Powhatan language
| Powhatan | |
|---|---|
| Region | Eastern Virginia |
| Extinct | Early 17th century |
Algic
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | alg |
| ISO 639-3 | pim |
Powhatan or Virginia Algonquian is an extinct Eastern Algonquian language that was spoken by the Powhatan people of tidewater Virginia until the early 17th century.[citation needed]
What little is known of it is by way of wordlists recorded by William Strachey and Captain John Smith. Smith also reported a pidgin form of Powhatan, but next to nothing is known of it.[1]
For the film The New World, Blair Rudes, a specialist in past and present American Indian languages from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, attempted a reconstruction of the language from these wordlists and knowledge of other Algonquian languages. [2]
Notes
- ^ Campbell (2000): p. 20.
- ^ "'New World' Film Revives Extinct Native American Tongue", Stefan Lovgren, National Geographic News", January 20, 2006
References
- Campbell, Lyle (2000). American Indian Languages: The Historical Linguistics of Native America. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-514050-8.
External links
- A Dead Indian Language Is Brought Back to Life accessed 12 December 2006 (with audio clips)
- How a linguist revived ‘New World’ language accessed 16 April 2006.
- UNC Charlotte linguist restores lost language, culture for 'The New World' accessed 16 April 2006.
- Native Languages of the Americas: Powhatan
- Online version of both Strachey & Smith's word lists accessed 05 Nov 2006.
- audio clip of reconstructed language
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