Lakota language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lakota
Lakȟótiyapi
Pronunciation	[la.ˈkˣɔ.tɪ.ja.pɪ]
Native to	United States, with some speakers in Canada
Region	Primarily North Dakota and South Dakota, but also northern Nebraska, southern Minnesota, and northern Montana
Ethnicity	Teton Sioux
Native speakers	2,100, 29% of ethnic population  (1997)e19
Language family	Siouan Western Siouan Mississippi Valley Siouan Dakotan Sioux Lakota
Map of core pre-contact Lakota territory
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Lakota (Lakȟótiyapi), also called Lakhota, Teton, or Teton Sioux, is a Siouan language. It is spoken by the Lakota people, who are part of the Sioux tribes. The Lakota language is very similar to the two dialects of the Dakota language, especially Western Dakota. It is one of the three main types of the Sioux language.

About 2,000 people speak Lakota, making it one of the largest Native American language groups in the United States. Most speakers live in the northern plains states like North Dakota and South Dakota. Many communities have special programs where children and adults can learn the language by speaking it all the time.

European-American missionaries first wrote down the Lakota language around 1840. Since then, the way it is written has changed to fit how people use it today.

History of the Lakota Language

The Lakota people have special stories about how their language began. Some stories say the language started when the tribe was created. Other stories say that a clever trickster spirit named Iktomi invented the language.

Sounds of Lakota (Phonology)

Lakota has different sounds for its vowels and consonants than English.

Vowels

Lakota has five regular vowels, like the 'i' in ski, 'e' in bed, 'a' in father, 'o' in go, and 'u' in flute. It also has three nasal vowels, which sound like they are spoken through the nose.

Sometimes, a neutral vowel sound is automatically added between certain consonants. For example, the clan name Oglala became the place name Ogallala because of this added sound.

Consonants

Lakota has many consonant sounds, some of which are similar to English and some that are unique. For example, it has sounds like 'ch' (as in church), 'sh' (as in shoe), and 'zh' (as in measure). It also has special sounds called 'ejectives', which are made with a burst of air.

Writing the Language (Orthography)

Different ways of writing the Lakota language exist. Some people believe there should be one standard way to write it, while others think it's better to allow different spellings.

In 2002, a teacher named Randy Emery from Rosebud Cultural Studies said that standardizing the language could cause problems. He explained that the language is used in many ways, and choosing one version might lead to disagreements.

The Rosebud Sioux Tribe officially adopted the writing system developed by Albert White Hat in 2012. This decision also meant that the Lakota Language Consortium (LLC), an organization started by two Europeans, was not allowed on the reservation for its educational programs. Some community members and language workers had concerns about the LLC's efforts to create a new standard spelling for Lakota. They felt it was not developed by fluent Lakota speakers and caused confusion.

Despite these disagreements, some Lakota language teachers at Standing Rock decided to work with Sitting Bull College and the LLC to create more language learning materials. Teachers at Standing Rock use different ways of writing Lakota. Some elders, who learned to write the language differently, continue to use their traditional spellings.

In 2013, teachers at Red Cloud Indian School on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation discussed their writing system. Their system is designed to be very phonetic, meaning it tries to represent each sound clearly. However, some educators find it uses too many special marks. Delphine Red Shirt, a Lakota tribal member and lecturer, prefers a system without these marks, as it makes it easier to type and communicate.

In 2018, Manny and Renee Iron Hawk from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation talked about opening an immersion school. They noted the challenges of choosing a writing system. They agreed that it's important to start teaching and speaking the language now, rather than spending too much time arguing over the best way to write it.

In 2022, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council voted to banish the Lakota Language Consortium and its founders from their reservation. This decision was made because of concerns about how the LLC used recordings and language materials without proper permission or agreement from the community. The council also took steps to protect the Nation's intellectual property rights over their language materials.

How Lakota Grammar Works

Word Order

In Lakota, the usual word order is subject–object–verb. This means the person or thing doing the action comes first, then the thing the action is done to, and finally the action itself. For example, "He walks the dog" might be "He dog walks." You can change the order to emphasize certain parts of the sentence.

Lakota also uses postpositions. These are like English prepositions (like "in" or "on"), but they come after the noun. For example, "at the store" would be "store at."

Interjections

Interjections are words that show strong feelings, like "Wow!" or "Oh!". In Lakota, these words can start or end a sentence. Some interjections are used only by men, and others only by women. For example, to show disbelief, women might say ečéš, while men say hóȟ. But most interjections can be used by everyone.

Conjunctions

Conjunctions are words that connect words, phrases, or sentences, like "and" or "but." In Lakota, sentences often start with a conjunction. čhaŋké and yuŋkȟáŋ both mean "and." k’éyaš is similar to "but." The word na connects nouns or phrases.

Nouns and Pronouns

In Lakota, nouns (words for people, places, or things) are optional in a sentence. The basic word order for nouns is subject–object–verb. Pronouns (like "he" or "she") are not used very often, but they can be used to emphasize something.

Lakota has four articles, which are like "a" or "the" in English. waŋ is like "a" or "an" (indefinite). kiŋ is like "the" (definite). There are also articles for things that are hypothetical or have been mentioned before.

Demonstratives

Lakota has nine demonstratives, which are words like "this" or "that." They can act as pronouns (like "This is mine") or as determiners (like "this book"). They change depending on how far something is from the speaker and listener, and whether it's singular, dual (two of something), or plural (more than two).

Verbs

Verbs are the only type of word that must be in every Lakota sentence. Verbs can describe actions (like "run") or properties (like "is tall"). In English, we often use adjectives for properties, but in Lakota, verbs do this job.

Lakota verbs change their form based on who is doing the action (first, second, or third person) and how many people are doing it (singular, dual, or plural).

How Verbs Change

Lakota verbs change by adding small parts called morphemes. These parts tell you about the subject (who is doing the action) or the object (who or what the action is done to). Most of these parts are added to the beginning of the verb, but some are added to the end or even in the middle.

For example, to show a plural subject (like "they"), a suffix is added to the end of the verb.

Example: máni means "He walks." mánipi means "They walk."

Enclitics

Lakota uses small words called enclitics that are attached to the end of verbs. Many of these enclitics are different depending on whether the speaker is male or female.

These enclitics can show things like whether an action is ongoing, if it's a question, or if it's a command. For example, yeló (for men) and ye (for women) are used to make mild statements. He is used by both genders to ask direct questions, but men might use hųwó in more formal situations.

While certain enclitics are usually linked to a specific gender, sometimes individuals might use enclitics associated with the other gender.

Common Lakota Phrases

"Háu kȟolá" means "Hello, friend." This is a very common greeting. You might have heard "How!" in old movies, which came from háu. Interestingly, háu is the only word in Lakota that has a special double vowel sound, so it might have come from another language.

Learning Lakota: Language Revitalization Efforts

For a long time, there were efforts to make Indigenous peoples in America speak only English. In boarding schools in the US and Canada, Indigenous children were taken from their families. They faced harsh rules and punishments if they spoke their tribal languages. Despite this, the Lakota language survived. People kept it alive by speaking it daily at home, in their communities, and even in letters. This showed how strong their culture was.

However, having a job often meant speaking English. Lakota people who spoke English or were bilingual (spoke two languages) had more job opportunities.

In 1967, the Red Cloud Indian School on Pine Ridge started offering Lakota language classes. This was a big step, happening more than 20 years before the Native American Languages Act of 1990 was passed.

In the mid-1970s, the Rosebud Reservation created its Lakota Language and Culture department at Sinte Gleska University. They used textbooks and a writing system developed by the Colorado University Lakota Project. Later, Albert White Hat took over and published his own textbook with his own writing system, which is now used at Sinte Gleska University.

In 2002, Sinte Gleska University decided not to work with the Lakota Language Consortium (LLC). They felt the LLC was giving a wrong impression that the university supported them and that the LLC's materials suggested Lakota people couldn't preserve their language on their own.

In 2008, the Red Cloud School at Pine Ridge started a Lakota language program for students from kindergarten to 12th grade. In 2012, the president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe, Bryan Brewer, announced a plan to create Lakota language immersion schools and find all fluent Lakota speakers. A Lakota language immersion daycare center is also planned for Pine Ridge.

Also in 2012, Sitting Bull College on the Standing Rock Reservation started experimental Lakota immersion classes for children. In these classes, children speak only Lakota for their first year. Teachers like Tom Red Bird believe it's very important to teach the language to younger generations to keep it alive. In 2014, it was estimated that about five percent of children aged four to six on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation spoke Lakota. Efforts to bring the language back grew stronger with new independent Lakota language immersion schools and camps, like those at the Dakota Access Pipeline protests camps in 2016.

On May 3, 2022, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council passed a resolution that banned the LLC and its founders from their reservation. This resolution also aimed to protect the Nation's intellectual property rights and control over their language materials. It stated that all language materials created by the consortium should be returned and cared for by the first-language speakers and knowledge-keepers in their communities.

Lakota Language Education Program (LLEAP)

In 2011, Sitting Bull College and the University of South Dakota started special degree programs. These programs help train effective Lakota language teachers. Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in "Lakota Language Teaching and Learning" as part of the Lakota Language Education Action Program (LLEAP).

LLEAP is a four-year program that aims to create many new Lakota language teachers. It was funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Education. After the first phase, both colleges will continue to offer this degree. LLEAP is the first program of its kind. It focuses on training teachers to help save a Native American language from disappearing and to educate future Lakota speakers.

Government Support

In 1990, Senator Daniel Inouye helped create the Native American Languages Act of 1990. This law was made to protect and promote the rights of Native people in America to use and develop their native languages. This law changed over 200 years of American policy that had tried to get rid of Indigenous languages. It also provided support for tribes to fund language education programs.

Learning Lakota on Your Own

There are some resources available if you want to learn Lakota by yourself, even if you don't have many native speakers nearby.

Here are a few examples:

• Lakota: A Language Course for Beginners by Oglala Lakota College (comes with CDs/Tapes)
• Reading and Writing the Lakota Language by Albert White Hat Sr. (comes with tapes)
• Lakota Dictionary: Lakota-English/English-Lakota, New Comprehensive Edition by Eugene Buechel, S.J. & Paul Manhart
• An app called "Lakota Toddler" is available for iPhones, designed for young children.
• Matho Waunsila Tiwahe: The Lakota Berenstain Bears. This is a DVD with 20 episodes of The Berenstain Bears, dubbed in Lakota by fluent Native speakers.

Lakota Influences in English

Just like people from different places have different accents when they speak English, Lakota people who speak English sometimes have unique speech patterns. These patterns can be heard in their grammar and some sound differences. Even young Lakota people who only learned English might show these unique characteristics.