Cayuse language

Last updated
Cayuse
Liksiyu
Native to United States
Region Oregon
Ethnicity Cayuse
Extinct 1930s [1]
unclassified
(Plateau Penutian?)
  • Waiilatpuan?
    • Cayuse
Language codes
ISO 639-3 xcy
xcy
Glottolog cayu1241
Cayuse lang.png
Pre-contact distribution of the Cayuse language
Lang Status 01-EX.svg
Cayuse is classified as Extinct by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger [2]

Cayuse is an extinct unclassified language once spoken by the Cayuse people (autonym: Liksiyu [3] ) of Oregon.

Contents

Classification

The first written vocabulary of the Cayuse language was published by Horatio Hale in 1846. As a member of the United States Exploring Expedition, he had visited the Pacific Northwest in 1841. Missionary Marcus Whitman was credited for providing "much valuable information" about the Cayuse people and other natives nearby Waiilatpu. [4] In his Waiilatpuan language family, Hale put Cayuse and the Molala language as the sole members. [5]

In 1910 or 1911, Stephens Savage, a Molala speaker, had told Leo Frachtenberg that the following five words were identical in both Cayuse and Molala: [6]

sorrel horseqasqasi tasiwitkwi
spotted horseyuꞏk tasiwitkwi
black horsemúkimuki tasiwitkwi
combtaꞏsps
spoonƚúꞏpinc

In 1929 Edward Sapir grouped Cayuse with Molala as part of the Waiilatpuan branch of the Plateau Penutian languages. [7]

Bruce Rigsby reexamined the Cayuse-Molala lexical pairs provided by Hale in 1969 and found only a tenth to be potentially related terms. Whitman was credited as the origin of the Waiilatpuan linguistic family. The words presented by Savage were concluded by Rigsby to likely be loanwords. Upon his review of extant Molala and Cayuse linguistic data, Rigsby concluded "I do not see how the two languages could have possibly been mutually intelligible." [8]

Pronouns

Cayuse pronouns listed by Hale: [6]

Iiniŋ
you (sg.)nikí
you (du.)nkímiš
henip
wenámək
you (pl.)mkímiš
theynípik

Cayuse pronouns listed by McBean: [6]

Iin ning
you (sg., pl.)in kai
heneepe
wenung naw naw
theycap pick

Verbs

Cayuse verb paradigms documented by Henry W. Henshaw: [6]

'hungry'
I am hungry.wi-tu-tŭnt
I was hungry.kler-ka-wĭ-tu-tŭnt
I will be hungry.wí-tu-näk-sŭnt
You and I are hungry.swi-tu-ter-yìk
You and I were hungry.swi-tu-te-lì-kai-ĭk
You and I will be hungry.nĭng-i-li-pʔl-swi-tu-nak-stunk-a-wak
You are hungry.tu-swi-tu-tuñg-a
You were hungry.swi-tu-til-kutla
You will be hungry.swi-tu-nak-stung-at-la
'thirsty'
I am thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-tiñg
I was thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-til
I will be thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-näk-skĭn
You are thirsty.tu-mĭs-ka-mu-tĭñg
You were thirsty.mĭs-ka-mu-til-hă
You will be thirsty.mĭs-ka-mu-na-stĭnk-la

Vocabulary

Limited lexical items in Cayuse have been collected by Rigsby, Melville Jacobs, Verne Ray, and Theodore Stern. Their Cayuse informants had highly limited knowledge of the language and were more fluent in either Sahaptin or Nez Perce.

Hale

A word list of Cayuse with nearby 200 lexical items was documented by Hale. [9] The word list has been reproduced below.

Nouns

glossCayuse
manyúant
womanpintχlkaíu; watχlóa
boyláutlaŋ
girlstaítχləŋ; staítlaŋ
infant; childskútχla
fatherpintét; títʃa
motherpenín; nínʃa
husbandináiu
wifeinχlkaío
sonwái
daughterwái
brotherpnákən; pənátaŋ
sisterpənátiaŋ; pənwaíəq
Indian; people-
headtalʃ; táəlʃ
hairtχlókomot
faceléequkʃ
foreheadpenátχliʃ
eartakʃ
eyehăkaməʃ
nosepitχlóken
mouthsəmqakʃ
tonguepuʃ
teethtenif
beardʃimkéməʃ
neckyet
armtiélaq
handépip
fingersépip
nailsʃíŋiʃ
bodyʃilăməʃ
legmaúwət
foottiʃ
toestiyəyáu
bonepápət
heart-
bloodtiwéə̈ʃ
town; village-
chiefiatóiaŋ
warriorlotéwa
friendenlápoit
houseniʃt
kettletχlípaniʃ
bowhífoit
arrowlalχ
axe; hatchetyeŋgókinʃ
knifeʃekt
canoe; boattχláap
shoestäítχlo
pipeiptnχlónʃ
tobaccohanʃ
sky; heavenndjălawaía, tíŋpap
sunhuéwiʃ
moonhátχltóp
startχlítχliʃ
dayewéiə̈
nightftalp
lightnotawásim
darknessʃilímtiŋk
morningtétχlpəna
eveningwəχaía
springʃuatoluŋátntiŋ; kiátim
summerʃqáätim
autumntəŋ
winterwit
windhúntilχp
thundertiŋtululutéʃin
lightningʃniktawíŋtiŋ
raintiʃtkitχlmítiŋ
snowpói
hailpuŋiós
firetetʃ
wateriʃkáiniʃ
icetók
earth; landliŋʃ
seayamué-iʃkaíniʃ
riverluʃmi
lakefuŋʃ
valleypaniákp
hill; mountaintéit
islandliŋtkaíli
stoneápit
saltkamtiʃímpen
ironqauqauítχliínik
treelaúik
woodhútiʃ
leafqaisós
barkpétimi
grasstχleft; qə́ïʃt
pinelaúikʃ
flesh; meatpítχli
dognáapaŋ
buffalo-
bearliméakʃ; nokoláo
wolftχlaíu; tsóilaχs
deeraitχléwa
elkyútiŋʃ
beaverpīeká
tortoiseatsík
flytqaínʃiʃ; katχlísaŋ
mosquitopíŋkii
snakewaíimaʃ
birdtianíyiwa
egglópitχl
featherstiaqaímutχl
wingshaŋ
duckəʃimtχl
pigeonsúuku
fishwiaíiʃ
salmonmilóqli
sturgeon-
namepeʃp
affectionatíŋp; tiʃktaʃewetáuŋko

Adjectives

glossCayuse
whitetχlaktχláko
blackʃkupʃkúpu
redlakaítlakaítu
blueyotsyóts
yellowqəʃqə́ʃu
greenyotsyóts
greatyaúmua; yiyímu (pl.)
smalletsáŋua
strongntáloa; naantáloa
oldkuiátsu
youngitsáŋu
goodsuaíu; sasuáiu (pl.)
badluastu; laluástu (pl.)
handsomehapútsu; suaíu
uglyhuástu
alivewióko
deadúwaa
coldʃúŋa
warmlokóia

Pronouns

glossCayuse
Iíniŋ
thounikí
henip
wenámək
yemkímiʃ; nkímiʃ (dual)
theynípik
thisqe, qă, ke
thatqá, ká
allnaŋináo
many (much)yíphea
who

Adverbs and others

glossCayuse
nearpiáfi
todaypáməŋ
yesterdayiétin
tomorrowtetχlp
yesi
notéehu

Numerals

glossCayuse
onena
twolépli
threemátnin
fourpípiŋ
fivetáwit
sixnōiná
sevennóilip
eightnōimát
ninetanáuiaiʃímʃim
tenniŋítelp
elevennántetχle
twelveleplin-ntétχle
twentylépuik
thirtymátuík
one hundredniŋítalpuík
one thousand-

Verbs

glossCayuse
to eatpitáŋa
to drinkpasqunstáŋa
to runpqíntuql
to danceiókseak
to singtuŋséaql
to sleepʃpíʃiŋql
to speakúlipkin
to seemiskaléntənt
to lovektáʃo
to killpiaíitχltiŋ
to sitifníql; ifníkta
to standlaútsiŋ
to gowintúkstaŋa; wintúql (imp.)
to comewintúkum

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References

  1. Cayuse at MultiTree on the Linguist List
  2. UNESCO 2010, p. 11.
  3. Aoki 1998.
  4. Hale 1846, p. 542.
  5. Hale 1846, p. 561.
  6. 1 2 3 4 Rigsby 1969.
  7. Sapir 1929.
  8. Rigsby 1969, pp. 82–83.
  9. Hale 1846, pp. 570–629.

Bibliography

  • Aoki, Haruo (1998). A Cayuse Dictionary based on the 1829 records of Samuel Black, the 1888 records of Henry W. Henshaw and others. Mission, OR: Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
  • Hale, Horatio (1846). Ethnography and Philology. Philadelphia: C. Sherman via Internet Archive.
  • Rigsby, Bruce (Spring 1969). Sprague, Roderick; Goss, James A. (eds.). "The Waiilatpuan Problem: More on Cayuse-Molala Relatability". Journal of Northwest Anthropology. 3 (1): 68–146 via Google Books.
  • Sapir, Edward (1929). "Central and South American Languages". Encyclopedia Britannica . Vol. 5 (14th ed.). pp. 138–141.
  • Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (Report) (3rd ed.). UNESCO. 2010.