ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the members of the Algonquian family and sketches their phonology, syntax, and morphology. The phonology section surveys consonant and vowel inventories, phonotactic constraints, phonological processes, and stress patterns. The syntax section discusses the typological status of Algonquian syntax, including the issue of non-configurationality, and outlines the basic grammatical categories and grammatical functions. The morphology section describes the major patterns of stem formation, noun inflection, and verb inflection as well as the features that are encoded morphologically, such as animacy and obviation. Illustrative examples are provided from a variety of Algonquian languages.
