Washo language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Washo |
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|---|---|
| wá꞉šiw ʔítlu | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | California–Nevada border |
| Ethnicity | Washoe people |
| Native speakers | 20 (2008) |
| Language family |
Hokan (?)
|
Pre-contact distribution of the Washo language
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Washo (also called Washoe, or wá꞉šiw ʔítlu by its own speakers) is a special Native American language. It is spoken by the Washoe people near the border of California and Nevada, especially around Lake Tahoe.
Washo is an endangered language. This means very few people still speak it. In 2008, only about 20 older people spoke Washo as their first language.
However, there is hope! Since 1994, there have been efforts to teach the language to younger people. An immersion school helped many learn it. Even though the school is now a language program, many students have become teachers themselves. This helps keep the Washo language alive.
The Washoe people lived in the Great Basin area. Their language is unique because it's a "language isolate." This means it doesn't seem to be related to any other language family. However, it has borrowed some words from nearby languages like Uto-Aztecan, Maiduan, and Miwokan.
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What Makes Washo Unique?
Washo is considered a language isolate. Imagine it like a tree with no branches connecting it to other trees. It doesn't have a clear family connection to other languages.
Even though it's surrounded by other languages like Northern Paiute and Maidu, Washo stands alone. Some experts think it might be part of the Hokan language family, but this idea is not fully proven.
The first full description of the Washo language was written by William H. Jacobsen, Jr. His work is still the main source for understanding this special language.
Sounds of Washo: Vowels
The Washo language has six different vowel sounds. Each vowel can be pronounced in two ways: short or long. The long vowels are held for about twice as long as the short ones.
The sound of a vowel can change depending on how long it is, what consonant comes after it, and if it has stress. Stress means you say the vowel a bit louder or with more emphasis.
| How it's written | How it sounds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| á or a á꞉ or a꞉ |
a aː |
lakꞌaʔ 'one' dá꞉bal 'sagebrush' |
| é or e é꞉ or e꞉ |
e eː |
demémew 'his rib' mé꞉hu 'boy' |
| í or i í꞉ or i꞉ |
i iː |
dipúlul 'my car' sí꞉su 'bird' |
| ó or o ó꞉ or o꞉ |
o oː |
nanhólwa 'golden currant' ćidó꞉dokhu 'robin' |
| ú or u ú꞉ or u꞉ |
u uː |
gukú꞉ 'owl' šú꞉gil 'sunflower' |
| ɨ ɨ꞉ |
ɨ ɨː |
Mášdɨmmi 'he's hiding' |
When you see a mark like ´ over a vowel (like in ćigábut for summer), it means that vowel is stressed.
A special mark, a colon ⟨꞉⟩, shows that a vowel is long. For example, móko means "shoes," but mó꞉ko means "knee." The long vowel makes a big difference in meaning!
Sounds of Washo: Consonants
Washo has many consonant sounds. Some of them might look a bit different from English letters. When you see two letters together that don't make a single sound (like nd in kꞌindí for candy), it's usually a word borrowed from English.
| How it's written | How it sounds | Example |
|---|---|---|
| b | b | bá꞉ćuk 'ammunition' |
| d | d | da꞉bal 'sagebrush' |
| g | ɡ | gá꞉zagaza 'a type of bird' |
| p | p | paćil 'pus' |
| t | t | taniw 'miwak' |
| k | k | kaŋa 'cave' |
| pꞌ or pʼ | pʼ | pꞌá꞉wa 'in the valley' |
| tꞌ or tʼ | tʼ | tꞌá꞉gim 'pinenut' |
| kꞌ or kʼ | kʼ | kꞌá꞉ŋi 'it's roaring' |
| ć or cʼ | t͡sʼ | ćámduʔ 'chokecherry' |
| s | s | súkuʔ 'dog' |
| z | d͡z | gá꞉zagaza 'a type of bird' |
| š | ʃ | šáwaʔ 'white fir' |
| h | h | hélmeʔ 'three' |
| m | m | má꞉mayʔ 'conical burden basket' |
| n | n | nanholwa 'golden currant' |
| ŋ | ŋ | ŋáwŋaŋ 'child' |
| l | l | lakꞌaʔ 'one' |
| w | w | wá꞉laš 'bread' |
| y | j | ya꞉saʔ 'again' |
| Ŋ | ŋ̊ | dewŊétiʔ 'hillside sloping down' |
| M | m̥ | Mášdɨmmi 'he's hiding' |
| L | l̥ | madukwáwLu 'sunflower' |
| W | w̥ | Wáʔi 'he's the one who's doing it' |
| Y | j̊ | tꞌá꞉Yaŋi 'he's hunting' |
| ʔ | ʔ | daʔaw 'lake' |
In one area, around Woodfords, California, some Washo speakers used a "th" sound (like in "thin") instead of an "s" sound. So, sí꞉su (bird) would be pronounced thithu.
How Washo Words Change
Washo words change their form to show different meanings. This is called morphology. It's like adding endings to English words (e.g., "walk" to "walked").
Verbs: Showing Time
Washo verbs are very good at showing tense, which means when something happened. They use special endings (suffixes) to tell you if an action happened recently, a long time ago, or will happen in the future.
For example, the ending -leg means something happened very recently, maybe earlier today. So, "dabóʔo lew búʔlegi" means "the white man fed us."
| Suffix | Meaning | When it's used | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| -ayʔ | Intermediate past | Earlier than today, but not super old | di hulúyay (I fell over) |
| -gul | Long ago, remembered past | Within the speaker's lifetime | gedí yeyemi ʔúšgulaygi (They used to call him that) |
| -lul | Distant past | Before the speaker was born | ga móŋil halúliya (They planted it here long ago) |
| -a | Recent past | Action just finished | lépꞌamaʔ (I got there) |
| -i | Present | Actions happening right now | míši milí꞉giyi (I see you) |
| -aša | Near future | Soon | dimú sek hayášaʔi (I will choke him) |
| -tiʔ | Intermediate future | Within the day | ʔilćáćimiʔ etiʔi (It's getting green. It will be green) |
| -gab | Distant future | Tomorrow or later | milí꞉gi gabigi (I'll see you. See you later) |
Nouns: Showing Who Owns What
In Washo, you show who owns something by adding small parts (prefixes) to the beginning of the noun. There are different prefixes depending on whether the noun starts with a vowel or a consonant.
| Vowel-initial Prefix | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| l- | My/our (first-person) | láŋal (my/our house) |
| m- | Your (second-person) | máŋal (your house) |
| tꞌ- | His/her/its/their (third-person) | tꞌáŋal (his/her/its/their house) |
| d- | Someone's (unidentified) | dáŋal (somebody's house) |
| Consonant-initial Prefix | Usage | Example |
| di- | My/our (first-person) | diháŋa (my/our mouth) |
| ʔum- | Your (second-person) | ʔumháŋa (your mouth) |
| da- | His/her/its/their (third-person, if noun's first vowel is a or o) | daháŋa (his/her/its/their mouth) dakꞌómol (his/her/its/their ball) |
| de- | His/her/its/their (third-person, if noun's first vowel is e, i, ɨ, or u) | deMélɨw (his/her/its/their belt)
dedí꞉geš (his/her/its/their net) debɨkꞌɨ (his/her/its/their grandmother's sister) degúšuʔ (his/her/its/their pet) |
| Someone's (unidentified) | háŋa (somebody's mouth) |
History of the Washo Language
The Washoe people have a deep connection to their land and language. In 2012, a park in South Lake Tahoe was given a new name in the Washo language.
The Washoe Tribe named the park Tahnu Leweh. This name means "all the people's place" in their native language. It was a gift to the county and city, showing a wish for peace and good things for everyone. This act helps keep the Washo language and culture alive and recognized.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma washo para niños
