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Glite Dictionary
Amerind language

Amerind language

1 9.9
A language spoken by the native people of the Americas
  • noun
  • /ˈæməˌrɪnd ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
: lengua amerindia
  • Many Amerind languages have only a small number of speakers remaining today.

Examples

  • This region is home to several distinct Amerind languages still spoken by local communities.

  • Scholars continue to debate the origins and relationships among Amerind languages.

  • The Amerind language family includes many distinct dialects.

  • Many Amerind languages are endangered today.

  • Scholars continue to debate the origins and relationships among Amerind languages.

  • This region is home to several distinct Amerind languages still spoken by local communities.

  • Many Amerind languages have only a small number of speakers remaining today.

Synonyms

Indian language
vsAmerind language
  • Archaic
2 5.8

A language spoken by the native people of North, Central, or South America

focuses on classifying these languages in academic linguistic work rather than listing regions
American Indian language
vsAmerind language
1 7.9

A language of the native peoples of the Americas

focuses on organizing them in linguistic classification rather than on tradition
Amerindian language
vsAmerind language
9.9

A language spoken by the native peoples of the Americas

focuses on their classification in linguistic studies rather than general naming
American-Indian language
vsAmerind language
9.7

A language first spoken by the native people of the Americas before Europeans arrived

focuses on their linguistic classification instead of limiting to historical timing

Surface Forms

Amerind language singular
Amerind languages plural

Morphology

Amerind + language

The phrase is a straightforward adjective+noun composition: 'Amerind' (pertaining to Native American peoples/languages) combined with 'language' yields 'a language spoken by Amerind peoples.' This is fully compositional and follows common cross-linguistic patterns, so a learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning.

Etymology

The term Amerind language is a short form made by joining Amer- from the word 'American' and -ind from the word 'Indian', used to name the languages of the native peoples of the Americas. So, it means 'languages spoken by the native peoples of the Americas'.