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Chitimacha language

Chitimacha
Sitimaxa
Čitimaaša
Pronunciation[t͡ʃitimaːʃa]
Native toUSA
RegionSouthern Louisiana
EthnicityChitimacha
Extinct1940, with the death of Delphine Ducloux[1][2]
RevivalIn progress, language learned by children through immersion program[3]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ctm
Glottologchit1248
ELPChitimacha
Distribution of Chitimacha language

Chitimacha (/ˌtʃɪtɪməˈʃɑː/ CHIT-i-mə-SHAH[4] or /tʃɪtɪˈmɑːʃə/ chit-i-MAH-shə,[5] Sitimaxa[6]) is a language isolate historically spoken by the Chitimacha people of Louisiana, United States. It became extinct in 1940 with the death of the last fluent speaker, Delphine Ducloux.

Although no longer spoken, it is fairly extensively documented in the early 20th-century work (mostly unpublished) of linguists Morris Swadesh[7][8] and John R. Swanton. Swadesh in particular wrote a full grammar and dictionary, and collected numerous texts from the last two speakers, although none of this is published.

Language revitalization efforts are underway to teach the language to a new generation of speakers.[9][10][11] Tribal members have received Rosetta Stone software for learning the language. As of 2015, a new Chitimacha dictionary is in preparation, and classes are being taught on the Chitimacha reservation.[12]

  1. ^ Fogelson, Raymond; Sturtevant, William C. Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 14: Southeast. Government Printing Office. ISBN 978-0-16-087616-5.
  2. ^ Chitimacha at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. ^ Hieber, Daniel W. (July 27, 2015). "Renaissance on the Bayou: The Revival of a Lost Language". The Conversation. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015.
  4. ^ Brightman, Robert A. (2004). "Chitimacha". In Sturtevant, William (ed.). Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 14: Southeast. p. 642.
  5. ^ Waldman, Carl (2009). Encyclopedia of Native American Tribes. Infobase. ISBN 978-1438110103.
  6. ^ Granberry, Julian (2008). "7". Modern Chitimacha (Sitimaxa) (2nd ed.). München: LINCOM Europa. ISBN 978-3895863523. Called Sitimaxa by its speakers - 'Language of Many Waters,' the lanuguage has been spoken since time immemorial in southern Louisiana along the Gulf Coast from the Mississippi River Delta West to the Texas border.
  7. ^ Swadesh, Morris (1948). "Sociologic Notes on Obsolescent Languages". International Journal of American Linguistics. 14 (4): 226–235. doi:10.1086/464009. JSTOR 1262876. S2CID 144458026.
  8. ^ Swadesh, M. (1934). "The phonetics of Chitimacha". Language. 10 (4): 345–362. doi:10.2307/409490. JSTOR 409490.
  9. ^ "YouTube – Chitimacha Language Episode – Finding Our Talk 3". youtube.com. Retrieved January 26, 2010.[dead YouTube link]
  10. ^ "Press Release, Media Room, Rosetta Stone". Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  11. ^ Larry Abramson (Director) (February 2, 2010). "Software Company Helps Revive 'Sleeping' Language". All Things Considered - NPR. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
  12. ^ Heflin, Judy (August 2015). "The Successful Revival of the Chitimacha Language". Language Magazine. Retrieved October 3, 2015.

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