This study attempts to provide a systematic mapping of the linguistic structural properties of North American Indian languages. The study includes: (1) the history of areal-typological linguistic studies in North America; (2) a framework for the presentation of areal linguistic phenomena in North America; (3) a presentation and discussion of the distribution of phonological and morphological traits in North America (the main body of the study); (4) a determination of the linguistic areas north of Mexico and a comparison of these with the culture areas north of Mexico, together with a discussion of the types of sociolinguistic or communicative conditions which gave rise to the various linguistic areas; (5) some applications of North American Indian linguistic data for the study of linguistic universals. The data are presented within the framework of the culture areas of North America. Thus, there is a chapter dealing with the linguistic traits of the Arctic, another with the linguistic traits of the Northwest Coast, and so forth. Data were obtained from published and unpublished sources dealing with the languages of North America. A bibliography is provided. (Author/CLK)