The Mikasuki language (also Miccosukee or Hitchiti-Mikasuki) is a Muskogean language spoken by around 500 people in southern Florida. It is spoken by the Miccosukee tribe as well as many Florida Seminoles. The now-extinct Hitchiti language was mutually intelligible with Mikasuki.
As of 2002, the language was taught in the local school, which had "an area devoted to 'Miccosukee Language Arts'".[1]
As of 2011, the University of Florida Department of Anthropology is home to The Elling Eide Endowed Professorship in Miccosukee Language and Culture, for Native American languages of the southeastern United States.[2]
Sounds [edit]
There are three tones, high, low and falling. Vowel length is distinctive, for example eche ('mouth') vs eeche ('deer'), ete ('eye') vs eete ('fire').
Grammar [edit]
Nouns are marked with suffixes for various functions, some examples:
| Suffix |
Function |
Example |
Meaning |
|
|
embaache |
battery |
| ot |
subject marker |
embaachot hampeepom |
the battery has gone bad |
| on |
object marker |
embaachon aklomle |
I need a battery |
| ee |
question marker |
embachee cheméèło? |
do you have a battery? |
Free pronouns exist (aane "I", chehne "you", pohne "we") but are rarely used. Verb suffixes are the usual way of marking person.
Writing System [edit]
Mikasuki is written using the Latin alphabet. The vowels are pronounced as follows:
| Letter |
Sound |
| a, aa |
a, aː |
| a, aa |
ã, ãː |
| e, ee |
i, iː |
| e, ee |
ĩː, ĩː |
| o, oo |
o, oː |
| o, oo |
õ; õː |
| ay |
ai |
| ao |
ao |
The consonants are:
| Letter |
Sound |
| b |
b |
| ch |
t͡ʃ |
| f |
ɸ |
| h |
h |
| k |
k |
| l |
l |
| ł |
ɬ |
| m |
m |
| n |
n |
| ng |
ŋ |
| p |
p |
| sh |
ʃ |
| t |
t |
| w |
w |
| y |
j |
High tone is indicated with an acute, low tone with a grave and falling tone with an acute (on a long vowel this is typographically split over both vowels, otherwise the grave is placed over the next consonant):
| High Tone |
Low Tone |
Falling Tone |
| á, áa |
à, àa |
áǹ, áà |
An epenthetic [ə] vowel appears in kl, kw and kn clusters in careful speech.
Examples [edit]
| bochonkom |
he/she/it touches |
| chaolom |
he/she/it writes |
| chayahlom |
he/she/it walks |
| eelom |
he/she/it arrives |
| empom |
he/she/it eats |
| eshkom |
he/she/it drinks |
| faayom |
he/she/it hunts |
| ommom |
he/she/it makes |
Numerals [edit]
| 1 |
łáàmen |
| 2 |
toklan |
| 3 |
tocheenan |
| 4 |
shéetaaken |
| 5 |
chahkeepan |
| 6 |
eepaaken |
| 7 |
kolapaaken |
| 8 |
toshnapaaken |
| 9 |
oshtapaaken |
| 10 |
pokoolen |
Kinship Terms [edit]
| nakne |
man, male |
| ooche |
son |
| ooshtayke |
daughter |
| táàte |
father |
| tayke |
woman, female |
| wáàche |
mother |
| yaate |
person |
| yaatooche |
infant |
References [edit]
- West, J. & Smith, N. A Guide to the Miccosukee Language, Miami: Miccosukee Corporation 1978.
- West, J. The Phonology of Mikasuki in Studies in Linguistics 1962, 16:77-91.
External links [edit]
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Italics indicate extinct languages * indicates extinct language in Oklahoma but still spoken elsewhere
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