"Many indigenous American languages face imminent extinction, and the dictionary, often the only written documentation of these languages, stands as a powerful tool in preserving them. These essays, written by leading scholars in Native American language studies, provide a comprehensive picture of the theory and practice of Native American lexicography. The contributors discuss the technical, social, and personal challenges involved with the complex task of creating a dictionary of a Native American language. The book is also the first of its kind to address both standard and new issues surrounding the challenging task of transforming oral languages in general into written dictionaries. The book touches on many different languages including Nahuatl, Nez Perce, Huichol, Ilwa, Miskitu, Hopi, Cherokee, Siouan languages, Dogrib, Slave, Kaska, Maricopa, Zapotec, Ojibwa, Chippewa, Havasupai, Karuk, Sierra Miwok, and Mono."--Pub. desc.