| Koasati | |
|---|---|
| Kowassá꞉ti | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Elton, Louisiana and Livingston, Texas |
| Ethnicity | Koasati people |
Native speakers | approx. 370 (2015 census)[1] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | cku |
| Glottolog | koas1236 |
| ELP | Koasati |
 | |
 Koasati is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Koasati (also Coushatta) is a Native American language of Muskogean origin. The language is spoken by the Coushatta people, most of whom live in Allen Parish north of the town of Elton, Louisiana, though a smaller number share a reservation near Livingston, Texas, with the Alabama people. In 1991, linguist Geoffrey Kimball estimated the number of speakers of the language at around 400 people, of whom approximately 350 live in Louisiana.[2] The exact number of current speakers is unclear, but Coushatta Tribe officials claim that most tribe members over 20 speak Koasati.[3] In 2007, the Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana, in collaboration with McNeese State University and the College of William and Mary, began the Koasati (Coushatta) Language Project as a part of broader language revitalization efforts with National Science Foundation grant money under the Documenting Endangered Languages program.[3][4]
Koasati is most closely related to the Alabama language but, though the Coushatta and Alabama have historically lived near each other, their languages are no longer mutually intelligible without extensive exposure. The language is also related to the Mikasuki language; some native speakers of Coushatta report they can understand Mikasuki without previous exposure to the language.
- ^ Koasati at Ethnologue (21st ed., 2018)
- ^ Geoffrey Kimball. 1991. Koasati Grammar. Reprinted in 1994 in: Koasati Grammar. Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press.
- ^ a b April 9, 2009. Comments Pertaining to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Broadband Initiatives. www.ntia.doc.gov/broadbandgrants/comments/7B49.pdf
- ^ Koasati (Coushatta) Language Project. "Aliilamo haslak / We're glad you've come |". Archived from the original on 2010-07-08. Retrieved 2010-05-05.
