Dictionary of the Alabama Language [Hardcover]

Cora Sylestine (Author), Montler Timothy (Author), Heather K. Hardy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1993

"Muskogean specialists and linguists in general will find it hard to overestimate the significance of this dictionary . . . [it] contains vast amounts of important data, well analyzed, well organized, and well presented." --anthony mattina, professor of linguistics, university of montana The Alabama language, a member of the Muskogean language family, is spoken today by the several hundred inhabitants of the Alabama-Coushatta Indian Reservation in Polk County, Texas. This dictionary of Alabama was begun over fifty years ago by tribe member Cora Sylestine. She was aided after 1980 by linguists Heather K. Hardy and Timothy Montler, who completed work on the dictionary after her death. This state-of-the-art analytical dictionary contains over 8,000 entries of roots, stems, and compounds in the Alabama-English section. Each entry contains precise definitions, full grammatical analyses, agreement and other part-of-speech classifications, variant pronunciations, example sentences, and extensive cross-references to stem entries. The Alabama-English section is followed by a thorough English-Alabama finder list that functions as a full index to the definitions in the Alabama-English section.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English

Product Details

• Hardcover: 715 pages
• Publisher: University of Texas Press; 1 edition (May 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0292730772
• ISBN-13: 978-0292730779
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.4 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,613,262 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review, June 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Dictionary of the Alabama Language (Hardcover)

My friend owns this book. It was given to her by her grandfather who is a coushatta. She is learning the language and is teaching it to me because I am interested in her culture. Many times she has let me borrow the book. The book is very helpful because it has guides to help you pronounce the words.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Resourceful chronicle of my language, January 21, 2000

By 

Battise (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dictionary of the Alabama Language (Hardcover)

This dictionary is crucial chronicle of the Alabama language. It took the author Sylestine, almost fifty years to complete (Actually completed after her death). The Alabama language is a part of the Muskogeon band of languages that include: Choctaw, Creek, Seminole, Coushatta, and other tribes of the southeast. It is an essential part of my tribe's survival to preserve our culture, and our language is a crucial part in accomplishing this. The dictionary offers translations from Alabama to English( in the first half of the book) and English to Alabama ( in the second half). I recommend this book to all interested in Native languages, and those interested in the Muskogeon languages (for they are not in written form until recently). My recommendation comes from knowing Cora Sylestine (the author) for years, and also my grandmother is one of the contributing speakers credited in the book.

5.0 out of 5 stars I Own it..., April 24, 2011

By 

Jai - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dictionary of the Alabama Language (Hardcover)

I have this dictionary, and it is very informative. My aunt and uncle made sure that they bought me one when I was on the reservation in Livingston. I may not be able to pronounce the words right, but this is a part of who I am. My family wants to make sure that our language stays alive with someone. i really wish I as a native speaker like my mom and other family members, but at least I have a reference to always keep with me for life. I speak English only since I have never lived on the reservation. I have this book, and it goes everywhere I go. I would never dare to give this up because it defines the Alabama tribe.