South-american languages in a formal perspective

Abstract

South America extends, north to south, from Punta Gallinas in Colombia to the Drake Passage in Cape Horn and, east to west, from Cabo Branco in Brazil (Ponta do Seixas) to Punta Pariñas in Peru, being the fourth largest world’s continent in territory and 50th in population. It is one of our last storehouses of natural resources, including fauna, flora, mineral, and hydric reserves. However, for centuries, South America’s natural reserves have been increasingly depleted without much concern and planning. The present book is devoted to another, even less minded, often ignored, treasure of South America: linguistic diversity. Although some of us, linguists, defend that language is part of our genetic endowment, while others take it to be a cultural asset, we all agree that languages are a humankind patrimony, and linguistic preservation, documentation, and analysis are priorities, especially when minority languages are considered. Thus, studies on languages of South America are first concern.