Abstract
Tins study of Navaho grammar, which it may be said is a very thorough piece of work, might well be recommended not only to the student of the linguistics of the North American Indian, but also to those who are interested specifically in his psychology. The chief grammatical devices for the expression of ideas in Navaho are the noun and the verb. Of these the verb is of special importance in this connexion, as it most markedly brings out the distinctive point of view of the Indian mind, which emphasises minute detail in relation to perceptible things. These are described with infantile accuracy. The verb structure therefore gives expression to the attention which the Indian pays to size, shape, form, directional position, and like qualities of the subject. A great deal of work is thus thrown on the verb by means of adverbial prefixes and suffices. In Father Haile's arrangement of the grammar, careful attention has been given to this aspect as well as to the verb stem. Notwithstanding a considerable amount of research along this line, the author acknowledges that much still has to be done.
A Manual of Navaho Grammar.
Arranged by Fr. Berard Haile. Pp. xi + 324. (St. Michaels, Arizona: Franciscan Fathers, 1926.) 6 dollars.
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A Manual of Navaho Grammar . Nature 119, 668 (1927). https://doi.org/10.1038/119668c0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/119668c0