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American Indian Languages
The Caddoan Language Family
The Caddoan languages are a family of Native American languages. They are spoken across the Great Plains of the central United States, from North Dakota to Oklahoma.
The Kitsai language is now extinct. Caddo, Wichita, and Pawnee are presently spoken in Oklahoma. Arikara is spoken on the Fort Berthold Reservation in North Dakota.
Some of the languages were formerly more widespread; the Caddo, for example, used to live in northeastern Texas, southwestern Arkansas, and northwestern Louisiana as well as southeastern Oklahoma. The Pawnee formerly lived along the Platte River in what is now Nebraska.
Genetic relations
Adai, a language isolate known only from a 275-word list, may be a Caddoan language, but the documentation is too scanty to determine with certainty. Wallace Chafe finds the relationship unlikely.
It has been proposed that Caddoan is related to Keresan or a part of a Macro-Siouan stock (along with Siouan and Iroquoian). The Keresan-Caddoan connection is now mostly rejected. Caddoan as part of Macro-Siouan is a possibility, but more research is required to determine the validity of this proposal.
...Read More
American Indian Language Family Trees
Goddard (1996) & Mithun (1999)
(preliminary)
LANGUAGE FAMILIES
3. Caddoan (>Macro-Siouan?) (5)
Northern Caddoan (4)
- Pawnee-Kitsai (3)
- Kitsai (1) (a.k.a. Kichai)
- Pawnee (2)
- Arikara (USA) (a.k.a. Ree)
- Pawnee (USA) (dialects: South Bend, Skiri (a.k.a. Skidi or Wolf Band))
- Wichita (1)
- Wichita (USA) (dialects: Wichita proper, Waco, Towakoni)
Southern Caddoan (1)
- Caddo (USA) (dialects: Kadohadacho, Hasinai, Natchitoches, Yatasi)
...NEXT LANGUAGE PAGE
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Today's Mail Bag:
I am confused about the spelling of Mi'kmaq or Micmac. Which is the correct spelling? And what does the translation mean?
--Submitted by Terry G
Answer: Read the answer here
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