Information about the Sahaptian languages

Where are the Sahaptian languages spoken?

These languages are spoken in North America in the Western United States, specifically in the states of Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

Who speaks these languages?

The speakers of Sahaptian languages are members of North American Nez Perce and Sahaptin “First Nations” who inhabited the region long before Europeans arrived and before the creation of the United States.

Total number of speakers (estimated):

120 according to UNESCO

Around 3500 according to the site ethnologue.com (SIL)

Classification

The Sahaptian group currently includes 2 languages.

Nez Perce (alternate names: Choppunnish; Nimipug) : 20 speakers according to UNESCO, and 100 to 300 according to SIL

Sahaptin: 100 speakers according to UNESCO and 3350 according to SIL

Comments on the classification of Sahaptian languages:

There is a proposal to include this family in a super-family of languages for western North America called the “Penutian ” languages. However, while many linguists agree on the concept of this super-family, there is presently no real consensus regarding its specific composition or internal organization. In this proposal, the Sahaptian languages are considered to be related to the isolate Klamat-Modoc in a branch called “Plateau Penutian”. This relationship is widely regarded as probable, but still needs more evidence in order to establish the exact nature of the relationship. Following the classification of Mithun we have chosen to present Sahaptian as an independent language family, but this classification is likely to evolve in the near future.

Are Sahaptian languages in danger?

Yes, there are probably only some twenty elderly speakers of Nez Perce (Nimipu) (the numbers from ethnologists.com appear to be rather optimistic). Sahaptin (whose dialects were numerous) is spoken by a hundred speakers divided between reserves in Warm Springs (Oregon, Tenino dialect), Umatilla (Oregon, Umatilla and Walla Walla Dialect), and Yakima (Washington, Yakima dialect). There are also some speakers of the Wanapam dialect near Priest Rapids Dam on the Columbia River. These dialect groups are considered “Critically Endangered” by UNESCO, especially Nimipu which may become extinct in the coming years.

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/