Tongva language

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The Tongva language (also known as the Gabrieliño language) is an Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Tongva, a Native American people who live in and around Los Angeles, California. Tongva is closely related to several other indigenous languages of the area, including the Cahuilla language and the Serrano language.

Modern Southern Californian place-names from Tongva include: Pacoima, Tujunga, Topanga, Azusa, the Cahuenga in Cahuenga Pass and the Cucamonga in Rancho Cucamonga.

The Tongva language is primarily documented in the unpublished early-20th century fieldnotes of John Peabody Harrington. The last native speaker of the Tongva language is said to have died in the 1970s. Modern Tongva are attempting to revive the language, using written vocabularies and comparisons to the closely related Cahuilla language.

Contents

[edit] Some Tongva words

[edit] Collected by C. Hart Merriam (1903)[1]

(Merriam refers to them as the Tongvā)

Numbers
  1. Po-koo
  2. Wěh-hā
  3. Pah-hā
  4. Wah-chah
  5. Mah-har
  6. Pah-vah-hā
  7. Wah-chah-kav-e-ah
  8. Wa-ha's-wah-chah
  9. Mah-ha'hr-kav-e-ah
  10. Wa-hās-mah-hah'r
  11. Wa-hā's-mah-hah'r-koi-po-koo
  12. Wa-hā's-mah-hah'r-koi-wěh-hā
grizzly bear
hoó-nahr
hoon-nah (subject)
hoon-rah (object)
black bear
pí-yah-hó-naht

[edit] Collected by Alexander Taylor (1860)[1]

Numbers
  1. po-koo
  2. wa-hay
  3. pa-hey
  4. wat-sa
  5. mahar
  6. pawahe
  7. wat-sa-kabiya
  8. wa-hish-watchsa
  9. mahar-cabearka
  10. wa-hish-mar

Taylor claims "they do not count farther than ten"

bear
hoo-nar

[edit] Collected by Dr. Oscar Loew (1875)[1]

Numbers
  1. pu-gu'
  2. ve-he'
  3. pa'-hi
  4. va-tcha'
  5. maha'r
  6. pa-va'he
  7. vatcha'-kabya'
  8. vehesh-vatcha'
  9. mahar-kabya'
  10. vehes-mahar
  11. puku-hurura
  12. vehe-hurura
bear
unar

[edit] Collected by Charles Wilkes, USN (1838-1842)[1]

Numbers
  1. pukū
  2. wehē
  3. pāhe
  4. watsā
bear
hundr

[edit] External link

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d McCawley, William. The First Angelinos: The Gabrielino Indians of Los Angeles. Malki Museum Press, 1996


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