The Language Encounter in the Americas, 1492-1800: A Collection of Essays
- ISBN-10
- 1571812105
- ISBN-13
- 9781571812100
- Category
- Foreign Language Study
- Pages
- 362
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2000
- Publisher
- Berghahn Books
- Authors
- Edward G. Gray, Norman Fiering
Description
When Columbus arrived in the Americas there were, it is believed, as many as 2,000 distinct, mutually unintelligible tongues spoken in the western hemisphere, encompassing the entire area from the Arctic Circle to Tierra del Fuego. This astonishing fact has generally escaped the attention of historians, in part because many of these indigenous languages have since become extinct. And yet the burden of overcoming America's language barriers was perhaps the one problem faced by all peoples of the New World in the early modern era: African slaves and Native Americans in the Lower Mississippi Valley; Jesuit missionaries and Huron-speaking peoples in New France; Spanish conquistadors and the Aztec rulers. All of these groups confronted America's complex linguistic environment, and all of them had to devise ways of transcending that environment - a problem that arose often with life or death implications. For the first time, historians, anthropologists, literature specialists, and linguists have come together to reflect, in the fifteen original essays presented in this volume, on the various modes of contact and communication that took place between the Europeans and the "Natives." A particularly important aspect of this fascinating collection is the way it demonstrates the interactive nature of the encounter and how Native peoples found ways to shape and adapt imported systems of spoken and written communication to their own spiritual and material needs.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2000
- 342 pages
- Paperback
- Berghahn Books
Similar books
-
The Great Encounter: Native Peoples and European Settlers in the Americas, 1492-1800
By Jayme A. SokolowBy discussing the "great encounter" of peoples and cultures, this book provides a valuable, new perspective on the history of the Americas.
-
Colonial America: A History in Documents
By Edward G. GrayColonial America is an extraordinary collection of original documents that show what life in the American colonies was really like for colonists, Native Americans, and slaves. From Georgia to Maine,...
-
Discovery of the Americas, 1492-1800
By Maurice Isserman, Tom Smith, John S. BowmanInteresting topics Include: Books and printing in the age of Columbus; The Inca Empire; The horse in North America; The legend of El Dorado; The Nootka Convention; The Pueblo Revolt; The role of California missions.
-
Encountering early America
By Rachel WinchcombeThis is the first major study to comprehensively analyse English encounters with the New World in the sixteenth century and their impact on early English understandings of America and changing approaches to exploration and settlement.
-
Beyond 1492: Encounters in Colonial North America
By James AxtellBeyond 1492: Encounters in Colonial North America
-
Early English Encounters in Russia, West Africa, and the Americas, 1530-1614
By Melanie PerreaultIn recent years, the field of comparative study has enjoyed a resurgence of attention as scholars attempt to understand the past in a global context. For scholars interested in early...
-
Americas Lost, 1492-1713: The First Encounter
By Ricardo Avila PalafoxAmericas Lost, 1492-1713: The First Encounter
-
America in 1492: The World of the Indian Peoples Before the Arrival of Columbus
By Alvin M. Josephy, Jr.Fourteen scholars explore the various cultures that flourished on the North American continent before the arrival of Columbus
-
The American Discovery of Europe
By Jack D. ForbesLeiden: Brill, 1961. Diaz-Alejo, R., and Joaquin Gil, eds. Ame'rica y el Viejo Mundo. Buenos Aires: Gil-Editor, 1942. Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. The Discovery and Conquest of Mexico. Translated by A. P. Maudslay, edited by Irving A.
-
1492--discovery, Invasion, Encounter: Sources and Interpretations
By Marvin LunenfeldBoth European and Native American viewpoints appear throughout this volume. An introductory essay, "The World in 1492," places the subject in a global context; "Discovery" deals with the background to...