The Languages of the Andes

Willem F. H. Adelaar

06/2004 · Cambridge University Press

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The Andean and Pacific regions of South America are home to a remarkable variety of languages and language families, with a range of typological differences. This linguistic diversity results from a complex historical background, comprising periods of greater communication between different peoples and languages, and periods of fragmentation and individual development. The Languages of the Andes documents in a single volume the indigenous languages spoken and formerly spoken in this linguistically rich region, as well as in adjacent areas. Grouping the languages into different cultural spheres, it describes their characteristics in terms of language typology, language contact, and the social perspectives of present-day languages. The authors provide both historical and contemporary information, and illustrate the languages with detailed grammatical sketches. Written in a clear and accessible style, this book will be a valuable source for students and scholars of linguistics and anthropology alike.

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Willem Adelaar is Professor of Amerindian languages and cultures at Leiden University.

Pieter Muysken is Professor of Linguistics at Radboud University Nijmegen, after previously teaching at the universities of Amsterdam and Leiden. His specialism is language contact and he does research in the Andes, the Caribbean and the Netherlands.