach since the turn of the century.
Language-in-education Policies
by Anthony J. LiddicoatThis book examines the ideological underpinnings of language-in-education policies that explicitly focus on adding a new language to the learners' existing repertoire. It examines policies for foreign languages, immigrant languages, indigenous languages and external language spread. Each of these contexts provides for different possible relationships between the language learner and the target language group and shows how in different polities different understandings influence how policy is designed. The book develops a theoretical account of language policies as discursive constructions of ideological positions and explicates how ideologies are developed through an examination of case studies from a range of countries. Each chapter in this book takes the form of a series of three in-depth case studies in which policies relating to a particular area of language-in-education policy are examined. Each case examines the language of policy texts from a critical perspective to deconstruct how intercultural relationships are projected.
Language in the Americas
by Joseph GreenbergThis book is concerned primarily with the evidence for the validity of a genetic unit, Amerind, embracing the vast majority of New World languages. The only languages excluded are those belonging to the Na-Dene and Eskimo- Aleut families. It examines the now widely held view that Haida, the most distant language genetically, is not to be included in Na-Dene. It confined itself to Sapir's data, although the evidence could have been buttressed considerably by the use of more recent materials. What survives is a body of evidence superior to that which could be adduced under similar restrictions for the affinity of Albanian, Celtic, and Armenian, all three universally recognized as valid members of the Indo-European family of languages. A considerable number of historical hypotheses emerge from the present and the forthcoming volumes. Of these, the most fundamental bears on the question of the peopling of the Americas. If the results presented in this volume and in the companion volume on Eurasiatic are valid, the classification of the world's languages based on genetic criteria undergoes considerable simplification.