UC Merced Journal of and Anthropology

Title Memorial to Wick R. Miller

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Journal Journal of California and Great Basin Anthropology, 19(2)

ISSN 0191-3557

Authors Mixco, Mauricio Freeze, Ray

Publication Date 1997-07-01

Peer reviewed

eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Memorial to Wick R. Miller (1932 - 1994)

1953, he received an A.B. degree in Anthropol­ ogy from the University of New Mexico. He received his doctorate in Linguistics in 1962 from the University of California, Berkeley, as a student of Mary Haas. He joined the faculty of the Department of Anthropology at the Uni­ versity of in 1963, initiating a more than 30-year career there, serving as the Director of the Linguistics Program for eight years and Chairman of the Department of Anthropology for two years. His life and work were a vital and active continuation of the tradition of Franz Boas and Edward Sapir. From the beginning of his career, Wick was known as a gifted and de­ termined analyst, who explained for us im­ mensely complicated aspects of language. His principal field work was with three languages belonging to two language families: Acoma (Keres), and Shoshoni and Guarijfo (both Uto- Aztecan). His publications include reviews, books, and articles on Native American lan­ guages, especially linguistics, sociolinguistics, and linguistic acculturation. He also did editori­ al work in linguistics for the University of Utah Press. Wick R. Miller, photograph taken ca. 1993. By publishing his own work and encyclope­ dic reviews of the literature on various topics, WICK R. MILLER, widely respected anthro­ Wick greatly facilitated the research of others. pological linguist, pioneer in acquisition studies, A prime example is his Uto-Aztecan lexicon and benefactor to our discipline, was gravely in­ which he carefully updated as more and more jured in a bicycle accident in Hermosillo, Sono- material became available. Different stages of ra, on Saturday, May 7, 1994. He was flown to this work served as the impetus for subsequent a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where he died lexical classification papers. His dedication pro­ on May 9 at the age of 62. Friends and family vided us with "state-of-the-art" works on Uto- gathered to honor his memory in Salt Lake City Aztecan and , the "ethnogra­ on Sunday, May 15, 1994. phy of speaking," a Shoshoni grammatical Wick was born on January 6, 1932, in the sketch, and the Keres language family. small town of San Ysidro, New Mexico, where He was instrumental in the founding of, and his father ran a trading post west of Santa Fe, tirelessly active in nurturing, fora through which between the Jemez and Zia reservations. His his colleagues shared ideas both among them­ early contacts with native peoples were to have selves and with the discipline at large: the a strong influence on his academic career. In Friends of Uto-Aztecan and the Society for the WICK R. MILLER 155

Study of Indian Languages of the Americas, for 1959 A Note on Kiowa Linguistic Affiliations. American Anthropologist 61(1): 102-105. which he was the principal author of the consti­ tution. 1959 Some Notes on Acoma Kinship Terminol­ ogy. Southwestern Journal of Anthropol­ Wick felt himself as much an anthropologist ogy 15(2): 179-184. as a linguist. This side of his research includes 1959 Spanish Loanwords in Acoma: Part I. relatively early interest in obsolescing lan­ International Journal of American Lin­ guages, folk tales and historical narratives in guistics 25(2): 147-153. Shoshoni, respect speech, taxonomic systems, 1960 Spanish Loanwords in Acoma: Part II. and lexical borrowing. International Journal of American Lin­ He felt a strong debt to his language consul­ guistics 26(l):41-49. tants and their communities, as is amply shown 1961 Review of Kroeber and Grace: The by his constant efforts to repay the debt he felt Sparkman Grammar of Luiseno. Lan­ to them. He served as a consultant to a bilin­ guage 37(2): 186-189. gual education program for the Acoma people 1962 (with Catherine A. Callaghan) Swadesh's and conducted a workshop on Keresan linguis­ Macro Mixtecan Hypothesis and English. Southwestern Journal of Anthropology tics for native speakers in 1970. Since 1971, he 18(3):278-285. continuously worked in a variety of language 1963 (with Irvine Davis) Proto-Keresan Pho­ and literacy programs among the Shoshoni of nology. International Journal of Ameri­ Utah, , and . Throughout this time, can Linguistics 29(5):310-330. he felt fortunate in having the collaboration of 1963 (with Susan M. Ervin) Language Devel­ his colleague, Beverly Crum. Their association opment. In: Child Psychology, 1963 yielded much literary material in Shoshoni. National Society of the Study of Educa­ tion Yearbook, pp. 108-143. Chicago: Wick enjoyed international standing as a lin­ University of Chicago Press. guist and scholar. The Linguistics Department 1964 (with Susan M. Ervin) The Development at the University of Sonora invited him to give of Grammar in Child Language. Child lectures to their students and to teach courses Development Monograph 92:9-34. there. Former students and university authori­ 1964 The Shoshonean Languages of Uto-Azte­ ties honored his contributions during the En- can. University of California Publications cuentro Sobre LingUistica en el Noroeste in in Linguistics 34:145-148. 1990. This ongoing conference owes much of 1964 The Acquisition of Formal Features of its initial impetus to Wick's tireless efforts to Language. American Journal of Ortho­ foster interest in the Uto-Aztecan languages of psychiatry 34(5): 862-867. northwest Mexico. Wick will be sorely missed 1964 Patterns of Grammatical Development in Child Language. Proceedings of the by colleagues, friends, and family alike. Ninth International Congress of Linguis­ tics, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1962, Mauricio Mixco and Ray Freeze pp. 511-516. Linguistics Program, University of Utah 1964 Review q/'Voegelin, Voegelin, and Hale: Salt Lake City, UT 84112 Typological and Comparative Grammar of Uto-Aztecan: I (Phonology). American Anthropologist 66(2):480-481. PUBLICATIONS OF 1965 Acoma Grammar and Texts. University WICK R. MILLER of California Publications in Linguistics 1959 Outline of Shawnee Historical Phonology. 40. International Journal of American Lin­ 1965 Review o/"Garfield and Chafe: Symposi­ guistics 25(1): 18-21. um on Language and Culture. Interna- 156 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY

tional Journal of American Linguistics 1972 Obsolescing Languages: The Case of the 31(3):186-189. Shoshoni. Language in American Indian 1966 Anthropological Linguistics in the Great Education (Newsletter of BIA, Education Basin. In: The Current Status of An­ Programs), Winter, pp. 1-12. thropological Research in the Great Basin: 1972 Comments on Cultural Ecology Papers. 1964, Warren L. d'Azevedo, Don D. In: Great Basin Cultural Ecology: A Fowler, Wilber A. Davis, and Wayne Symposium, Don D. Fowler, ed., pp. Suttles, eds., pp. 75-112. Reno: Desert 159-160. Reno: Desert Research Insti­ Research Institute, University of Nevada, tute, Publications in the Social Sciences Social Sciences and Humanities Publica­ No. 8. tions No. 1. 1972 Review of Bar-Adon and Leopold (eds.): 1966 Review of Newman: Zuni Grammar. Child Language: A Book of Readings. American Anthropologist 68(4): 1081. Language and Society 1:285-290. 1967 Uto-Aztecan Cognate Sets. University of 1975 Review of SQi\eT: Cahuilla Texts, with an California Publications in Linguistics 48. Introduction. American Anthropologist 1968 «ev(>w o/HymesandBittle(eds.): Stud­ 77(1): 125. ies in Southwestern Ethnolinguistics. 1976 Review of Langacker: Non-Distinctive American Anthropologist 70(4):834-835. Arguments in Uto-Aztecan. The Journal 1969 Language Acquisition and Reading. In: of California Anthropology 3(2):88. Oral Language and Reading, James Wal- 1976 (with Per Hage) "Eagle" = "Bird": A den, ed., pp. 31-47. National Council of Note on the Structure and Evolution of Teachers of English. Shoshoni Ethnoomithological Nomencla­ 1969 Review of Law. Obligatory Constructions ture. American Ethnologist Special Issue, of Isthmus Nahuat Grammar, and Swad- Folk Biology 3:481-488. esh and Sancho, Los Mil Elementos de 1977 (with Susan Ervin-Tripp) Early Dis­ Mexicano Clasico. American Anthropol­ course: Some Questions about Questions. ogist 71(1): 139-140. In: Interaction, Conversation, and the 1970 Western Shoshoni Dialects. In: Lan­ Development of Language, Michael Lew­ guages and Cultures of Western North is and Leonard A. Rosenblum, eds., pp. America: Essay in Honor of Sven S. Lil- 9-25. New York: John Wiley and Sons. jeblad. Earl Swanson, Jr., ed., pp. 17-36. 1978 Multilingualism in its Social Context in Pocatello: Idaho State University Press. Aboriginal North America. Berkeley Lin­ 1970 Langtiage. In: Biermial Review of An­ guistics Society 4:610-616. thropology, Vol. 1, 1967-69, Bernard J. 1978 A Report on the Sign Language of the Siegel, ed., pp. 1-40. Stanford: Stanford Western Desert (Australia). In: Aborigi­ University Press. nal Sign Languages of the Americas and 1970 Review of Menyuk: Sentences Children Australia, D. Jean Umiker-Sebeok and Use. American Anthropologist 72(5): Thomas A. Sebeok, eds., pp. 435-440. 1157-1159. New York: Plenum Press. 1971 (with James L. Tanner and Lawrence P. 1980 Speaking for Two: Respect Speech in the Foley) A Lexicostatistic Study of Shosho­ Guarijfo of Northwest Mexico. Berkeley ni Dialects. Anthropological Linguistics Linguistics Society 6:196-206. 13(4): 142-164. 1980 Preaspirated in Central Nu­ 1971 The Death of a Language; Or, Serendipi­ mic: In: Trends in Linguistics, Studies ty Among the Shoshoni. Anthropological and Monographs 16, American Indian and Linguistics 13(3): 114-120. European Studies, Kathryn Klar, ed., pp. 1971 Dialect Differentiation in the Western 151-158. Mouton: New York. Desert Language. Anthropological Fo­ 1983 Uto-Aztecan Languages. In: Handbook rum (Perth) 3:61-78. of North American Indians, Vol. 10, 1972 Newe Natekwinappeh: Shoshoni Stories Southwest, Alfonso Ortiz, ed., pp. 113- and Dicfionary. University of Utah An­ 124. Washington: Smithsonian Institu­ thropological Papers Number 94. tion. WICK R. MILLER 157

1983 A Note on Extinct Languages of North­ sons, Readings, and Glossary for Shosho­ west Mexico of Supposed Uto-Aztecan ni Speakers. Wirmemucca, NY: Hum­ Affiliation. International Journal of Amer­ boldt Press. ican Linguistics 49(3):328-334. 1988 Componential Analysis of the Guarijio 1984 Subordinate Verbs in Guarijfo: Evidence Orientational System. In: In Honor of of a Shift from SOV to SVO in a Uto-Az­ Mary Haas: From the Haas Festival Con­ tecan Language. In: 1983 Mid-America ference on Native American Linguistics, Linguistics Conference Papers, pp. 291- Wdliam F. Shipley, ed., pp. 497-515. 302. Boulder: University of Colorado. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. 1984 The Classification of the Uto-Aztecan 1990 Eariy Lexical Acculturation in Northwest Languages Based on Lexical Evidence. Mexico. In: Languages in Contact, Pro­ International Journal of American Lin­ ceedings of Symposium 16.1 of the 12th guistics 50(1): 1-24. International Congress of Anthropological 1984 Situaci6n sociolingiiistica de los Guarij fos. and Ethnological Sciences, Zagreb, Yugo­ In: IX Simposio de Historia y Antropolo- slavia, July 1988, Rudolf Filipoviaec and gia de Sonora, Lie. Juan Antonio Ruibal Maja Bratanic, pp. 237-247. Published Corella, ed., pp. 113-119. Hermosillo, by the Institute of Linguistics, Faculty of Sonora: Instituto de Investigaciones His- Philosophy, University of Zagreb. toricas. 1990 Early Spanish and Aztec Loan Words in 1985 Tooele: Black Bear. Letter to the Editor, the Indigenous Languages of Northwest Salt Lake City Tribune (giving the correct Mexico. In: Homenaje a Jorge A. Suarez: etymology for Tooele, Utah). Lingufstica indoamericana e hispanica, Beatriz Garza Cuaron and Paulette Levy, 1985 Prestamos antiguos del espanol y el azteca eds., pp. 351-365. Mexico City: El Col- en las lenguas indfgenas de Sonora. In: egio de Mexico. IX Simposio de Historia y Antropologi'a de Sonora, Lie. Juan Antonio Ruibal Cor­ 1991 Agent in Passive Sentences in Yaqui and ella, ed., pp. 472-484. Hermosillo, Son­ Guarijio. International Journal of Ameri­ ora: Instituto de Investigaciones Histor- can Linguistics 57(4):519-523. icas. 1991 Com and Tortillas in Northwest Mexico. 1985 Lionnet's Article on the "Intensive" in In: A Festschrift for William F. Shipley, Tarahumara. International Journal of Sandra Chung and Jorge Hankamer, eds., American Linguistics 51 (4):502-504. pp. 235-243. Syntax Research Center, 1985 Review of Zapeda: Papago Grammar. University of California, Santa Cmz. Modem Language Association Journal 69: 1991 Review q/" Karttunen and Lockhart, The 10. Art of Speech: The Bancroft 1986 Review o/Langacker: Studies in Uto-Az­ Dialogues. Journal of Linguistic Anthro­ tecan Grammar, Volume 4: Southern Uto- pology 1:230-231. Aztecan Grammatical Sketches. American 1992 (with Beverly Cmm) How to Read and Anthropologist 88(2):513-514. Write Shoshoni: A Book of Spelling Les­ 1986 The Numic Languages. In: Handbook of sons, Readings, and Glossary for Shosho­ North American Indians, Vol. 11, Great ni Speakers. Published privately. (Revi­ Basin, Warren L. d'Azevedo, ed., pp. 98- sion of a 1988 publication.) 106. Washington: Smithsonian Institu­ 1992 Uto-Aztecan. Oxford International Ency­ tion. clopedia of Linguistics No. 4, William 1988 (Editor, with Karen Dakin) Thelma D. Bright, ed., pp. 212-216. New York: Sullivan's Compendium of Aztec Gram­ Oxford University Press. mar. Salt Lake City: University of Utah 1992 English Index to Sapir's Southern Paiute Press. (Edited and revised English ver­ Dictionary, Volume 10 of the Collected sion of Sullivan's Compendio de la Grd- Works of Edward Sapir, William Bright, matica Ndhuatl.) ed., pp. 753-778. 1988 (with Beverly Crum) How to Read and 1992 /fev/eu'o/Dorian (ed.): Investigating Ob­ Write Shoshoni: A Book of Spelling Les­ solescence: Studies in Language Contrac- 158 JOURNAL OF CALIFORNIA AND GREAT BASIN ANTHROPOLOGY

tion and Death. Journal of Linguistic An­ 1996 Guarijfo: Gramatica, Textos y Vocabula- thropology 2:231-232. rio. Mexico, D.F.: Universidad Nacional Aut6noma de Mexico (accepted for publi­ UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPTS OF cation). WICK R. MILLER 1997 (with Shirley Silver) American Indian Languages in their Social and Cultural n.d. TheEthnography of Speaking. Handbook Context. Tucson: University of Arizona of North American Indians, Language Press (accepted for publication). Volume (accepted for publicafion). n.d. Keres. Encyclopedia of Languages and n.d. Sketch of Shoshoni Grammar. Handbook Linguistics. Oxford and Edinburgh: Per- of North American Indians, Language gamon Press and Aberdeen University Volume (accepted for publication). Press (submitted for publication).