Winnebago language facts for kids

The Ho-Chunk language (also called Hoocąk or Hocąk) is the traditional language of the Ho-Chunk people. They are a Native American nation. This language is part of the Siouan language family. It is closely related to the languages spoken by the Iowa, Missouri, and Oto tribes.

The name "Winnebago" is an exonym. This means it's a name given by outsiders. It comes from a Sauk and Fox word, Oinepegi. The Ho-Chunk people call themselves "Ho-Chunk." This is an endonym, which means it's the name they use for themselves.

Sounds of Ho-Chunk: How it Works

Every language has its own special sounds. The Ho-Chunk language has unique ways of using vowels and consonants.

Vowel Sounds: Long or Nasal?

In Ho-Chunk, vowels can change a word's meaning. This happens if they are nasal (like saying a sound through your nose) or long (held out longer). For example, pąą means 'bag', but paa means 'nose'. Also, waruc means 'to eat', while waaruc means 'table'.

All Ho-Chunk vowels can be short or long. But only some vowels (like 'i', 'a', and 'u') can be nasal.

Consonant Sounds: What's Different?

Ho-Chunk has many consonant sounds. Some are like English, but others are different. For example, some sounds are made by stopping air and then releasing it with a pop, like a 'p' or 'k' sound.

Nasal Rules: Sounds Spreading

In Ho-Chunk, if a vowel comes after a nasal consonant (like 'm' or 'n'), it often becomes nasal too. This nasal sound can even spread to other nearby vowels. It can cross over certain sounds like 'h' and 'w'.

Another interesting rule is how the 'r' sound can change. If 'r' comes right after a nasal vowel, it often sounds like an 'n'. For example, in the sentence Mąąhį haanįną juujuxšąną, which means 'My knife is dull', the 'r' sound changes.

Dorsey's Law: Vowel Copying

There's a special sound rule in Ho-Chunk called Dorsey's Law. It means that sometimes a vowel sound gets copied. This happens when certain sounds are next to each other. For example, if you have a voiceless sound (like 'p' or 'k') followed by a resonant sound (like 'r' or 'n'), the vowel after the resonant sound gets copied.

This rule can apply within one word part or across different word parts. It shows how sounds in Ho-Chunk can change and adapt.

Word Stress: Where to Emphasize?

Ho-Chunk words have a specific rhythm. This is called stress. It's about which part of a word you emphasize.

• Short words (one syllable) usually have a long vowel, and the stress is on the first part. For example, áa means 'arm'.
• Two-syllable words usually have stress on the second part. For example, wajé means 'dress'.
• Longer words (more than two syllables) often have stress on the third syllable. For example, waǧįǧį́ means 'ball'.

When words are put together in a sentence, they usually keep their own stress. But if words are combined to make a new word, they form a new stress pattern. For example, hąąbókahi means 'every day'. It combines hąąp ('day') and hokahí ('every').

Writing Ho-Chunk: The Alphabet

The official way to write Ho-Chunk uses an alphabet based on the Latin script (like the English alphabet). It's designed so that each letter or group of letters usually stands for one sound.

Special marks are used for nasal vowels. For example, 'į', 'ų', and 'ą' show nasal sounds. Other special letters like 'c', 'j', 'š', 'ž', and 'ǧ' are used for sounds not found in English. There's also an apostrophe ʼ for a sound called a glottal stop. This is like the pause in "uh-oh."

For a short time in the 1800s, Ho-Chunk was written using a different system called "Ba-Be-Bi-Bo" syllabics. But since 1994, the Latin-based alphabet is official.

The Ho-Chunk Nations in Wisconsin and Nebraska have slightly different ways of writing some sounds. For example, the Wisconsin tribe writes a double vowel (like oo) for a long sound. The Nebraska tribe uses a line over the vowel (like ō). Both ways show that the vowel sound is long.

How Ho-Chunk Words are Built

Ho-Chunk words, especially verbs (action words), are built by adding small parts called affixes. These affixes tell you who is doing the action, how many people are involved, when it happened, and more.

Verb Prefixes: Who, Where, How?

Ho-Chunk uses prefixes (parts added to the beginning of a word) to show different things. These include:

• Who is doing the action (like "I," "you," "he/she").
• Where the action happens (like "on" or "in").
• How the action is done (like "by hand" or "by striking").

Person Prefixes: Who is Doing What?

Ho-Chunk verbs have special prefixes that tell you who the "actor" is and who the "patient" is. The actor is the one doing the action, and the patient is the one receiving the action.

For example, if you say "I play," the "I" part is shown by a prefix on the verb. If you say "he or she plays," there might be no prefix at all, because it's understood.

• Active Verbs: These verbs show actions done by people or animals. For example, šgaac means 'play'.
  • hašgac means 'I play'.
  • rašgac means 'you play'.
  • šgaac means 'he or she plays'.

• Stative Verbs: These verbs describe a state or condition. For example, š'aak means 'to be old'.
  • hįš'ak means 'I am old'.
  • nįš'ak means 'you are old'.
  • š'aak means 'he or she is old'.

Some verbs only work for "third person" (he, she, it, they). These often describe things that are not alive, like "it is expensive."

Locative Prefixes: On or In?

Ho-Chunk has two prefixes that tell you about location:

• ha- means 'on' or 'onto'.
• ho- means 'in' or 'into'.

For example, if mįįk means 'to lie somewhere', then:

• hamįk means 'to lie on top of'.
• homįk means 'to lie in'.

Sometimes, these prefixes can even turn a verb into a noun. For example, homįk can mean 'to lie in' (a verb) or 'bed' (a noun).

Instrumental Prefixes: How Was it Done?

These prefixes tell you what tool or method was used to do an action. For example, they can mean 'by striking', 'with the mouth', or 'by hand'.

Here are some examples with the word wax, which means 'to break a string-like object':

• giwax means 'break string in two by striking'.
• rawax means 'bite string in two'.
• ruwax means 'break string in two by pulling'.
• mąąwax means 'cut string in two'.

These prefixes help make the meaning of the verb very clear.

Verb Suffixes: More Information at the End

Ho-Chunk also uses suffixes (parts added to the end of a word). These suffixes tell you about:

• Number: Is it one person or many?
• Tense: When did it happen (past, present, future)?
• Mood: Is it a command, a question, or a statement?
• Negation: Is the action not happening?

Sentence Structure: How Words Fit Together

Like many languages, Ho-Chunk has a usual way of putting words in a sentence.

Word Order: Subject-Object-Verb

The most common word order in Ho-Chunk is Subject-Object-Verb (SOV). This means the person or thing doing the action comes first, then the thing the action is done to, and finally the action word itself.

For example:

• Hinųkra wažątirehižą ruwį means 'The woman bought a car'.

* Hinųkra (woman) is the Subject. * wažątirehižą (car) is the Object. * ruwį (bought) is the Verb.

If a sentence has two objects, like "A girl gave a boy a pencil," the order is usually Subject-Indirect Object-Direct Object-Verb.

Negation: Saying "Not"

To say that something is "not" happening in Ho-Chunk, you need two parts: 1. A particle like hąąke ('not') or hąkaga ('never') before the verb. 2. A suffix -nį ('not') added to the end of the verb.

Both parts are needed. For example:

• Wąąkra hąąke heepšįnį means 'The man did not sneeze.'
• Hąkaga t'eehaanį wa'ųaje means 'I never kill snakes.'

Keeping the Language Alive

The Ho-Chunk language is currently in danger of being lost. However, many people are working hard to keep it alive!

In Wisconsin, the Hocąk Wazija Haci Language Division offers:

• Language classes for learners.
• An immersion daycare where young children learn the language all day.
• A language apprentice program, where people learn directly from fluent speakers.

In Nebraska, the Ho-Chunk Renaissance program teaches the language in schools. Both tribal governments use technology like Facebook and YouTube to reach younger generations. There's even a "Ho-Chunk (Hoocąk) Native American Language app" for iPhones and iPads!

Language is a very important part of Ho-Chunk culture. As Lewis St. Cyr, a language program director, said: "You can't have culture without language and you can't have language without culture. The importance of it is of who we are."