Shawnee | |
---|---|
saawanwaatoweewe, sâwanwâtowêwe[1] | |
Native to | United States |
Region | Central and Northeast Oklahoma |
Ethnicity | Shawnee[2] |
Native speakers | 260 and decreasing (2015)[2] |
Algic
| |
Latin script | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | sjw |
Glottolog | shaw1249 |
ELP | Shawnee |
Distribution of the Shawnee language around 1650 | |
Shawnee is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Shawnee language | |
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Person | saawanwa, šaawanwa, sâwanwa |
People | saawanwaki, saawanooki, sâwanwaki |
Language | saawanwaatoweewe, sâwanwâtowêwe |
Country | saawanwaaw'ky, sâwanwâw'ky |
The Shawnee language is a Central Algonquian language spoken in parts of central and northeastern Oklahoma by the Shawnee people. It was originally spoken by these people in a broad territory throughout the Eastern United States, mostly north of the Ohio River. They occupied territory in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania.
Shawnee is closely related to other Algonquian languages, such as Mesquakie-Sauk (Sac and Fox) and Kickapoo. It has 260 speakers, according to a 2015 census,[2] although the number is decreasing. It is a polysynthetic language with rather free word ordering.[3]
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