Louisiana Native Languages

A Brief Outline

The languages of Indians in Louisiana were Choctaw related (Muskogean). Although there are believed to have been many other languages and dialects before the arrival of Europeans, six dialects are known today. They are; Caddoan, Atakapa, Chitimacha, Tunica, Koroa and Natchez.

The main dialect of Choctaw (Longtown) has few consonants and many vowels with a variety of characteristics. Here is a chart of the common Choctaw sounds:

The "g" in the above chart occurs only in the word "bok or bog, meaning creek or river (as in "bayou"). In some words, "m" is substituted for "b" and "o" is substituted for "v". The stress of a words with 2 or 3 syllables usually falls on the penult of the word. A word that ends in a consonant is stressed on the final syllable as a substitute for the verb "to be": 'hatak (man); ha'tak (it is a man). Also common, as in other Indian languages, is the practice of omitting consonants and vowels; "issi hakshup" to "issakshup" (deerskin). Choctaw adjective follows its noun, as in "nani patassa", "fish flat" to mean a flat fish.

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