Cutler, Charles L. O Brave new words: Native American Loanwords in current English.
University of Oklahoma Press. September 1994. 278p. ISBN 0-8061-2655-8. $24.95.
[SOCIAL SCIENCE]
The University of Oklahoma Press charts new ground with the publication of this
excellent new book that examines the numerous Native American words that have been loaned
to American English. Many of these fascinating entries are further examined in the a
ccompanying text, which attempts to simplify a very complex series of historical events.
The fluctuation between heavy borrowing corresponded directly to crucial historical events
surrounding the peopling and colonization of Native America by Europeans. Cutler succeeds
in making this work accessible to both interested layman and scholar. What is most
interesting in Cutler's analysis is what words were loaned, and why. Many loanwords are,
of course, place-names, rivers, geographical formations and the like, but others are more
mysterious: "muckety-muck" (from Chinook Jargon makamak, 'plenty to eat.'),
possum (from Virginia Algonquian aposoum 'opossum,' and "hooch" (Tlingit
hoochino from Hootsnoowoos, and xutxnuuw«e 'cheap/bootleg liquor.' Cutler concludes with
"Perhaps a greater awareness of the Indian influence on our vocabulary will heighten
an awareness of the Indian's lasting cultural impact in other ways." Indeed, the
Native American ceded many gifts to the newcomers, including precious words from many now
extinct languages. Highly recommended for academic and public library collections.
Kevin M. Roddy, University of Hawai'i at Hilo