Kitsai language facts for kids

The Kitsai language (sometimes called Kichai) was a language spoken by the Kichai people. It is now extinct, which means no one speaks it anymore. Kitsai was part of the Caddoan language family.

French explorers first wrote about the Kichai people in 1701. They found them living near the upper Red River. By the 1840s, Kitsai was spoken in southern Oklahoma. Sadly, by the 1930s, there were no native speakers left. Experts believe Kitsai was most closely related to the Pawnee language. Today, the Kichai people are part of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes. This group also includes the Waco and Tawakonie people. Their main office is in Anadarko, Oklahoma.

Sounds of Kitsai

Every language has its own special sounds. The Kitsai language had a set of sounds that made it unique.

Kitsai Consonants

Kitsai had different consonant sounds, like the 't' sound or the 'k' sound. It also had sounds like 's', 'n', 'r', and 'h'. Some sounds were made with the front of the mouth, and others with the back.

Kitsai Vowels

Just like English has vowels (a, e, i, o, u), Kitsai had its own vowel sounds. Some of these vowel sounds could be short, and some could be long. This means you held the sound for a longer time when you said it.

How Kitsai Was Recorded

Even though Kitsai is no longer spoken, we know about it because people recorded it.

Alexander Lesser's Work

In 1928 and 1929, an anthropologist named Alexander Lesser found five people who still spoke Kitsai. An anthropologist is someone who studies human societies and cultures. None of these Kitsai speakers knew English. Lesser used translators who spoke both Wichita and English to talk with them. He filled 41 notebooks with information about the Kitsai language.

Kai Kai, The Last Speaker

Kai Kai was the last person who spoke Kitsai fluently. She was born around 1849 and lived near Anadarko. Kai Kai worked with Alexander Lesser to record many Kitsai words. She also helped him write down stories and create a grammar for the language. A grammar explains how a language works.

In the 1960s, Lesser shared his notes with Salvador Bucca. Bucca was a scholar from the University of Buenos Aires. Together, they published important articles about the Kitsai language.

Kitsai Words

Here are some words from the Kitsai language: