Sahaptian languages

Sahaptian (also Sahaptianic, Sahaptin, Shahaptian) is a sub-grouping of two languages of the Plateau Penutian family spoken by Native American peoples in the Columbia Plateau region of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the northwestern United States.

Family division

Sahaptian includes 2 languages

1. Nez Perce (aka Nez Percé, Nezperce)

• Upper Nez Perce
• Lower Nez Perce

2. Sahaptin (Sħáptənəxw)

• Northern Sahaptin group

• Northwest Sahaptin dialect cluster
• Northeast Sahaptin dialect cluster

• Southern Sahaptin group (aka Columbia River cluster)

Nez Perce has two main varieties (Upper and Lower). Sahaptin has considerably greater internal diversity with several different varieties.

Note that the terms Sahaptian (the family) and Sahaptin (the language) have often been confused and used interchangeably in the literature.

Tribes

• Upper Cowlitz or Taidnapam
• Kittitas (Upper Yakima)
• Klickitat
• Nez Percé
  • Nez Percé language
• Palus (Palouse)
• Pshwanwapam (Pswanwapam)
• Skinpah (Skin)
• Tenino (Warmsprings)
• Tygh (Upper Deschutes)
• Umatilla
• Walla Walla
• Wanapum
• Wauyukma
• Wyam (Lower Deschutes)
• Yakama

Bibliography

• Aoki, Haruo. (1966). Nez Percé vowel harmony and proto-Sahaptian vowels. Language, 42, 759-767.
• Aoki, Haruo. (1970). Nez Percé grammar. University of California publications in linguistics (Vol. 62). Berkeley: University of California Press. ISBN 0-520-09259-7.
• Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.
• Rigsby, Bruce. (1965). Continuity and change in Sahaptian vowel systems. International Journal of American Linguistics, 31, 306-311.
• Rigsby, Bruce; & Silverstein, Michael. (1969). Nez Percé vowels and proto-Sahaptian vowel harmony. Language, 45, 45-59.