Choctaw language

Spoken in

• Muskogee languages Western Muskogean languages Choctaw

-

Cho

Cho

The Choctaw Chahta or Anumpa ( often simply Chahta ), the language of the Choctaw ( Chahta ), a once powerful Indian people in southeastern forest land in the southeastern United States, is one of the Western Muskogean languages. The Chahta language was well known as a lingua franca for the marginal men of the early 19th century, including the President Andrew Jackson and William Henry Harrison.

The language is very closely related to the Chikasha language ( Chickasaw ). Some linguists consider them two dialects of a single language, although recent reports suggest that Chahta spokesman Chikasha deem incomprehensible.

Other related languages ​​are the following Eastern Muskogean languages: Alabama ( Alibamu or Albaamo innaaɬiilka ), Coushatta ( Koasati or Kowassá: ti ), Creek ( Muskogean or Mvskoke ) and Hitchiti - Mikasuki.

Dialects

There are three Chahta dialects ( Mithun 1999):

Other Chahta - speakers live in Tallahassee, Florida, and at the Koasati ( people ) in Louisiana.

Phonology

Consonants

Some orthographies use < š > and < č > for / ʃ / and / ʧ /; other the Diagraphen and . / j / spoken and use the most modern orthographies to represent the lateral fricative.

Vowels

[ ɪ ], [ ʊ ] and [ ə ] appear in closed syllables as allophone variants of / i /, / o /, and / a /. In the orthography of nasal vowels are normally displayed to the vowel (eg provides / õ ː / dar ) to underline. The allophone [ ʊ ] is often written . Some orthographies use and to the lax allophones of short / a / and / o / display, ie [ ə ] and [ ʊ ]. These spells also use to use some instances of / i ː / and for others and also and to the long and short phonemes / a /, / i / and / o / both represent.