Contact Us | Home | Magazines for Sale | Disclaimer
Nimíipuutimptneewit
(Nez Perce Language)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Introduction:
~~~~~~~~~~~
In Nez Perce, the subject of a sentence and the
object can each be marked with a morpheme
called a case-marker. This tells whether the word in question is the subject or
the object. (This strategy of differentiating subject from object is found in
most languages; consider English 'I', a subject only, versus 'me', an object.)
Nez Perce employs a strategy called three-way case-marking; this means that a
transitive subject, transitive object, and intransitive subject are all marked
differently.
Because Nez Perce subjects and objects carry morphemes revealing their function in the sentence, the word order can be quite free. For example, in English one says "I saw him" but not "I him saw," "him I saw," "him saw I," "saw I him," or "saw him I"; in Nez Perce, one may say the equivalent of any of these. The word order tells what is new information (focus) versus old information (topic), but it does not tell which noun is subject and which is object, unlike in English.
A Nez Perce verb can have the meaning of an entire sentence in English. (This manner of providing a great deal of information in one word is called 'polysynthesis'.) Verbal morphemes provide information about the person and number of the subject and object, as well as tense and aspect (whether or not an action has been completed, e.g.). In fact, so much information is provided by the verb that nouns can often be left out of sentences. The example "I saw him" would probably be translated as one word, a verb, whose morphemes would be the equivalent of I-him-see-past.
The phonology of Nez Perce includes a phenomenon known as vowel harmony, as well as a complex stress system described by Crook (1999).
Nez Perce is a highly endangered language. While sources differ on the exact number of fluent speakers, it is almost definitely under 100. The Nez Perce tribe is endeavoring to reintroduce the language into native usage through a revitalization program, though at present the future of the Nez Perce language is far from assured.
You can hear Nez Perce being spoken here:
Table
of Contents
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
more to come....... |
|||
|
'elwéht (spring) |
táyam, (Summer) |
sexnim' ( fall) |
'emím' (winter) |
|
latíit'al "First flowers bloom" (March) |
tustimásat'al "Late season for cous roots" (June) |
pik'unmáay'q'ál "Fish go downstream and salmon to ocean" (September) |
ha'óqoy "New life begins in the cow elk" (December) |
|
qeqit'ál "Time to dig keh-kheet roots" (April). |
q'oyxc'ál "Time of blueback salmon at Wallowa Lake" (July) |
hóopl'al "Needles fall from Tamarack" (October) |
wilúupup "Season of cold" (January) |
|
'apa'ál , the "Time to dig cous roots." (May) |
waw'a'máayq'ál "Chinook salmon to headwater's and spawn" (August) |
sexliw'ál "Trees shed leaves" (November) |
'alatam'ál "Fires are needed" (February) |
|
1 ~ náaqc |
6 ~ 'oyláaqc |
11 ~ púutimt wax náaqc |
16 ~ púutimt wax 'oyláaqc |
|
2 ~ lepít |
7 ~ 'uynéept |
12 ~ púutimt wax lepít |
17 ~ púutimt wax 'uynéept |
|
3 ~ mitáat |
8 ~ 'oymátat |
13 ~ púutimt wax mitáat |
18 ~ púutimt wax 'oymátat |
|
4 ~ píilept |
9 ~ kuyc |
14 ~ púutimt wax píilept |
19 ~ púutimt wax kuyc |
|
5 ~ páaxat |
10 ~ púutimt |
15 ~ púutimt wax páaxat |
20 ~ le'eptit |
|
Thank you ~ qe'ci'yéw'yew |
minmaíi' hinóoqa . . . ~ (how do you say . . .) |
|
Good Night ~ ta'c cik'éetin' |
ta'c halálaxp ~ (good afternoon) |
|
good morning ~ ta'c méeywi |
manaa wees ~ how are you |
|
I am good ~ Ta'c wees |
Ta'c kuleewit ~ Good evening |
|
Good afternoon ~ Ta'c halaxp |
ta'c léeheyn ~ a general greeting |
|
human beings |
titó·qan |
|
sun |
hí·semtuks |
|
deep water |
só·ts |
|
arm |
á·tim |
|
come in! |
á·cim |
|
I see |
hekíce |
|
yes |
e·hé |
|
laugh |
tíyet |
|
I splash |
wa'cás'casca |
|
tattle-tale |
paypayló·ya |
|
animal spirit helper |
weyekin |
|
and |
wax |
|
Salmon was dried and grounded into a high-energy powdered meal |
tánat |
|
Mud Bath |
Teméeyenwees |
|
good |
ta'c |
|
nothing |
caya |
|
female |
hamma |
|
male |
áayet |
|
listen now! |
Micyóoxoy |
|
Quit |
weecu |
|
don't answer back |
weet'u 'ee |
|
go take care of your horse |
Sik'em qíicxte |
|
talk one on one |
micíi' |
|
something you drape over something else |
temúuheyqt |
|
evening |
kuleewit |
|
afternoon |
halaxp |
|
morning |
meeywi |
|
and |
wax |
|
father |
píst or t'o t |
mother |
i s |
|
|
male |
áayet |
female |
hamma |
|
|
maternal uncle |
pí·tx |
daughter |
cun-ski |
|
|
family/children |
si-ce-ca |
my daughter |
pe-gun-ski |
|
|
child/pup/cub foal/kitten |
cinca |
|
Appaloosa horse |
m'a min |
|
Paint/Pinto horse |
Tam-sel-peen |
|
horse |
s'ik'em |
|
horse martingale {something you drape over something else} |
temúuheyqt |
|
go take care of your horse |
Sik'em qíicxte |
|
good horse |
ta'c s'ik'em |
|
Western Yarrow |
wapalwáapal |
Camas |
qém' es |
|
|
Pine Tree Moss |
hóopop |
Spring Beauty |
capcíilay |
|
|
Wild Onion |
séex |
Yellowbell |
s'timéx |
|
|
Columbine |
yeqehte'í |
Cow Parsnip |
'áys |
|
|
Sunflower |
cil'ílx |
Biscuitroot |
qáamsit |
|
|
Arrowleaf Balsamroot |
páasx |
Prickly Pear Cactus |
'ístis |
|
|
Wild Hyacinth |
cát'ox c |
Wild Carrot, Yampa |
cawíitx |
|
|
Sego Lily |
lóolas |
Wild Patato |
qeqíit |
|
A |
Antelope |
ta chu'ge |
|
Appaloosa |
m'a min |
|
|
B |
bear |
hiy'u m |
|
bear, grizzly |
Monchu |
|
|
black bear |
waca'be |
|
|
blackbird |
mongthi'xta |
|
|
Bat |
dide'ski |
|
|
buffalo |
TE |
|
|
beaver |
zha'be |
|
|
bull |
tenu |
|
|
bluebird |
wazin'tu |
|
|
blacktail deer |
sin-te-sa-pe-na |
|
|
C |
coyote |
iceyé·ye |
|
cat (wild) |
ing thun'ga |
|
|
cattle |
te'cka |
|
|
chipmunk |
tashni'ga |
|
|
crane |
pe'ton |
|
|
crow |
ka'xe |
|
|
colt |
sunk-cin, ca-dan |
|
|
D |
deer |
taxti |
|
dog |
shinu'da |
|
|
donkey (big ears) |
mita tonga |
|
|
dove |
thita |
|
|
E |
eagle, bald |
sa'qant' yx s'a qan |
|
eagle, common brown |
te'qt |
|
|
eagle (golden/white) |
titha cka |
|
|
feather of eagles ~ tail |
tu u'ynu |
|
|
elk |
on'pon |
|
|
ermine (white mouse) |
inchun gacka |
|
|
F |
fox (gray) |
mazhonka |
|
fox (red) |
tikon xued |
|
|
frog |
te'bia |
|
|
flicker |
thonci'ga |
|
|
fawn |
ta-sin-cala |
|
|
G |
goat |
he caci'ba |
|
gopher |
monthin'ga |
|
|
gull |
netha |
|
|
grizzly (long claws) |
sa-ke-han-ska |
|
|
H |
horse |
s'ik'em |
|
hawk (night) |
te'ubixo |
|
|
hawk (red shoulder) |
gthonshka |
|
|
hawk (red tail) |
in beciga |
|
|
hawk (fork tail) |
in beshonka |
|
|
humming bird |
watin'enka |
|
|
L |
lion |
wanita waxa |
|
lark |
mac i' ka |
|
|
M |
mouse |
inchun' ga |
|
monkey |
ishti thin'ke |
|
|
mare |
shunk-wi ye-la |
|
|
O |
owl |
panu'hu |
|
owl (white) |
inchu'cu |
|
|
P |
prairie dog |
monthin'xude |
|
Paint/Pinto horse |
Tam-sel-peen |
|
|
pheasant |
ti-ka bu-dan |
|
|
porcupine |
pa-hin (quills) |
|
|
R |
rabbit |
monshtin'ge |
|
robin (Pawnee bird) |
pathin wazhinka |
|
|
rattle snake |
shin-te lida |
|
|
S |
snake |
cathu |
|
squirrel |
cin'ga |
|
|
snipe |
ton'in |
|
|
swan |
mixa |
|
|
swallow |
nisku ku ish ku |
|
|
T |
thrush |
ta ca'cha |
|
W |
wolf |
shon |
|
wolf (gray) |
shon tonga |
|
|
whippoorwill |
ka kugthi |
|
|
woodpecker |
tuc'ha |
|
|
woodcock |
pa thee'ga |
|
|
wren |
kix ax aja |
|
Birch Tree |
heslíps |
Serviceberry |
kikéeye |
|
|
hackberry |
katámno |
Big Sage |
qémqem |
|
|
Mountain White Pine |
seéysey |
Gray Rabbit brush |
qémqem |
|
|
White bark Pine |
lalxsáway |
Red twig Dogwood |
p'ip'láac |
|
|
Mountain Ash |
qeqéeyux |
Tamarack |
kimile |
|
|
Yew |
támqay |
Columbian Hawthorn |
téelx |
|
|
Western Red Cedar |
talátat |
Lodge pole Pine |
qalámqalam |
|
|
Ponderosa Pine |
laáqa |
Cottonwood Tree |
qápqap |
|
|
Douglas Fir |
páaps |
Cascara, Chit tam Tree |
sálam |
Nez Perce
has 36 phonemes,
following along the general pattern of
this chart: (Aoki 1970:10)
In
addition there are two suprasegmentals in Nez Perce:
Length: ·
(a middle dot)
Stress: ´
(an acute accent mark)
Sources:
Painted ponies by Shatka Bear-Step; BEAR STEP Publications
The
People's Web Site
Haruo Aoki, "Nez Perce Dictionary", University of California Press,
Berkleley
George Hatley's interview with Sam
Fisher horseman from
the family of Nez Perce
University of Oregon
University of Arizona
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Compiled and Researched by Christy E.
