Shawnee language
| Shawnee | |
|---|---|
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Oklahoma |
| Ethnicity | Shawnee |
|
Native speakers
|
200 and decreasing (2002) |
|
Algic
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | shaw1249 |
Distribution of the Shawnee language around 1650
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The Shawnee language is a Central Algonquian language spoken in parts of central and northeastern Oklahoma by the Shawnee people. It was originally spoken in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. It is closely related to other Algonquian languages, such as Mesquakie-Sauk (Sac and Fox) and Kickapoo.
Shawnee is severely threatened, with speakers shifting to English. The approximately 200 remaining speakers are older adults. The decline in usage of Shawnee is largely the result of reform schools for Native American children that forced an education in English, causing some Native Americans to cease teaching their languages to children.
Of the 2,000 members of the Absentee Shawnee Tribe around Shawnee town, more than 100 are speakers; of the 1,500 members of the Eastern Shawnee Tribe in Ottawa County, there are only a few elderly speakers; of the 8,000 members of the Loyal Shawnee in the Cherokee region of Oklahoma around Whiteoak there are fewer than 12 speakers. All of these low figures, in addition to the fact that most speakers are older adults, make Shawnee an endangered language. Additionally, development outside of the home is limited; apart from a dictionary and portions of the Bible from 1842 to 1929, it appears that there is little literature or technology support for Shawnee.
Absentee-Shawnee Elder George Blanchard's Shawnee language classes were profiled on the PBS show "The American Experience" in 2009. The Eastern Shawnee have also taught language classes.
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Wikipedia