This practical grammar begins by discussing the sounds and spelling of the language. Each following chapter starts with a vocabulary list consisting mostly of common words but including also a few interesting unusual words. Postbases and endings are the introduced and grammatical topics are discussed with examples given. Each chapter has a series of exercises. Appendices include inflectional tables and a number of fully annotated traditional stories.
Public policy concerning Siberian Yupik has followed sometimes parallel and sometimes diverging paths in Russia and in Alaska. The development of the language, particularly in its written form, is amply demonstrated int his book through illustrations from both countries.
Siberian Yupik is unlike the various Eskimo languages of mainland Alaska, Canada, and Greenland in one significant way; it has been heavily influenced by another indigenous language. This grammar therefor discusses the influence of Chukchi, Siberian Yupik's neighbor to the west.
