A Grammar of Tariana, from Northwest Amazonia [Paperback]

A comprehensive reference grammar of Tariana, an endangered Arawak language from the northwest Amazonian jungle.This is a comprehensive reference grammar of Tariana, an endangered Arawak language from the northwest Amazonian jungle. Its speakers traditionally marry someone speaking a different language, and therefore most people are fluent in five or six languages. Because of this rampant multilingualism, Tariana combines its own features with those borrowed from neighbouring languages. The language has many unusual properties, including evidentiality: every sentence contains a special element indicating how the speaker acquired the information. This grammar will be a valuable source-book for linguists and others interested in natural languages.This is a comprehensive reference grammar of Tariana, an endangered Arawak language from the northwest Amazonian jungle. Its speakers traditionally marry someone speaking a different language, and therefore most people are fluent in five or six languages. Because of this rampant multilingualism, Tariana combines its own features with those borrowed from neighbouring languages. The language has many unusual properties, including evidentiality: every sentence contains a special element indicating how the speaker acquired the information. This grammar will be a valuable source-book for linguists and others interested in natural languages.The speakers of Tariana, an endangered Arawak language from the northwest Amazonian jungle, traditionally marry someone speaking a different language; therefore, most are fluent in five or six languages. This comprehensive grammar reveals how Tariana combines its own features with those borrowed from neighboring languages because of the rampant multilingualism. The language has many unusual properties, making this grammar a valuable sourcebook for linguists and others interested in natural languages.List of tables, schemes and diagrams; Preface; Acknowledgements; Organisation and cross-referenl3.