Thousands of people in Alberta and Montana speak Blackfoot, an Algonquian language. But the numbers are diminishing, and the survival of Blackfoot is in some danger. To help preserve the language while it is still in daily use, Donald G. Frantz and Norma Jean Russell collaborated on the Blackfoot Dictionary, published in 1989 to widespread acclaim, and revised in a second edition in 1995. Blackfoot Grammar, now available in paperback, is the companion volume to the dictionary, and provides a description and analysis of the major features of Blackfoot grammar and language structure.
It is intended to serve a variety of audiences, and the structure of the book reflects this. The first few chapters can be read by laypersons interested in the Blackfoot language. They also provide a basis for the more intensive and technical chapters which follow, intended for Algonquianists and advanced students of North American languages. A list of references and an index are included, along with an appendix on verb paradigms and one on phonological rules.
Based on decades of research, Blackfoot Grammar will be welcomed not only by those who wish to learn the language, but all those with an interest in native studies and North American linguistics.
