Sonoran O'otam

Sonoran O'otam: A Description and Prospectus, with a Description of Ati Piman, delineates a Piman variety closely related to the O'odham language of southern Arizona (Akimel and Tohono dialects). Both Sonoran O'otam and O'odham belong to the Tepiman subfamily of the Uto-Aztecan language family. Sonoran O'otam differs from O'odham in several major ways: word order (Sonoran O'otam has less flexible word order); tense-aspect marking (different morphosyntax); development of phonemic tone in some varieties of Sonoran O'otam. The tense-apsect differences show how native Tepiman resources were used to create the auxiliary system used in O'odham for default subject marking. A variety of short texts illustrate Sonoran O'otam in actual use, supported by a detailed vocabulary. An appendix offers information on Sonoran O'otam place names. There is also a definitive account of Ati Piman. While geographically a part of Sonora (west coast, on the Sea of Cortez), Ati Piman is very distinct from both Sonoran O'otam and O'odham, with extremely unusual features that separate it from all other Tepiman languages.