Cayuse
Pre-contact distribution of the Cayuse language
Native toUnited States
RegionOregon
EthnicityCayuse
Extinct1930s[1]
Unclassified
Language codes
ISO 639-3xcy
xcy
Glottologcayu1241
Cayuse is an extinct language according to the classification system of the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
[2]

The Cayuse language (Cailloux, Willetpoos) is an extinct unclassified language formerly spoken by the Cayuse Native American tribe in the U.S. state of Oregon. The Cayuse name for themselves was Liksiyu (see Aoki 1998).

Classification

Similarities to Molala, the language of people to the south of them in central Oregon, are thought to have been due to contact (Rigsby 1969: 71).[3]:71

Edward Sapir had originally grouped Cayuse with Molala as part of a Waiilatpuan branch with the Plateau Penutian languages; the Waiilatpuan group had been originally proposed by Horatio Hale (1846), based on his 1841 field work with the Cayuse people at Waiilatpu Mission. However, Cayuse has little documentation, and that which is documented is inadequately recorded.

Pronouns

Cayuse pronouns listed by Horatio Hale (1846):[3]

Iiniŋ
you (sg.)nikí
you (du.)nkímiš
henip
wenámək
you (pl.)mkímiš
theynípik

Cayuse pronouns listed by McBean:[3]

Iin ning
you (sg., pl.)in kai
heneepe
wenung naw naw
theycap pick

Verbs

Cayuse verb paradigms documented by Henry W. Henshaw:[3]

'hungry'
I am hungry.wi-tu-tŭnt
I was hungry.kler-ka-wĭ-tu-tŭnt
I will be hungry.wí-tu-näk-sŭnt
You and I are hungry.swi-tu-ter-yìk
You and I were hungry.swi-tu-te-lì-kai-ĭk
You and I will be hungry.nĭng-i-li-pʔl-swi-tu-nak-stunk-a-wak
You are hungry.tu-swi-tu-tuñg-a
You were hungry.swi-tu-til-kutla
You will be hungry.swi-tu-nak-stung-at-la
'thirsty'
I am thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-tiñg
I was thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-til
I will be thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-näk-skĭn
You are thirsty.tu-mĭs-ka-mu-tĭñg
You were thirsty.mĭs-ka-mu-til-hă
You will be thirsty.mĭs-ka-mu-na-stĭnk-la

Vocabulary

In 1910 or 1911, Stephens Savage, a Molala speaker, had told Leo Frachtenberg that the following five words were identical in both Cayuse and Molala (considered by Rigsby (1969) to be loanwords).[3]

sorrel horseqasqasi tasiwitkwi
spotted horseyuꞏk tasiwitkwi
black horsemúkimuki tasiwitkwi
combtaꞏsps
spoonƚúꞏpinc

Limited lexical items in Cayuse had also been collected by Bruce Rigsby, Melville Jacobs, Verne Ray, and Theodore Stern. Their Cayuse informants had highly limited knowledge of Cayuse and were more fluent in Sahaptin or Nez Perce.

Hale (1846)

A word list of Cayuse with nearby 200 lexical items was documented by Horatio Hale (1846: 570-629). The word list has been reproduced below.[4]

Nouns

glossCayuse
manyúant
womanpintχlkaíu; watχlóa
boyláutlaŋ
girlstaítχləŋ; staítlaŋ
infant; childskútχla
fatherpintét; títʃa
motherpenín; nínʃa
husbandináiu
wifeinχlkaío
sonwái
daughterwái
brotherpnákən; pənátaŋ
sisterpənátiaŋ; pənwaíəq
Indian; people-
headtalʃ; táəlʃ
hairtχlókomot
faceléequkʃ
foreheadpenátχliʃ
eartakʃ
eyehăkaməʃ
nosepitχlóken
mouthsəmqakʃ
tonguepuʃ
teethtenif
beardʃimkéməʃ
neckyet
armtiélaq
handépip
fingersépip
nailsʃíŋiʃ
bodyʃilăməʃ
legmaúwət
foottiʃ
toestiyəyáu
bonepápət
heart-
bloodtiwéə̈ʃ
town; village-
chiefiatóiaŋ
warriorlotéwa
friendenlápoit
houseniʃt
kettletχlípaniʃ
bowhífoit
arrowlalχ
axe; hatchetyeŋgókinʃ
knifeʃekt
canoe; boattχláap
shoestäítχlo
pipeiptnχlónʃ
tobaccohanʃ
sky; heavenndjălawaía, tíŋpap
sunhuéwiʃ
moonhátχltóp
startχlítχliʃ
dayewéiə̈
nightftalp
lightnotawásim
darknessʃilímtiŋk
morningtétχlpəna
eveningwəχaía
springʃuatoluŋátntiŋ; kiátim
summerʃqáätim
autumntəŋ
winterwit
windhúntilχp
thundertiŋtululutéʃin
lightningʃniktawíŋtiŋ
raintiʃtkitχlmítiŋ
snowpói
hailpuŋiós
firetetʃ
wateriʃkáiniʃ
icetók
earth; landliŋʃ
seayamué-iʃkaíniʃ
riverluʃmi
lakefuŋʃ
valleypaniákp
hill; mountaintéit
islandliŋtkaíli
stoneápit
saltkamtiʃímpen
ironqauqauítχliínik
treelaúik
woodhútiʃ
leafqaisós
barkpétimi
grasstχleft; qə́ïʃt
pinelaúikʃ
flesh; meatpítχli
dognáapaŋ
buffalo-
bearliméakʃ; nokoláo
wolftχlaíu; tsóilaχs
deeraitχléwa
elkyútiŋʃ
beaverpīeká
tortoiseatsík
flytqaínʃiʃ; katχlísaŋ
mosquitopíŋkii
snakewaíimaʃ
birdtianíyiwa
egglópitχl
featherstiaqaímutχl
wingshaŋ
duckəʃimtχl
pigeonsúuku
fishwiaíiʃ
salmonmilóqli
sturgeon-
namepeʃp
affectionatíŋp; tiʃktaʃewetáuŋko

Adjectives

glossCayuse
whitetχlaktχláko
blackʃkupʃkúpu
redlakaítlakaítu
blueyotsyóts
yellowqəʃqə́ʃu
greenyotsyóts
greatyaúmua; yiyímu (pl.)
smalletsáŋua
strongntáloa; naantáloa
oldkuiátsu
youngitsáŋu
goodsuaíu; sasuáiu (pl.)
badluastu; laluástu (pl.)
handsomehapútsu; suaíu
uglyhuástu
alivewióko
deadúwaa
coldʃúŋa
warmlokóia

Pronouns

glossCayuse
Iíniŋ
thounikí
henip
wenámək
yemkímiʃ; nkímiʃ (dual)
theynípik
thisqe, qă, ke
thatqá, ká
allnaŋináo
many (much)yíphea
who

Adverbs and others

glossCayuse
nearpiáfi
todaypáməŋ
yesterdayiétin
tomorrowtetχlp
yesi
notéehu

Numerals

glossCayuse
onena
twolépli
threemátnin
fourpípiŋ
fivetáwit
sixnōiná
sevennóilip
eightnōimát
ninetanáuiaiʃímʃim
tenniŋítelp
elevennántetχle
twelveleplin-ntétχle
twentylépuik
thirtymátuík
one hundredniŋítalpuík
one thousand-

Verbs

glossCayuse
to eatpitáŋa
to drinkpasqunstáŋa
to runpqíntuql
to danceiókseak
to singtuŋséaql
to sleepʃpíʃiŋql
to speakúlipkin
to seemiskaléntənt
to lovektáʃo
to killpiaíitχltiŋ
to sitifníql; ifníkta
to standlaútsiŋ
to gowintúkstaŋa; wintúql (imp.)
to comewintúkum

References

  1. Cayuse at MultiTree on the Linguist List
  2. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger (Report) (3rd ed.). UNESCO. 2010. p. 11.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Rigsby, Bruce. 1969. The Waiilatpuan Problem: More on Cayuse-Molala Relatability. Northwest Anthropological Research Notes 3. 68-146.
  4. Hale, Horatio (1846). Ethnography and Philology. Philadelphia: C. Sherman. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  • Aoki, Haruo. (1998). A Cayuse Dictionary based on the 1829 records of Samuel Black, the 1888 records of Henry W. Henshaw and others, Manuscript. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
  • Rigsby, Bruce. (1965). Linguistic Relations in the Southern Plateau, PhD dissertation, University of Oregon.
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