Kutenai language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kutenai
Ktunaxa
Native to	Canada, United States
Region	British Columbia, Montana, Idaho
Ethnicity	1,536 Ktunaxa (2016 census)
Native speakers	345  (2010-2016)
Language family	Language isolate
Writing system	Latin (Kutenai alphabet)
Kutenai language

The Kutenai language (also called Kootenai, Kootenay, Ktunaxa, and Ksanka) is the traditional language of the Kutenai people. These people live in parts of Montana and Idaho in the United States. They also live in British Columbia in Canada.

Many experts believe Kutenai is a language isolate. This means it is not related to any other known language family. It is different from the Salishan languages spoken by nearby groups. The Kutenai people also have their own sign language. It is called ʔa·qanⱡiⱡⱡitnam.

What Kind of Language is Kutenai?

Kutenai is special because it is a language isolate. Imagine a language that doesn't have any close relatives. That's what a language isolate is! It stands alone.

Some people have tried to link Kutenai to other big language families. These include the Algonquian languages or Salishan languages. But these ideas have not been widely accepted. Kutenai remains a unique language.

How Many People Speak Kutenai Today?

In 1969, about 446 registered Indigenous people in Canada spoke Kutenai. Sadly, the number of speakers has gone down over the years.

But there's good news! Since 2012, the Ktunaxa people in Canada have been working hard. They want to bring their language back to life. This is called language revitalization.

Efforts to Revitalize the Language

Tribal councils from different Ktunaxa communities are helping. They have put audio recordings of Kutenai words and phrases online. You can find these on the FirstVoices website. This website is a big collection of Indigenous languages in North America.

As of November 2017, the Ktunaxa page on FirstVoices had lots of resources. It had 2,500 words and 1,114 phrases. There were also recorded stories and songs. They even have a language learning app! The FirstVoices Tutor offers lessons and practice. The Ktunaxa Language app works on iOS devices. It's a Ktunaxa dictionary with audio. It also has flashcards to help you learn.

The Ktunaxa nation hopes these tools will help young people. Their goal is for younger generations to become fluent in Kutenai.

Schools and Colleges Teaching Kutenai

One example is the ʔAq̓am community. This community is part of the Ktunaxa Nation. It is also known as St. Mary's band in Cranbrook, B.C. They have a private elementary school called the ʔaq̓amnikSchool. This school teaches the regular B.C. curriculum. But it also teaches the Ktunaxa language and cultural traditions. This helps younger generations learn about their heritage.

The school also has after-school programs. There's a program called Headstart. It helps adults with young children (up to age six). They learn how to teach Ktunaxa culture and language to their kids.

In Montana, the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes have a college. It's called Salish Kootenai College. This college offers a certificate in Native American studies. Students learn about the history and culture of the Salish and Ktunaxa people. The college also has classes in basic Kutenai language. You can learn pronunciation and grammar there.

The College of the Rockies is in Cranbrook, B.C. This is on Ktunaxa land. The college has worked with the Ktunaxa people for 40 years. They offer classes in Indigenous studies. They also have basic Ktunaxa classes online. These are KTUN-101 and KTUN-102. They use the FirstVoices website for learning. The college also offers a Ktunaxa Workshop. It teaches basic phrases and pronunciation. It also shares cultural information about the Ktunaxa people.

Who Studied the Kutenai Language?

The first grammar book of Kutenai was written by Philippo Canestrelli. He was a Roman Catholic missionary. His book was published in 1894 in Latin.

In 1918, Franz Boas published "The Kutenai Tales." This book had Ktunaxa stories written down and translated. The stories were collected by Alexander F. Pierce and Boas himself. Members of the Ktunaxa people told these stories. Important storytellers included Andrew Pierre, Numan Pierre, Joe Mission, Andrew Felix, and a man known as Barnaby.

Paul L. Garvin also did important work. He described how Ktunaxa sounds are made (phonemics). He also studied how words are formed (morphology) and how syllables are divided.

In 1991, Lawrence Richard Morgan wrote a detailed description of Kutenai. This was for his PhD at the University of California, Berkeley. His work focused on how the language works. He listed all the small parts of words that change meaning. These include prefixes and suffixes.

How Kutenai Words Work

Kutenai is an agglutinative language. This means words are built by adding many small parts. These parts are called prefixes (at the start of a word) and suffixes (at the end). They are mostly added to verbs. But some are added to nouns too.

Kutenai has a special way to show who is important in a story. This is called an "obviation system." It helps make it clear who is doing what in sentences. This system is unique compared to other languages. Kutenai also uses an "inverse system."

Word Order in Kutenai

The order of words in Kutenai can change. It depends on what the speaker wants to emphasize. It's rare to have both a subject and an object clearly stated. This is because the verb itself often shows who is acting.

If both are stated, the preferred word order is Verb-Object-Subject (VOS). But Verb-Subject-Object (VSO) is also used. Adverbs can come before the verb.

Here are some examples:

Sometimes, pronouns like "I" or "you" are attached to the verb. This makes it look like the word order is Subject Pronoun + Verb.

The Inverse System

The inverse system in Kutenai is interesting. It helps show when a less important person acts on a more important one. This is clearest when talking about two different "third persons" (like "he" or "she").

Here are two examples:

How Sentences are Formed

Kutenai uses a special marker, k, for certain types of sentences. This k is used for questions. It is also used for parts of sentences that depend on another part. The k can attach to the word that comes after it.

For example:

Images for kids

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  A robot, symbolizing technology and learning.

See also

In Spanish: Idioma kutenai para niños