Word lists for languages of North America

Author : John W. Powell

Publication date : 1880

Bibliographical references :

Powell, John Wesley. 1880. Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages. Washington: Government Printing Office.

Goals

This book contains several lists, called "schedules", which had to be elicited in order, were designed to help students of North American languages "in overcoming the difficulties which he is sure to encounter" (Powell, 1880: vi)

Protocol summary

The book consists of three chapters:

- Chapter I, "On the alphabet": it provides information about transcription.
- Chapter II, "Hints and explanations": about the cultural context for the information to be elicited
- Chapter III, "Schedules": it covers topics such as Persons, Body parts, Dwellings, Division of time, and plenty of other domains.

Development context

The lists were published in the Introduction to the Study of Indian Languages, supported by the Smithsonian Institution's Bureau of Ethnology. The 1880 edition is a second edition; the first appeared in 1877, but consists of only the schedules and a brief introduction.