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User:Razlem/Houma language

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Houma
Homa
Native toUnited States
RegionSoutheastern Louisiana
Extinct19th century
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
07n
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The Houma language (Reconstructed Houma: Homa anumpa) is a Muskogean language historically spoken by the Houma people of Southeast Louisiana. It is closely related to Choctaw and shares specific vocabulary with Mobilian Jargon, indicating that the Houma people contributed parts of their language to the region's trade pidgin.[1] Originally thought to be a dialect of Choctaw or Mobilian Jargon itself, a study by C. Brown and H. Hardy showed that the Houma language featured distinct grammar patterns not seen in its close relatives. The Houma language became extinct in the 19th century, but an ongoing language revival was started by members of the Houma Nation in 2013.[2] Since the historical Houma language had no system of writing, the revival has relied solely on the written accounts of European settlers and American anthropologists including John R. Swanton and Mary Haas.

Origins

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Little is known about the origins of Houma, other than it being a distinct language of the Western-Muskogean language family. After the last native speakers died in the 1800s, only a few phrases and folk songs remained.[3] The language has had to be reconstructed from a short vocabulary list collected by Swanton and second-hand accounts by tribal elders.

Sounds

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Consonants

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Houma Consonants (reconstructed)
  Labial Alveolar Post-
alveolar
Velar Glottal
central lateral
Nasal m n        
Plosive p  b t  d     k  g ' /ʔ/
Affricate     tch* /tʃ/    
Fricative f s hl* /ɬ/ ch* /ʃ/   h
Approximant     l y /j/ ou* /w/  

*These digraphs were chosen to reflect a French orthographic style.

Vowels

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Houma Vowels (reconstructed)
  Front Central Back
short long short long short long
oral nasal oral nasal oral nasal
Close i [i] ī [iː] î [ĩː]   u [u] ū [uː] û [ū:]
Mid e [ɛ] ē [ɛː] ê [ɛ̃:]   o [o] ō [oː] ô [õː]
Open   a [a] ā [aː] â [ãː]  

Vocabulary

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Swanton's original list of Houma vocabulary contained approximately 80 words and phrases, from which inklings of grammar and morphology could be gathered.

Morphology

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Houma exhibits verbal morphology similar to other Muskogean languages, with dative and objective pronominal affixes.

Grammar

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References

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  1. ^ Brown, Cecil H.; Hardy, Heather K. (October 2000). "What is Houma?". International Journal of American Linguistics. 66 (4): 521–548. doi:10.1086/466440. JSTOR 1265848. S2CID 144088226. Retrieved 11 August 2013.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ Kilpatrick, Mary. "Houmas search for native language". houmatoday.com. Retrieved 11 August 2013.
  3. ^ Billiot, Elvira. "Alligator Song". Retrieved 11 August 2013.