Information about the Iroquoian languages

Where are the Iroquoian languages spoken?

These languages are spoken by indigenous peoples of North America in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec, and in the states of Oklahoma, New York, Wisconsin and North Carolina in the United States.

Who speaks these languages?

Iroquoian language speakers are members of “First Nations” in North America who inhabited the region long before Europeans arrived and before the creation of the United States and Canada.

Total number of speakers (estimated):

Approximately 14 000 according to UNESCO

Approximately 25 000 according to the site ethnologue.com (SIL)

Classification

The Iroquoian language family currently includes 7 languages.

Southern Iroquoian Branch

Cherokee: 11,000 speakers according to UNESCO and 22,000 according to SIL

Northern Iroquoian Branch

Tuscarora-Nottoway Group

Nottoway: extinct according to UNESCO

Tuscarora: 3 speakers according to UNESCO and 11 to 13 according to SIL

Proto-Lake Iroquois Group

Huron-Wyandot: extinct

Laurentian: extinct

“Five Nations” Group

Cayuga: 50 to 70 speakers according to SIL

Seneca-Cayuga Subgroup

Seneca: 100 speakers according to UNESCO and 200 according to SIL

Onondaga: 50 speakers according to UNESCO

Oneida-Mohawks Sub-Group

Mohawk: 3000 speakers according to UNESCO and SIL

Oneida: 250 speakers according to UNESCO and SIL

Comments on the classification of Iroquoian languages:

Proto-Iroquois, the ancestor language common to all these languages, probably originated in the Great Lakes region. The separation between the northern and southern branches might have occurred around -1800 to -1500. Cherokee is now the sole representative of the southern branch.

Some linguists have proposed linking the Iroquoian languages with Caddoan languages or Algic languages as these three language families are in close geographical proximity. However, these proposals have not yet been linguistically justified and are therefore not accepted by most experts.

Several other isolated languages geographically close by have been hypothetically linked to the Iroquoian family. These isolated languages include Meherrin, in the southeastern United States, and Erie, Wenro, and Petun, all three spoken in western New York and Ontario. However, a lack of available documentation or extensive studies makes precise classification of these languages impossible.

Are Iroquoian languages are in danger?

Yes. The Laurentian and Nottoway languages are essentially extinct. Huron-Wyandot and Tuscarora are also very close to extinction, if not already extinct.

Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga and Oneida all have a number of speakers ranging from tens to a hundred, all of whom are elderly. These languages are no longer being transmitted to younger generations and are therefore regarded as “Critically Endangered” by UNESCO.

With several thousand native speakers, Mohawk and Cherokee may appear to be in a less critical situation, but these languages are also transmitted less and less to the younger generation in favor of English making these languages threatened with extinction as well in the decades to come.

Sources:

Mithun, Marianne The languages of Native North America. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. (1999).

Campbell, Lyle. American Indian languages: the historical linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. (1997)

Site devoted to American Indian languages:

http://www.native-languages.org/

Sites devoted to the defense of indigenous languages and cultures of Canada:

www.fphlcc.ca

www.firstvoices.com

www.firstvoiceskids.com