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| Sahaptin | |
|---|---|
| Ichiskiin | |
| Yakama:Ichishkíin Umatilla:Čiškíin | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Washington,Oregon, andIdaho |
| Ethnicity | 10,000Sahaptins (1977)[1] |
Native speakers | 100–125 (2007)[1] |
Penutian?
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Variously:uma – Umatillawaa – Walla Wallayak – Yakamatqn – Tenino |
qot Sahaptin | |
| Glottolog | saha1240 |
| ELP | Sahaptin |
 Map of Plateau Penutian languages, including Sahaptin | |
 Sahaptin is classified as Severely Endangered by theUNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
Sahaptin (suh-HAP-tin), also calledIchishkiin (ih-chis-KEEN;Umatilla:Čiškíin,Yakama:Ichishkíin Sɨ́nwit), is one of the two-languageSahaptian branch of thePlateau Penutian family spoken in a section of the northwestern plateau along theColumbia River and its tributaries in southern Washington, northern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho, in theUnited States;[2] the other language isNez Perce (Niimi'ipuutímt).
Sahaptin is spoken by various tribes of the Washington Reservations; Yakama, Warm Springs, Umatilla; and also spoken in many smaller communities such asCelilo, Oregon.
TheYakama Nation tribal cultural resources program has been promoting the use of their traditional name of the language,Ichishkíin Sɨ́nwit ('this language'), instead of the Salish-derived name Sahaptin.[3]
Sahaptin is typically known as Ichiskiin in its various dialects.[4] In the Yakama dialect, it is calledIchishkíin Sɨ́nwit, spelled variouslyIchishkíin,Íchishkin,Íchishkink, orChishkíin.[5] In the Umatilla dialect, it is calledČiškíin orIčiškíin.[6]
The words Sahaptin, Shahaptin, and Sahaptian are derived from theColumbia-Moses name for theNez Perce,sħáptənəxʷ.[7] Cognates appear in otherInterior Salishan languages, such asOkanagansʕaptnx 'Nez Perce'[8] orSpokanesaʕáptni 'Nez Perce',[9] indictating the ancient age of the ethnonym. The name Sahaptin has also been spelled "Shahaptin", "Sahapten", "Shahaptian", and "Shawpatin".[10]
The first usage of the word "Sahaptin" dates to 1811, in the journal of fur traderDavid Thompson, who wrote of the "Chief of all the Shawpatin Tribes", referring to the Nez Perce. At the time, "Sahaptin" (and variants) was used to refer to the Nez Perce, while "Walla Walla" was used to refer to the Sahaptin-speaking peoples.Alexander Ross visited a large camp on theWalla Walla River later that year, identifying "theWalla-Wallas, the Shaw Haptens, and theCajouses". In 1844,Horatio Hale wrote of the "Sahaptin or Nez-Perces" language and the "Walawala" language. At the same time, theSnake River was also sometimes called the Sahaptin River, because it led from the Columbia River to the country of the Nez Perce.[10]
In the 1960s, the name "Sahaptin" was used by linguists, but it was rare for Sahaptin speakers to even be aware of the term. Most speakers used the termsIchishkínk (Yakama) orChishkín (Walla Walla and Umatilla), which mean literally "in this way/manner".[10][5]
In theHandbook of North American Indians, Sahaptin was split in the following dialects and dialect clusters:[11]
The charts of consonants and vowels below are used in the Yakima Sahaptin (Ichishkiin) language:[12]
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High | iiː | ɨ | uuː |
| Low | aaː |
Vowels can also be accented (e.g. /á/).
This writing system is used for Umatilla Sahaptin.
| ˀ | a | c | c̓ | č | č̓ | h | i | ɨ | k | k̓ | kʷ |
| k̓ʷ | l | ł | m | n | p | p̓ | q | q̓ | qʷ | q̓ʷ | s |
| š | t | t̓ | ƛ | ƛ̓ | u | w | x | x̣ | xʷ | x̣ʷ | y |
Other works use theYakima practical alphabet.[12]
There are published grammars,[14][11] a recent dictionary,[3] and a corpus of published texts.[15][16]
Sahaptin has asplit ergative syntax, with direct-inverse voicing and several applicative constructions.[17]
Theergative case inflects third-person nominals only when the direct object is first- or second-person (the examples below are from the Umatilla dialect):
The direct-inverse contrast can be elicited with examples such as the following. In the inverse, the transitive direct object is coreferential with the subject in the preceding clause.
| Direct | Inverse |
|---|---|
The inverse (marked by the verbal prefixpá-) retains its transitive status, and a patient nominal is case marked accusative.
ku
and
pá-
ʔiƛ̓iyawi
kill
-ya
-PST
wínš
man
-na
-ACC
kupá- ʔiƛ̓iyawi -ya wínš -na
andINV- kill -PST man -ACC
'and it killed the man' (= 'and the man was killed by it')
A semantic inverse is also marked by the same verbal prefixpá-.
| Direct | Inverse |
|---|---|
In Speech Act Participant (SAP) and third-person transitive involvement, direction marking is as follows:
| Direct | Inverse |
|---|---|
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