Quapaw language

Quapaw
Arkansas
Native to United States
Region Oklahoma
Ethnicity 160 Quapaw (2000 census)[1]
Native speakers
 (35 cited 1990 census)[1]
Siouan
Language codes
ISO 639-3 qua
Glottolog quap1242[2]

Map showing the distribution of Oklahoma Indian Languages

Quapaw, or Arkansas, is a Siouan language of the Quapaw people, originally from a region in present-day Arkansas. It is now spoken in Oklahoma.

It is similar to the other Dhegihan languages: Kansa, Omaha, Osage and Ponca.

Written Documentation

The Quapaw language is well documented in fieldnotes and publications from many individuals including in 1827 by George Izard, 1882 by Lewis F. Hadley, from 19th-century linguist James Owen Dorsey, in 1940 by Frank T. Siebert, and, in the 1970s, by linguist Robert Rankin.

The Quapaw language does not conform well to English language phonetics, and a writing system for the language has not been formally adopted. All of the existing source material on the language utilizes different writing systems making reading and understanding the language difficult for the novice learner. To address this issue an online dictionary of the Quapaw language is being compiled which incorporates all of the existing source material known to exist into one document using a version of the International Phonetic Alphabet which has been adapted for Siouan languages.[3]

Revitalization

Ardina Moore teaches Quapaw language classes through the tribe.[4] As of 2012, Quapaw language lessons are available online or by DVD.[4]

An online audio lexicon of the Quapaw language is available on the tribal website to assist language learners. The lexicon incorporates audio of first language speakers who were born between 1870 and 1918.

The 2nd Annual Dhegiha Gathering in 2012 brought Quapaw, Osage, Kaw, Ponca, and Omaha speakers together to share best practices in language revitalization.[5] A Quapaw Tribal Youth Language and Cultural Preservation Camp teaches the language to children, and the Quapaw Tribal Museum offers classes for adults.[6]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Quapaw at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. ↑ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Quapaw". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. ↑ "Quapaw Dictionary". www.quapawtribalancestry.com. Retrieved 2016-03-14.
  4. 1 2 "Quapaw Language." Quapaw Tribe of Oklahoma. Retrieved 9 Dec 2013.
  5. ↑ "Dhegiha Gathering Agenda, 2012" (PDF). Retrieved 2012-09-22.
  6. ↑ Okeson, Sarah (July 22, 2015). "Quapaw Tribe working to pass on native language". Joplin Globe. Retrieved 2015-10-03.


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