[Lingtyp] Traditional view of language and grammar in indigenous societies

[Bernat Bardagil Mas]

Dear all,

As anyone working closely with indigenous languages and cultures of the Americas, we have seen multiple instances of the awareness that indigenous peoples have of everything that surrounds them, with detailed accounts and explanations ranging from social aspects to natural or supernatural phenomena.

We have come to wonder whether, and how frequently, this type of reflection is attested also for language — not so much the origin of language, but its structure and nature. Have any of you encountered anything similar to this notion among indigenous communities, regarding the structure of their own language? Or, are you aware of any mentions of something that could correspond to traces of this type of indigenous linguistic or grammatical knowledge?

Thank you,

Bernat Bardagil i Mas & Sara Larios i Ongay


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Bernat Bardagil
Postdoctoral researcher
Department of Linguistics, Ghent University
research.flw.ugent.be/en/bernat.bardagil<https://research.flw.ugent.be/en/bernat.bardagil>


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