Includes bibliographical references (pages 764-925) and index.

[pt. 1.] Introduction / Ives Goddard -- The description of the native languages of North America before Boas / Ives Goddard -- The description of the native languages of North America: Boas and after / Marianne Mithun -- Language and the culture of history of North America / Michael K. Foster -- Borrowing / Catherine A. Callaghan and Geoffrey Gamble -- Dynamics of linguistic contact / Michael Silverstein -- Overview of general characteristics / Marianne Mithun -- Native writing systems / Willard B. Walker -- Place-names / Patricia O. Afable and Madison S. Beeler -- Personal names / David H. French and Katherine S. French -- The ethnography of speaking / Wick R. Miller -- Discourse / M. Dale Kinkade and Anthony Mattina -- Nonspeech communication systems / Allan R. Taylor -- The classification of the native languages of North America / Ives Goddard -- [pt. 2.] Grammatical sketches: Sketch of Central Alaskan Yupik, an Eskimo language / Osahito Miyaoka -- Sketch of Hupa, an Athapaskan language / Victor Golla -- Sketch of Cree, an Algonquin language / H.C. Wolfart -- Sketch of Lakhota, a Siouan language / David S. Rood and Allan R. Taylor -- Sketch of the Zuni language / Stanley Newman -- Sketch of Eastern Pomo, a Pomoan language / Sally McLendon -- Sketch of Seneca, an Iroquoian language / Wallace L. Chafe -- Sketch of Wichita, a Caddoan language / David S Rood -- Sketch of Thompson, a Salishan language / Lawrence C. Thompson, M. Terry Thompson, and Steven M. Egesdal -- Sketch of Coahuilteco, a language isolate of Texas / Rudolph C. Troike -- Sketch of Sahaptin, a Sahaptian language / Bruce Rigsby and Noel Rude -- Sketch of Shoshone, a Uto-Aztecan language / Wick R. miller -- sources / Herbert J. Landar.