Native American Loanwords in Contemporary American English : History and Development

Viac o knihe

Seminar paper from 2009 in American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 1.0, Free University of Berlin, course: Language Change II: Language Contact Phenomena and Change in English. The indigenous population of the American continent prior to European settlement is still debated, with estimates ranging from 8 million to 112 million people living in diverse tribal societies. These tribes varied significantly in lifestyle; some were nomadic hunters, while others engaged in agriculture, cultivating maize and other plants. Tribes also differed in size, from small groups to large societies like the Aztecs and Anasazi. However, all experienced profound changes upon contact with European settlers. Today, approximately 1.9 million people in the United States identify as Native Americans, making up about one percent of the population. Over the past five centuries, their numbers have drastically declined due to diseases and conflicts stemming from European invasions. Nineteenth-century programs aimed at assimilation further contributed to the decimation of Native cultures and languages. Despite these challenges, many aspects of Native American cultures and languages persist in modern society.