Narragansett language

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The Narragansett language (also Narraganset ) is an Algonquin language that was spoken by the Narragansett ethnic group in what is now the US state of Rhode Island until the 19th century . It is mainly documented by a phrasebook by Roger Williams from 1643.

Differentiation from other Algonquin languages

Settlement areas of the ethnic groups with Southern New England Algonquian languages ​​in the early 17th century

Narragansett is one of the Southern New England Algonquian (SNEA) languages ​​within the Eastern Algonquian languages . Eng primarily is related Pequot Mohegan the Pequot , Mohegan , Niantic and Montaukett which, like the Narragansett said "Y dialects" and so assumed Ur-East Algonquin * r as y [⁠ j ⁠] realized. Closely related, the Massachusett language of the Massachusett and Wampanoag in the area of Massachusetts , which, however, sound as "N-dialect" as the corresponding n realized. In both dialect groups, however, there is a tendency to nasalize vowels. The Munsee the Lenape other hand, is an "R-dialect" and Nipmuck an "L-dialect". So the word for "dog" (Ur-Ost-Algonquin * arum ) is in Narragansett ayim and in Mohegan ayum , in Massachusett on the other hand annúm and in Nipmuck alùm .

history

The Narraganset were among the first ethnic groups in North America to come into contact with English settlers in the early 17th century. Due to their relative isolation on the islands of Narragansett Bay, the Narraganset were not affected by the devastating epidemic of the Wampanoag from 1616 to 1619. After the Pequot was almost extinct by the English settlers in the Pequot War , the Narragansett was the most widely spoken language in southern New England for a few decades. This situation ended with the extensive extermination of the ethnic group by the English in " King Philip's War ", with less than 500 of about 6000 Narraganset remaining before the war, while about 3000 died, 1500 were enslaved and 1000 were among other ethnic groups ( Mohegan , Pequot , Oneida ) found refuge where they adopted the local languages. The majority of the Narragansett that remained in Rhode Island were settled on a reservation near Charlestown , the size of which was gradually reduced over time. Over time, they adopted the English language while the indigenous language became extinct. Members of the ethnic group still live there today; In 1975 they got some land back. There is no information about the date of the extinction of the Narragansett language.

Linguistic monuments and reconstruction of the language

Roger Williams , who in 1636 bought Narragansett land and founded the Providence Plantation of Rhode Island with fellow believers fleeing persecution by the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony , mastered the language and described it in a phrasebook A Key into the Language of America , published in 1643 (German: key to the language of America). Williams uses the tribal name Nanhigganeuck , among other things , but gives the Narrogánset dialect as the main basis of his phrasebook, which is intended as "an aid to the language of the natives in the part of America called New England" . Since Roger Williams advocated baptism and religious freedom and therefore rejected mass baptisms and coercion against the indigenous people, in Rhode Island, unlike the Natick and Wampanoag Indians in Massachusetts, no prayer cities were established. There was also no comprehensive literacy of the indigenous peoples, which is why there is hardly any other written evidence of the language and one is largely dependent on Williams' phrasebook for its reconstruction. However, according to the indigenous linguist Frank Waabu O'Brien (Moondancer), who teaches the Narragansett language for the Aquidneck Indian Council, the Narragansett phrasebook has one major advantage over the much more extensive texts in the Massachusetts language: it is about dialogue situations that come much closer to the real language use and cultural background of the indigenous people than the translation of the Bible and the religious treatises by John Eliot . Moondancer is working on a revival program (Massachusett-Narragansett Revival Program) which, due to the similarity of the idioms, is based on a common "Massachusett-Narragansett language". He emphasizes that Narragansett was understood throughout New England and that experts consider Massachusett and Narragansett to be dialects of a language, as expressed in the formulations in Williams' phrasebook. As he shows in a diagram, the linguistic monuments of both idioms are useful for the reconstruction of this language.

Loanwords in English

A number of English terms probably originate from the Narraganset language, although they could also have their origin from closely related neighboring languages ​​with approximately the same sound. These include, for example, quahog ( Northern clam : Mercenaria mercenaria ), papoose (Indian infant), powwow (Indian festival), squash (type of pumpkin) and succotash (dish made from beans and corn), as well as the terms sachem (chief) and wampum ( Ribbon that also served as currency).

literature

  • Roger Williams : A Key into the Language of America: or, An help to the Language of the Natives in that part of America, called New-England, etc. Gregory Dexter, London 1643, reprint of the 5th edition with an introduction by Howard M. Chapin, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations Tercentenary Committee (1936) of Applewood Books, Bedford [1997], ISBN 1-55709-464-0 . Full text in Google Book Search, online at archive.org
  • DJ Costa: The Dialectology of Southern New England Algonquian . In: HC Wolfart (Ed.): Papers of the 38th Algonquian Conference. Pp. 81-127. University of Manitoba Press, Winnipeg (Manitoba) 2007.
  • Ives Goddard : Eastern Algonquian Languages . In: Bruce G. Trigger (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians , Volume 15. The Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC (1978).
  • Moondancer, Strong Woman: Bringing Back Our Lost Language . American Indian Culture and Research Journal, 1998, 22 (3), pp. 215-222.
  • Moondancer, Strong Woman: A Cultural History of the Native Peoples of Southern New England: Voices from Past and Present , Bauu Press, Boulder (Colorado) 2007. ISBN 0-9721349-3-X
  • Willard B. Walker: Native Writing Systems . In: Ives Goddard (Ed.): Handbook of North American Indians , Volume 17. The Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC 1997.
  • George Francis Aubin: A Historical Phonology of Narragansett . Brown University, Providence (Rhode Island) 1972 - 182 pages
  • George Francis Aubin: More on Narragansett Keesuckquand . International Journal of American Linguistics 41 (1975): 239-40.
  • George Francis Aubin: Narragansett Color Terms . Pp. 105-114 in: William Cowan (Ed.): Papers of the 7th Algonquian Conference. Carleton University, Ottawa 1975.
  • George Francis Aubin: Quelques aspects du système consonantique du narragansett . Pp. 151–155 in: William Cowan (Ed.): Actes du 8e Congrès des Algonquinistes, Carleton University, Ottawa 1976.
  • William Cowan: General Treat's Vocabulary of Narragansett. In Papers of the Thirteenth Algonquian Conference. Ottawa: Carleton University, 1982.
  • William Cowan: PA * a, * k and * t in Narragansett. International Journal of American Linguistics 35 (1969): 28-33.
  • William Cowan: Narragansett 126 Years After . International Journal of American Linguistics 39 (1973) (1): 7-13.
  • Eric P. Hamp : On Nasalization in Narragansett. International Journal of American Linguistics 36 (1970): 58-9.
  • Shelley Mierle: Further Evidence Regarding the Intrusive Nasal in Narragansett. International Journal of American Linguistics 41 (1975): 78-80.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eric P. Hamp (1970), Shelley Mierle (1975).
  2. ↑ DJ Costa (2007), pp. 84-106.
  3. ^ Capers Jones: The History and Future of Narragansett Bay. Universal Publishers, Boca Raton (Florida) 2006. ISBN 1-58112-911-4 . Pp. 118-130.
  4. ↑ Ethnologue: Narragansett (xnt)
  5. ^ Roger Williams : A Key into the Language of America: or, An help to the Language of the Natives in that part of America, called New-England, etc. Gregory Dexter, London 1643 ( online at archive.org ).
  6. ↑ Roger Williams (1643), foreword (p. N14 at archive.org).
  7. ↑ Roger Williams (1643), foreword (p. N23 at archive.org).
  8. ↑ Dr. Frank Waabu O'Brien: Bringing Back Our Lost Language . Retrieved November 11, 2012.

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