Language
Potawatomi
|
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|
Native to
| United States
,
Canada
|
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Region
| Michigan
,
Oklahoma
,
Indiana
,
Wisconsin
,
Kansas
, and southern
Ontario
, formerly Northeastern
Illinois
|
---|
| |
---|
| Latin
(various alphabets),
Great Lakes Algonquian syllabics
|
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|
ISO 639-3
| pot
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Glottolog
| pota1247
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ELP
| Potawatomi
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Linguasphere
| 62-ADA-dc (Potawatomi)
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|
This article contains
IPA
phonetic symbols.
Without proper
rendering support
, you may see
question marks, boxes, or other symbols
instead of
Unicode
characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see
Help:IPA
.
|
Potawatomi
(
, also spelled
Pottawatomie
; in Potawatomi
Bodwewadmimwen
,
Bodwewadmi Zheshmowen
, or
Neshnabemwen
) is a
Central
Algonquian language
. It was historically spoken by the
Pottawatomi people
who lived around the
Great Lakes
in what are now
Michigan
and
Wisconsin
in the
United States
, and in southern
Ontario
in
Canada
. Federally recognized tribes in Michigan and Oklahoma are working to revive the language.
Language revitalization
[
edit
]
Cecelia Miksekwe Jackson
, one of the last surviving native speakers of Potawatomi, died in May 2011, at the age of 88. She was known for working to preserve and teach the language.
[1]
Donald Neaseno Perrot, a native speaker who grew up in the
Powers Bluff
, Wisconsin area, has a series of Potawatomi videos, a website, and books available to preserve the language.
[2]
The federally recognized
Pokegnek Bodewadmik Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
started a master-apprentice program in which a "language student (the language apprentice) will be paired with fluent Potawatomi speakers (the language masters)" in January 2013.
[3]
In addition, classes in the Potawatomi language are available, including those at the
Hannahville
summer immersion camp,
[4]
with webcast instruction and videoconferencing.
[3]
There are also free online language courses on
Mango Languages
from the Pokagon Band of Potawatomi,
[5]
released in October 2022.
[6]
and on
Memrise
from the
Citizen Potawatomi Nation
in Oklahoma.
[7]
Classification
[
edit
]
Potawatomi is a member of the
Algonquian language family
(itself a member of the larger
Algic stock
). It is usually classified as a Central Algonquian language, with languages such as
Ojibwe
,
Cree
,
Menominee
,
Miami-Illinois
,
Shawnee
and
Fox
. The label
Central Algonquian
signifies a geographic grouping rather than the group of languages descended from a common ancestor language within the Algonquian family. Of the Central languages, Potawatomi is most similar to Ojibwe, but it also has borrowed a considerable amount of vocabulary from the
Sauk
.
Generally, in developments since
Indian Removal
in the 19th century, Potawatomi has become differentiated in North America among separated populations. It is divided between Northern Potawatomi, spoken in Ontario, Canada; and Michigan and Wisconsin of the United States; and Southern Potawatomi, which is spoken in Kansas and Oklahoma, where certain Pottawatomi ancestors were removed who had formerly lived in Illinois and other areas east of the
Mississippi River
.
[8]
Writing systems
[
edit
]
Current writing system
[
edit
]
Though no standard orthography has been agreed upon by the Potawatomi communities, the system most commonly used is the "Pedagogical System" developed by the
Wisconsin Native American Languages Program
(WNALP). As the name suggests, it was designed to be used in language teaching. The system is based on the
Roman alphabet
and is phonemic, with each letter or digraph representing a contrastive sound. The letters used are a b ch d e e g ' h i j k m n o p s sh t w y z zh.
In Kansas, a different system called BWAKA is used. It too is both based on the Roman alphabet and phonemic, with each letter or digraph representing a contrastive sound. The letters used are ' a b c d e e' g h i I j k m n o p s sh t u w y z zh.
Traditional system
[
edit
]
The
traditional system
used in writing Potawatomi is a form of syllabic writing. Potawatomi,
Ottawa
,
Sac
,
Fox
and
Winnebago
communities all used it. Derived from the Roman alphabet, it resembles handwritten Roman text. However, unlike the
Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics
or the
Cherokee alphabet
, it has not yet been incorporated into the
Unicode
standards.
Each Potawatomi syllabic block in the system has at least two of the seventeen alphabetic letters, which consist of thirteen consonants and four vowels. Of the thirteen phonemic consonantal letters, the
/h/
, written
⟨
A
⟩
, is optional.
Consonants
Traditional
System
|
Pedagogical
System
|
l
|
b/p
|
(lA)
|
(p)
|
t
|
d/t
|
(tA)
|
(t)
|
tt
|
j/ch
|
(ttA)
|
(ch)
|
ĸ
|
g/k
|
(ĸA)
|
(k)
|
s
|
z/s
|
(sA)
|
s
|
sH
|
zh/sh
|
(sHA)
|
(sh)
|
m
|
m
|
n
|
n
|
q
|
gw/kw
|
(qA)
|
(kw)
|
g
|
g of "-ng"
|
w
|
w
|
y
|
y
|
(none)
|
'/h
|
(A)
|
(h)
|
|
Vowels
Traditional
System
|
Pedagogical
System
|
a
|
a
|
e
|
e (e) (e)
|
e
|
e (?)
|
i
|
i
|
o
|
o
|
|
Phonology
[
edit
]
Here, the phonology of the Northern dialect is described, which differs somewhat from that of the Southern dialect, spoken in Kansas.
There are five vowel
phonemes
, four
diphthongs
, and nineteen consonant phonemes.
⟨e⟩
, which is often written as
⟨e'⟩
, represents an open-mid front unrounded vowel,
/
?
/
.
⟨e⟩
represents the
schwa
,
/?/
, which has several
allophonic
variants. Before
/n/
, it becomes
[?]
; before
/kː/
,
/k/
,
/?/
and word-finally, it becomes
[?]
.
⟨o⟩
is pronounced
/u/
in Michigan and
/o/
elsewhere. When it is in a closed syllable, it is pronounced
[?]
. There are also four diphthongs,
/?j
?w
?j
?w/
, spelled
⟨ey ew ey ew⟩
. Phonemic
/?j
?w/
are realized as
[?j
?w]
.
Obstruents
, as in many other Algonquian languages, do not have a
voicing
distinction per se but what is better termed a "strong"/"weak" distinction. "Strong" consonants, written as
voiceless
(
⟨p t k kw⟩
), are always voiceless, often
aspirated
, and longer in duration than the "weak" consonants, which are written as
voiced
(
⟨b d g gw⟩
) and are often voiced and are not aspirated.
Nasals
before another consonant become
syllabic
, and
/tː/
,
/t/
, and
/n/
are
dental
:
[t?ː
t?
n?]
.
Vowels
[
edit
]
Consonants
[
edit
]
Lenis type consonants can frequently be voiced in various surroundings as
[b
d
d?
?
??]
for plosives and affricates, and
[z
?]
for fricatives.
[9]
Morphology
[
edit
]
Potawatomi has six parts of speech: noun, verb, pronoun, prenoun, preverb, and particle.
[10]
Pronouns
[
edit
]
There are two main types of pronoun: personal pronouns and demonstrative pronouns. As nouns and verbs use inflection to describe
anaphoric reference
, the main use of the free pronouns is for emphasis.
Personal pronouns
[
edit
]
Personal pronouns, because of vowel
syncope
, resemble those of
Odaawaa
but structurally resemble more those in the
Swampy Cree language
:
|
Swampy Cree
|
Ojibwe
|
Odaawaa
|
Potawatomi
|
1st person
|
singular
|
nin
|
niin
|
nii
|
nin
|
plural
|
exclusive
|
ninanan
|
niinawind
|
niinwi
|
ninan
|
inclusive
|
ginanan
|
giinawind
|
giinwi
|
ginan
|
2nd person
|
singular
|
gin
|
giin
|
gii
|
gin
|
plural
|
ginawa
|
giinawaa
|
giinwaa
|
ginwa
|
3rd person
|
singular
|
win
|
wiin
|
wii
|
win
|
plural
|
winawa
|
wiinawaa
|
wiinwaa
|
winwa
|
Verbs
[
edit
]
Conjugation sample of
majit
'to leave'
|
Independent
|
Conjunct
|
1sg
|
n
maji
|
maji
yan
|
2sg
|
g
maji
|
maji
yen
|
3sg
|
maji
(wak)
|
maji
t
|
3sg.obv
|
maji
n
|
maji
net
|
1sg.excl
|
n
maji
men
|
maji
yak
|
1pl.incl
|
g
maji
men
|
maji
ygo
|
2pl
|
g
maji
m
|
maji
yek
|
3pl
|
maji
k
|
maji
wat
|
Correspondences to Ojibwe
[
edit
]
The relatively-recent split from Ojibwe makes Potawatomi still exhibit strong correspondences, especially with the
Odaawaa
(Ottawa) dialect.
Fiero
Double Vowel
System
|
Rhodes
Double Vowel
System
|
Potawatomi
WNALP System
|
Potawatomi
BWAKA System
|
IPA Value
|
a (unstressed)
|
(none)
|
(none)
|
(none)/u
|
?
|
a (stressed)
|
a (stressed)
|
e (e)
|
e/u
|
?
|
aa
|
aa
|
a
|
a/o
|
a~?
|
b
|
b
|
b
|
b/p
|
b
|
ch
|
ch
|
ch
|
c
|
t?
|
d
|
d
|
d
|
d/t
|
d
|
e (secondary stress)
|
e (secondary stress)
|
e (?)
|
e
|
?
|
e (primary stress)
|
e (primary stress)
|
e/e'
|
e'
|
?
|
g
|
g
|
g
|
g/k
|
?
|
gi (unstressed)
|
g
|
j
|
j/ch
|
d?
|
g
|
g
|
j (from gy*)
|
j/c (from gy*)
|
d?
|
-g
|
-g
|
-k
|
-k
|
k
|
h
|
h
|
h
|
h
|
h
|
'
|
h
|
'
|
'
|
?
|
i (unstressed)
|
(none)
|
(none)
|
(none)/I
|
?
|
i (stressed)
|
i (stressed)
|
e
|
e/I
|
?
|
ii
|
ii
|
i
|
i
|
?
|
j
|
j
|
j
|
j/ch
|
d?
|
k
|
k
|
k
|
k
|
k
|
ki (unstressed)
|
k
|
ch
|
c
|
t?
|
k
|
k
|
ch (from ky*)
|
c (from ky*)
|
t?
|
m
|
m
|
m
|
m
|
m
|
mb
|
mb
|
mb
|
mb
|
mb
|
(not from
PA
*n)
n/(none)
|
n/(none)
|
n/y
|
n/y
|
n~j
|
(from
PA
*n)
n
|
n
|
n
|
n
|
n
|
nd
|
nd
|
nd/d
|
nd/d
|
nd~d
|
ng
|
ng
|
ng/g
|
ng/g
|
ŋ?~?
|
nj
|
nj
|
nj/j
|
nj/j
|
nd?~d?
|
ns
|
ns
|
s
|
s
|
s
|
nz
|
nz
|
z
|
z
|
z
|
ny/-nh
|
ny/-nh
|
(none)
|
(none)
|
?
|
nzh
|
nzh
|
zh
|
zh
|
?
|
o (unstressed)
|
(none)/w/o (unstressed)
|
(none)/w/o/e
|
(none)/w/o/e
|
?~w~o~?~?
|
o (stressed)
|
o (stressed)
|
o (e)
|
o
|
o~?
|
oo
|
oo
|
o
|
o
|
o
|
p
|
p
|
p
|
p
|
p
|
s
|
s
|
s
|
s
|
s
|
sh
|
sh
|
sh
|
sh
|
?
|
shk
|
shk
|
shk
|
shk
|
?k
|
shp
|
shp
|
shp
|
shp
|
?p
|
sht
|
sht
|
sht
|
sht
|
?t
|
sk
|
sk
|
sk
|
sk
|
sk
|
t
|
t
|
t
|
t
|
t
|
w
|
w/(none)
|
w/(none)
|
w/(none)
|
w~?
|
wa (unstressed)
|
wa (unstressed)/o
|
w/o
|
w/o
|
w~o~?
|
waa (unstressed)
|
waa (unstressed)/oo
|
wa/o
|
wa/o
|
wa~o~?
|
wi (unstressed)
|
wi (unstressed)/o
|
w/o
|
w/o
|
w~o~?
|
y
|
y
|
y (initial glide)
|
y (initial glide)
|
j
|
(none)
|
(none)
|
y (medial glide)
|
y (medial glide)
|
j
|
z
|
z
|
z
|
z/s
|
z
|
zh
|
zh
|
zh
|
zh/sh
|
?
|
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
"Tribal elder dies at 88: Woman was dedicated to Potawatomi language preservation"
.
Topeka Capital-Journal
. May 31, 2011.
- ^
"About Neaseno"
.
Neaseno
. May 31, 2019
. Retrieved
September 8,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Potawatomi Language"
.
Pokegnek Bodewadmik Pokagon Band of Potawatomi
. 2012. Archived from
the original
on November 25, 2011
. Retrieved
December 12,
2012
.
- ^
"Potawatomi Language"
.
Hannahville Culture Language and History Website
. Retrieved
December 12,
2012
.
- ^
"Potawatomi"
.
Mango Languages
.
- ^
Utykanski, Lauren (October 26, 2022).
"Start the Conversation in Potawatomi"
.
Mango Languages
. Archived from
the original
on January 28, 2023.
- ^
Neely (December 16, 2023).
"Language update: February 2023"
(Press release). Shawnee, Oklahoma.
Archived
from the original on September 24, 2023
. Retrieved
March 29,
2024
.
We also have two courses at memrise.com. One called "A Day in the Life" and the other "Conversational Potawatomi." They can be found after signing up on Memrise then searching for Potawatomi.
- ^
Native Languages of the Americas: Potawatomi Pronunciation and Spelling Guide
- ^
Hockett, 1948
- ^
Buszard-Welcher, L. (2003) "
Constructional Polysemy and Mental Spaces in Potawatomi Discourse
". PhD Thesis, U.C. Berkeley
Further reading
[
edit
]
- Gailland, Maurice (1840).
English-Potawatomi Dictionary
.
- Hockett, Charles Francis (1939a).
The Potawatomi Language: A Descriptive Grammar
(Thesis). Yale University.
OCLC
46436906
.
- Hockett, Charles Francis (1939b). "Potawatomi Syntax".
Language
.
15
(4): 235?248.
doi
:
10.2307/409107
.
JSTOR
409107
.
- Hockett, Charles Francis (1948a). "Potawatomi I: Phonemics, Morphophonemics, and Morphological Survey".
International Journal of American Linguistics
.
14
(1): 1?10.
doi
:
10.1086/463970
.
S2CID
144356302
.
- Hockett, Charles Francis (1948b). "Potawatomi II: Derivations".
International Journal of American Linguistics
.
14
(2): 63?73.
doi
:
10.1086/463984
.
- Hockett, Charles Francis (1948c). "Potawatomi III: The Verb Complex".
International Journal of American Linguistics
.
14
(3): 139?149.
doi
:
10.1086/463995
.
S2CID
143596538
.
- Hockett, Charles Francis (1948d). "Potawatomi IV: Particles and Sample Texts".
International Journal of American Linguistics
.
14
(4): 213?225.
doi
:
10.1086/464008
.
S2CID
143465585
.
- Hockett, Charles Francis (1950). "The Conjunct Modes in Ojibwa and Potawatomi".
Language
.
26
(2): 278?282.
doi
:
10.2307/410064
.
JSTOR
410064
.
- Quimby, George Irving (1939). "Some Notes on Kinship and Kinship Terminology Among the Potawatomi of the Huron".
Papers of the Michigan Academy of Science, Arts and Letters
.
25
: 553?563.
- Wisconsin Native American Languages Project; Nichols, John (1975).
Potawatomi Traditional Writing
. Milwaukee, WI: Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council.
External links
[
edit
]
|
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Italics
indicate extinct languages * indicates extinct language in Oklahoma but still spoken elsewhere
|
Indigenous
| |
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Sign languages
| |
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Non-Indigenous
| |
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|
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Official languages
| |
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Indigenous languages
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Pidgins, creoles and mixed
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Minority languages
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Sign languages
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