speights@iear.arts.rpi.edu (Arlen Speights) writes:
>RIMELLBD@IBM3090.BHAM.AC.UK writes:
>>I'm a Brit, and was wondering whether anyone knows of any books I can get hold
>>of here in the UK about Native American Languages. I recently learntBiloxi
>>(dead language once used in what is now Louisiana) and want to learn more,
>Just FYI, there are many Biloxis still around today--the Tunica
>and Biloxi merged quite a while back but there are still pretty
>clear Biloxi families. I'm not sure if anyone still speaks a
>Biloxi language (or at least lets and anthropologist catch them
>speaking it :-) but it woulnd't be surprising.
>If you like Biloxi you might like Choctaw or another of the
>Southern languages; Choctaw dictionaries are not hard to find.
Biloxi is a Siouan language; it and Ofo are the only Siouan languages of
the Lower Mississippi. They are both, alas, dead languages now. But
if you know Biloxi, you might try Lakota, another Siouan language, and
one which 25,000-43,000 people speak (according to the last survey I have
seen). I believe only Navajo is more widely spoken, of the Native American
languages. (I have an article I grabbed from here on Lakota learning
materials you can order; send me e-mail if you want it.)
As for finding books in the UK: there's the catch. Almost everything I've
seen is the product of American university presses. Real Soon Now, the
"Language" volume of the Handbook of North American Indians (the standard
encyclopedia) should be out -- but this does you no good now, of course.
But, then, it's just as hard to find good books on Welsh outside the UK...
- David Librik
librik@cs.Berkeley.edu