Gosiute dialect facts for kids

This map shows the land of the two Goshute communities: the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians.

Gosiute is a special way of speaking the Shoshoni language. It was traditionally used by the Goshute people. They lived in the Great Basin area of what is now Nevada and Utah.

Today, Gosiute is an endangered language. This means very few people still speak it. The main groups who speak Gosiute are the Confederated Tribes of the Goshute Reservation and the Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians.

This map shows Gosiute names for places around the Great Salt Lake area.

How Many People Speak Gosiute?

Gosiute Speakers Over Time

In the Past (20th Century)

In the 1960s, a researcher named Wick R. Miller studied Gosiute. He found that many families on the Goshute Reservation still used it every day. This was partly because their community was far away from other towns.

Younger people often spoke Gosiute a lot back then. Some people only spoke Gosiute and no English, even in 1970.

By 1994, fewer young people under 18 were learning Gosiute. However, most tribal members over 26 could still speak it well.

Today (21st Century)

Now, only about 20 to 30 people speak Gosiute fluently. Only four of these speakers are from the Skull Valley band. Some others understand the language but do not speak it often.

Most fluent speakers are over 50 years old. A few children in Goshute communities are still learning Gosiute as their first language. However, this is not very common anymore.

Who Documented Gosiute?

Many people have worked to write down and study the Gosiute language. This helps to preserve it for the future.

An early researcher named Ralph Chamberlin studied Gosiute in the early 1900s. He wrote down many Gosiute names for plants, animals, and places.

A linguist, Wick R. Miller, also published important works on Shoshoni. His 1972 dictionary and collection of texts included some Gosiute writings.

A large book called the Handbook of North American Indians describes the Shoshoni language. This description is based on the Gosiute way of speaking.

Efforts to Keep Gosiute Alive

People have tried to help keep the Gosiute language from disappearing.

In 1997, there was a plan to build a cultural center. This center would have offered language programs. However, these plans did not happen.

The primary school in Ibapah, Utah taught Gosiute classes in the 2000s. Unfortunately, these language classes have since stopped.