The paper interprets Whorf's notion by turning to his original writings. Specifically, the paper makes a detailed analysis of Whorf's notion from anthropological linguistics, which largely deals with his famous distinction between overt category and covert category and his detailed description of the American Indian language Hopi; contrastive…

This study used oral survey methods to examine first the diversity of Meso-American languages and second the potential language maintenance or loss of these languages among Meso-American language speakers in Wiregrass country (North Florida-South Georgia). Language shift, the process of gradually changing from one first language to another first…

Discusses the use of the Spanish suffix "-al" in six Central American countries, derived from both Spanish and native languages, and Spanish.) (CK)

Written to fulfill the requirements for a University of Minnesota College of Education off-campus Indian education course for public school teachers, this Native American curriculum unit for middle and high school reflects the calendar achievements of the Maya Indians. The calendar is discussed in terms of its base number 20 (vigesimal system),…

The verb in Classical Aztec is slowly moving from the end of the sentence to the beginning due to the attraction of sentence initial modal particles to the verb. Not only the function but also the position of elements should be examined to account for word-order change. (SCC)

Written to fulfill the requirements for a University of Minnesota College of Education off-campus Indian education course for public school teachers, this Native American curriculum unit for middle and high school reflects the mathematical achievements of the Maya, Aztec, and Inca Indians. The number systems, notation, and calendar techniques of…

Studies the link between the theory of the neurophysiology of color perception and Berlin and Kay's ideas on color linguistics and color perception. Two interpretations of studies of color terminology are shown, one supporting and one disproving the Whorf Thesis. (NCR)

The primary goal of the present study is an exposition of the structure of Mam, a Mayan language of the Mamean group. Mam is the most widely spoken of the four Mamean languages, and has been roughly estimated to have a quarter million speakers located in the departments of Huehuetenango and San Marcos in Guatemala and in the state of Chiapas in…

This study examined language maintenance through a sociology study of K'iche', a Mayan language of Guatemala, where a stable diglossic situation is eroding in the face of an increasing tide of bilingualism. Seven K'iche'-speaking communities were examined, including an analysis of socioeconomic, demographic, and political data. Quantified…

This collection of 260 dream texts from Zinacantan, Chiapas, Mexico, is an English translation of the original texts recorded in the Tzotzil (Mayan) language. The introduction discusses dreams as a centrally important, but much neglected aspect of Middle American cultures. The dreams of eleven Zinacantecs, two of whom were shamans, are included.…

This paper examines the actual content and use of Indian vocabulary in standard Guatemalan Spanish, as opposed to the numerous entries found in antiquated dictionaries. Over 600 Indian words were extracted from contemporary Guatemalan literature and Lisandro Sandoval's "Semantica guatemalense." Interviews were arranged with middle and…

Seven original research papers by faculty and students of the Linguistics Department and other related departments of the University of Kansas are presented. The titles and authors are as follows: "Particles in Tojolabal Mayan Discourse" (Jill Brody); "One Hundred Years of Lakota Linguistics (1887-1987)" (Willem J. de Reuse);…

Eight original research papers on Native American languages by faculty and students of the Linguistics Department and other related departments of the University of Kansas are presented. The titles and authors include the following: "Comanche Consonant Mutation: Initial Association or Feature Spread?" (James L. Armagost); "The Alsea…