Laurentian language

Lauren table is an extinct language or group of related languages ​​of the Iroquoian language family that was spoken until the 16th century on the banks of the St. Lawrence River in the provinces of Ontario and Quebec in Canada.

History

The French explorer Jacques Cartier arrived in the years 1535 and 1536 on colonizing the St. Lawrence River Indian tribes and recorded a number of short word lists from their language. Because of the name of the river, the language is usually called Lauren table. When about 75 years later, the first French settlers entered the area again, the tribes had vanished. The reasons for this are not entirely clear. With the disappearance of the strains are Cartier's records were the only sources of the language.

Classification

Although Cartier's records provide only very limited material, the language can be clearly identified as Iroquois language. From today's perspective, the scientific quality of these records is, however, insufficient to allow accurate classification of the language of the Iroquois languages ​​spoken today, and determine exact characteristics of their grammar. Furthermore, it is unclear whether it is material of a single homogeneous language or a dialect continuum with the collected words of Cartier. It is also possible that it was indeed several related but different languages ​​Lauren table.