This book presents analysis of language shift among the Northern Arapaho of the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. Employing a multi-scalar ethnographic approach, the book is based on Cowell's study of natural Arapaho discourse, daily shifts in linguistic practice, and historical changes occurring in Arapaho society. It examines diverse language practices and attitudes about naming, cultural metaphors, new word formation, and the practice of folk etymology; in so doing, it moves away from the notion of a singular ‘Arapaho culture’ and instead advocates for an understanding of multiple communities of practice within that particular society.
Cowell argues that framing language shift in regard to continuity and discontinuity is problematic, because it relies on the visibility of standard linguistic features in the past and/or present as its grounds for comparison. Instead, he suggests that language shift should be addressed as both a synchronic and diachronic issue. Whereas he recognizes changes in linguistic practice and ideology, which are often treated as forms of discontinuity, Cowell proposes that there is actually more continuity within Northern Arapaho society than is often recognized; however, analysis must be conducted within a community or between communities of practice rather than as a study of one operative culture or one based on identity categories that are likely present in all communities of practice (e.g. gender, age, etc.).
Within Northern Arapaho society, Cowell points to five distinct communities of practice. He insists that members can participate in multiple communities, for each is comprised of members with shared goals at certain times and in certain spaces. Although he argues membership is not mutually exclusive, he insists that communities of practice are built around competing ideas regarding knowledge and interpersonal relationships which, in turn, inform their language ideologies and practices.
The idea that language is sacred is central amongst various Arapaho communities of practice; however, motivation to use and preserve Arapaho language and the results of its usage varies. Some communities of practice seek to deepen solidarity amongst each other or potentially with other Native Americans, whereas others, Cowell argues, may be trying to emphasize divisions between Indian and Euro-American groups or, alternatively, seeking continuity between the Arapaho past and present. In particular, the connection between language and more than human power is one of the primary motivations for preserving Arapaho language and, at the same time, an area of contestation, for ideologies that solidify the power of language can also be the ones that prohibit changes that are needed to maintain it when sociocultural and linguistic ideologies inevitably shift. The exploration of such discontinuity between ideology and practice is one of the book's more compelling contributions.
Beyond those interested in Northern Arapaho society specifically, Cowell addresses his book to scholars of indigenous communities experiencing language shift, particularly those in which traditional religion, ceremonies, and concepts of more than human power are of great significance. Further, the book may be of interest to other sociolinguists, especially those concerned with intergenerational language shift and the representation of indigenous languages.
