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About 325 languages Played large role in linguistic literature Variability, diversity of human languages Some extensive information pre-1800

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Wide degree of disagreement Greenberg’s Amerindian 180 families

Most common today: 33 families, 28 isolates

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Velars are common Pharyngeals Lateral fricatives Glottalization (over half of languages) Some tone languages Lengthening contrast (most languages) Consonantal clusters galore

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Polysynthetic languages are common Blurred distinction between noun, verb Extensive derivation

Incorporation

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Ergativity Nominative/accusative Ergative/absolutive Very common in Native American languages

Agent/patient systems

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Aspect as a morpheme/lexical item Hypotheticals, evidentials, etc. Possession Inalienable

Animacy Classifiers

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Abnormal discourse morphology: addressing left-handed people, cross-eyed people, hunchbacks, short people, fat people, greedy people, etc.

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Pejorative suffix (Coyote) Stylized speech Deer, Mink (Nootka): sibilants → laterals Raven (Salish): stops → nasals Bear (Kwakwala): laterals → sibilants Raven (Quileute): → / #_ Bear (Nez Perce): C → / Bear (Takelma): → / #_

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Only 10% will survive next 30 years Only about 20 are being learned as L1 Debate: how many resources should be

expended?

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Born May 8, 1821 in France (near Lyon)

1847: to WA Territory via Oregon Trail

Only white clergy for entire Puget Sound area

• Lived among Lushootseed tribes 1857-1878

Documented lifestyle, work, languages (especially) translated religious materials compiled dictionary, lexicons,

grammar fragments “The Apostle of the Puget

Sound Indians” Fondly remembered to this day

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Misereatur 2 Debalh kwe tlas oshabētem ato de Sherhk-Siam! 2 dibəɬ kʷi ɬasʔusabitəb ʔə tudiʔ səq siʔab 3 lilzirh kwēhk twal mok stam, 3 liɬʤixʷ qʷiqʼʷ dxʷʔal bəkʼʷ stab. 4 klob orhtsedelh ku …lētsǐētobolh ateto skwādăchĕlh! 4 ƛ'ubəxʷ cədiɬ kʷi ʔubalicyitubuɬ ʔə tə tudᶻəkʼʷadadcəɬ. 5 alh kwe tlas orhtobolh twal kwi tlo Darhulēchelh skwākhēd! 5 haʔɬ kʷi ɬusʔuxʷtubuɬ dxʷʔal kʷi ɬudxʷhəliʔcəɬ ckʼʷaqid. 6 Klob assista! 6 ƛ'ub ʔəsʔistəʔ.

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3. Abil gwat asra'tleldhu kwi gwas stsakus, gula asared kwi gwas krwebitsuts dhual stsaku? 3. ʔəbilʼ gʷat ʔəsxaƛ'ildxʷ kʷi gʷəscʼaʔkʷs, gʷəl ʔəsʔəxid kʷi gwəsqʷibicuc dxʷʔal cʼaʔkʷ. Abil gwat asra'tleldhu kwi gwas stsakus, gula tlo haidhu, ʔəbilʼ gʷat ʔəsxaƛ'ildxʷ kʷi gʷəscʼaʔkʷs, gʷəl ɬuhaydxʷ, gula tlo tleldhu gwalh Sherk-Siam sgwadgwad, gʷəl ɬutɬildxʷ gʷəɬ səq siʔab sgʷadgʷad, gula tlo rahab dhual ku sgwas tskwadads, gʷəl ɬuxahəb dxʷʔal kʷi sgʷaʔs ʤəkʼʷadads, gula tlo whobed aku tsoku ku boku sa; gʷəl ɬuxʷəbəd ʔə kʷi cukʷ kʷi bəkʷ saʔ; gula tlo tibitsut dhual kwi tlo tskwakred tlhdahu halhs. gʷəl ɬutibicut dxʷʔal kʷi ɬuckʼʷaqid tɬdəxʷ haʔɬs.

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dxʷsyayus (God, lit. “hard worker”) tul šəq skayuʔ (saints, lit. “dead people from the sky”) liǰub (devil, cf. French “le diable”) sxʷətagʷəb (Milky Way, lit. “falls in the middle”) ʔabsčups sčusəd (comet, lit. “has+fire+star”) qʷəcxaʔ (lark, cf. Upper Chehalis) paləkʷ (pig, lit. “dig up, root up”)

“The following verbs express some of the principal wild Indian habits (as they are to be well remembered)”

Sample verbs To run a quill through the nostril, for ornament To flatten the head of a baby To blow on a sick to frighten the evil spirit To louse a friend and eat the lice, to share one's love To take a steam bath underground

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