The language of the Inuit : syntax, semantics, and society in the Arctic / Louis-Jacques Dorais.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dorais, Louis-Jacques, 1945-

Series:

McGill-Queen's native and northern series ; 58.

McGill-Queen's native and northern series ; 58

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Inuktitut language--Social aspects.

Inuktitut language.

Inuit--Languages.

Inuit.

Inuit language.

Inuit language--Social aspects.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (409 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Montréal [Que.] : McGill-Queen's University Press, c2010

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"The Inuit occupy an immense area of land - from the easternmost tip of Russia, through Alaska and Canada, to Greenland. Inuit language, history, semantics, sociology, and anthropology show a variety of distinct characteristics in different parts of this vast area. Covering an equally impressive range, The Language of the Inuit is the most comprehensive study to date of the language and the forces that have affected its development. The culmination of forty years of research, The Language of the Inuit maps the geographical distribution and linguistic differences between the Eskaleut and Inuit languages and dialects. Providing details about aspects of comparative phonology, grammar, and lexicon as well as Inuit prehistory and historical evolution, Louis-Jacques Dorais shows the effects of bilingualism, literacy, and formal education on Inuit language and considers its present status and future. An enormous task, masterfully accomplished, The Language of the Inuit is not only an anthropological and linguistic study of a language and the broad social and cultural contexts where it is spoken but a history of the language's speakers."--pub. desc.

Contents:

Introduction

The Eskaleut family of languages

The Inuit language

The Nunavik Dialect of Inukitut

The prehistory of the Inuit language

Historical sources and linguistic change

Semantics, neology, and oral change

Literacy and formal education

Language contact and bilingualism

The current status of the Inuit Language

Conclusion : language and identity in the arctic

Appendices. The possessive noun declension (Nunavik Inuktitut) ; The grammatical endings of verbs (Nunavik Inuktitut) ; Categories of lexical affixes with Nunavik Inuktitut examples ; Inuit first and home languages in Inuit nunaat (Canada) in 2006.

Notes:

"Inuit uqausingit"--Cover, in syllabics.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [343]-386) and index.

ISBN:

9780773581760

0773581766

9780773581623

0773581626

OCLC:

767733303