Makah language facts for kids

The Makah language is the special language spoken by the Makah people. It is an original language from the Americas. Sadly, no one has spoken Makah as their main language since 2002. That was when the last person who spoke it fluently passed away.

But the Makah language is not gone forever! It is still used as a second language. The Makah tribe is working hard to bring their language back to life. They even have classes for young children to learn it. The Makah people call their language qʷi·qʷi·diččaq.

Where the Makah Language is Spoken

The Makah people live in the northwestern part of Washington state. This area is on the Olympic Peninsula, right by the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This strait separates the United States from Canada.

The Makah language is closely related to two other languages. These are Nuu-chah-nulth and Ditidaht. These languages are spoken by First Nations people in British Columbia, Canada. They live on the west coast of Vancouver Island, which is just across the strait.

Makah is the only language from the Wakashan language family spoken in the United States. All the other Wakashan languages are found in British Columbia.

Sounds of the Makah Language

Every language has its own special sounds. These are called phonemes. The Makah language has a unique set of sounds. It even has its own alphabet to write them down.

Makah Consonants

Consonants are sounds made by blocking air in your mouth. Think of sounds like 'p' or 't'. The Makah language has many different consonant sounds. Some are made with your lips, like 'p'. Others are made with your tongue touching the roof of your mouth, like 't'.

A very interesting fact about Makah is that it does not have any nasal sounds. Nasal sounds are made by letting air out through your nose. In English, 'm' and 'n' are nasal sounds. This is rare for a language! The nearby Quileute language also shares this unique feature.

Makah Vowels

Vowels are sounds made with an open mouth, like 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'. Makah has both short and long vowel sounds. For example, a short 'a' sound is different from a long 'a' sound.

The Makah language also has special vowel combinations called diphthongs. These are like two vowel sounds blended together. An example in English is the 'oy' sound in "boy."

How Makah Words are Built

Makah words are very interesting. They can carry a lot of information in just one word. This is different from English, where we often use many words to say the same thing.

Showing What You Know

One cool thing about Makah verbs is how they show evidentiality. This means the speaker tells you how they know something. Did they hear it? Did they see it? Are they just guessing?

Here are some examples:

• hi·dawʔaƛwa·d means "I hear he found it." The -wa·t part tells you the speaker heard it from someone else.
• pu·pu·q̓adʔi means "he's blowing a whistle." The -q̓adi part tells you the speaker heard the sound.
• č̓apaccaqil means "It looks like a canoe." The -caqił part shows it's uncertain visual evidence, like seeing something far away.
• haʔuk̓aƛpi·dic means "I see you ate." The -pi·t part means the speaker inferred it from physical evidence, like seeing crumbs.
• dudu·k̓aƛx̌a·š means "He's probably singing." The -x̌a·-š part means it's an educated guess.

This is different from saying "he found it" (hi·dawʔal) or "it's a canoe" (č̓apac̓). In those cases, you don't know how the speaker knows the information.

Building Blocks of Makah Words

Makah words are built from different parts. Think of it like building with LEGOs. You start with a main block, and then you add smaller pieces to change its meaning.

• Base: This is the main part of the word. It gives the word its basic meaning.
• Suffixes: These are small parts added to the end of the base.
  • Some suffixes can change the word's meaning or even its type (like changing a noun to a verb).
  • Other suffixes just add more details, like where something is or which direction it's going.
• Aspects: These suffixes tell you about the timing or how an action happens. For example, if something is finished, still happening, or happens over and over again.

Makah words can also have special endings called clitics. These are like tiny words that attach to the end of a main word. They can tell you about who is doing the action, when it happened, or how the speaker feels about it.

For example, clitics can show if something is small, when it happened, or if it's a question. They can also show different moods, like if you are stating a fact, asking a question, or making a guess.