Amerind language
- noun
- /ˈæməˌrɪnd ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
- Specialized
- Many Amerind languages have only a small number of speakers remaining today.
Examples
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This region is home to several distinct Amerind languages still spoken by local communities.
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Scholars continue to debate the origins and relationships among Amerind languages.
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The Amerind language family includes many distinct dialects.
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Many Amerind languages are endangered today.
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Scholars continue to debate the origins and relationships among Amerind languages.
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This region is home to several distinct Amerind languages still spoken by local communities.
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Many Amerind languages have only a small number of speakers remaining today.
Synonyms
A language spoken by the native peoples of the Americas
A language spoken by the native people of North, Central, or South America
A language of the native peoples of the Americas
A language first spoken by the native people of the Americas before Europeans arrived
Surface Forms
Morphology
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'.