Classification of American Indian Languages

Abstract

In a paper published in 1920' I discussed the problem of the interrelation of American Indian languages. I pointed out that morphological types are distributed over large areas and that in these morphological groups differences representing the character of the vocabulary occur which make it difficult to assume that the languages, as now spoken, are derived from the same 'Ursprache'. I pointed out that in the small linguistic units of early times, the conditions of mixture were quite different from those found in languages spoken over large areas and by many individuals. A further consideration of the problem led to the conclusion that an answer to the fundamental question must be sought through an investigation of mutual influences and the extent to which they may modify languages; particularly, in how far one linguistic type may influence the morphology of another. I believe everybody will agree that words may be borrowed and may modify the vocabulary of a language; perhaps also that the phonetic character of one language may influence that of its neighbors. I have given a few general instances in the paper mentioned before, and today I will add one example that seems to be particularly instructive. The Nez Perc6, an eastern Sahaptin language, has rigid rules of vocalic harmony according to which vowels may be divided into two classes: a and o as one group; all the others as a second group. In the system of consonants occurs an s with raised margin of the tongue and the dental t series. Another characteristic sound is a voiced affricative, something like dl. During the 18th century a large group of the Sahap-