Rich in cultural and linguistic information, the traditional stories
of the Coast Salish people contain the keys to cultural revitalization.
Tellings from Our Elders presents eighteen stories in
Snohomish, a dialect of Lushootseed, the language of the indigenous
peoples who live on the southern and eastern shores of Puget Sound, as
told by members of the last generation to claim the language as their
mother tongue.
Many of these stories - or syeyehub - were
recorded decades ago, but few were transcribed, and even fewer
analyzed. Deep understanding of the structure and logic of these texts
has eluded linguists and younger generations. In this landmark study,
David Beck and Thom Hess examine the structure of the language, the
richness of the grammar, and the narrative stylistics of these
important texts.
With English translations, full morpheme-by-morpheme glosses, and a
glossary of specialized terminology, this book is certain to be both an
invaluable resource for scholars and a tool for those who want to
ensure that Lushootseed is used by generations to come.
David Beck is a professor of linguistics at the
University of Alberta. Thom Hess was a professor of
linguistics at the University of Victoria.
Rich in cultural and linguistic information, the traditional stories of
the Coast Salish contain the keys to cultural revitalization. This book
presents eighteen stories in Snohomish, a dialect of Lushootseed, the
language of the indigenous peoples who live in the Puget Sound basin,
as told by the last generation to learn the language as its mother
tongue. Many of these stories - or
syeyehub - were
recorded decades ago, but few were transcribed, and even fewer
analyzed. Deep understanding of the structure and logic of these texts
has eluded linguists. This landmark study provides this analysis,
helping to ensure that the language will live on for future
generations.
