Massachusett language
Encyclopedia
The Massachusett language was a Native American language, a member of the Algonquian
language family. It is also known as Wôpanâak (Wampanoag), Natick, and Pokanoket.
Massachusett was spoken by the Massachusett
and the Wampanoag nations of Native Americans
, who lived in the area of present-day Boston
, on Cape Cod
, and on the islands of Martha's Vineyard
and Nantucket, Massachusetts
. Massachusett was one of the first Native American languages which English settlers learned, and the first Bible published in the colony was a translation in Massachusett, in 1663.
Massachusett is the first Native American language to be revived in the United States after its last speakers had died; the work has been led since 1993 by Jessie Little Doe Baird and the Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project.
published in North America
was a translation of the entire Bible into Massachusett; translated and printed in 1663 by John Eliot
, a missionary associated with the Indian College at Harvard. He followed with a primer in 1669, and a second edition of the Bible in 1685. Eliot's missionary work led to literacy
among the Wampanoag, who left many wills, deeds, and other documents written in Massachusett using the orthography
he introduced. As a result of the tradition of literacy, Massachusett has a much richer documentation than many other extinct Native American languages.
The Lord's Prayer
in Massachusett:
(MIT) in 2000, and has compiled an 10,000-word dictionary, as well as developed a Wampanoag grammar (see below).
This is the first time in the United States that a language has been revived after the death of all native speakers, and in 2010 Baird was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her leadership. The work of the Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Language Reclamation Project has been documented in the film, We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân, by the filmmaker Anne Makepeace; it is being shown on PBS local stations at different dates during November 2011.
The work has been a collaboration among members of The Assonet Band of Wampanoag, The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah and the Herring Pond Band of Wampanoag. They are training adult facilitators to teach young children and develop a curriculum; the long-term goal is to establish a school in Wôpanâak.
s /p/, /t/, /c/, /t͡ʃ/, and /k/; fricative
s /s/ and /ʃ/; nasal
s /m/ and /n/; and semivowel
s /w/ and /j/. The short vowels were /a/ and /ə/, and the long vowels were /iː/, /uː/, /aː/, and /ãː/.
Algonquian languages
The Algonquian languages also Algonkian) are a subfamily of Native American languages which includes most of the languages in the Algic language family. The name of the Algonquian language family is distinguished from the orthographically similar Algonquin dialect of the Ojibwe language, which is a...
language family. It is also known as Wôpanâak (Wampanoag), Natick, and Pokanoket.
Massachusett was spoken by the Massachusett
Massachusett
The Massachusett are a tribe of Native Americans who lived in areas surrounding Massachusetts Bay in what is now the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, in particular present-day Greater Boston; they spoke the Massachusett language...
and the Wampanoag nations of Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, who lived in the area of present-day Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, and on the islands of Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
and Nantucket, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. Massachusett was one of the first Native American languages which English settlers learned, and the first Bible published in the colony was a translation in Massachusett, in 1663.
Massachusett is the first Native American language to be revived in the United States after its last speakers had died; the work has been led since 1993 by Jessie Little Doe Baird and the Wampanoag Language Reclamation Project.
Early translation
The first BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
published in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
was a translation of the entire Bible into Massachusett; translated and printed in 1663 by John Eliot
John Eliot (missionary)
John Eliot was a Puritan missionary to the American Indians. His efforts earned him the designation “the Indian apostle.”-English education and Massachusetts ministry:...
, a missionary associated with the Indian College at Harvard. He followed with a primer in 1669, and a second edition of the Bible in 1685. Eliot's missionary work led to literacy
Literacy
Literacy has traditionally been described as the ability to read for knowledge, write coherently and think critically about printed material.Literacy represents the lifelong, intellectual process of gaining meaning from print...
among the Wampanoag, who left many wills, deeds, and other documents written in Massachusett using the orthography
Orthography
The orthography of a language specifies a standardized way of using a specific writing system to write the language. Where more than one writing system is used for a language, for example Kurdish, Uyghur, Serbian or Inuktitut, there can be more than one orthography...
he introduced. As a result of the tradition of literacy, Massachusett has a much richer documentation than many other extinct Native American languages.
The Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
in Massachusett:
- Nooshun kesukqut, wunneetupantamuch koowesuounk. Peyamooutch kukkeitasootamounk. Toh anantaman ne n-naj okheit, neane kesukqut. Asekesukokish petukqunnegash assaminnean yeu kesukok. Ahquontamaiinnean nummatcheseongatch, neane matchenehikqueagig nutahquontamanóunonog. Ahque sagkompaguninnean en qutchhuaonganit, webe pohquohwussinnan wutch matchitut. Newutche keitassootamoonk, kutahtauun, menuhkesuonk, sohsumoonk micheme kah micheme. Amen.
Revival
Since 1993 Jessie Little Doe Baird, a Mashpee Wampanoag, has led the effort to revive the language within the Wampanoag nation more than a century after it was last spoken. She earned a Master's in Algonquian Linguistics at the Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyMassachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) in 2000, and has compiled an 10,000-word dictionary, as well as developed a Wampanoag grammar (see below).
This is the first time in the United States that a language has been revived after the death of all native speakers, and in 2010 Baird was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for her leadership. The work of the Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Language Reclamation Project has been documented in the film, We Still Live Here - Âs Nutayuneân, by the filmmaker Anne Makepeace; it is being shown on PBS local stations at different dates during November 2011.
The work has been a collaboration among members of The Assonet Band of Wampanoag, The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah and the Herring Pond Band of Wampanoag. They are training adult facilitators to teach young children and develop a curriculum; the long-term goal is to establish a school in Wôpanâak.
Phonology
As reconstructed by Algonquianists, Massachusett had 11 consonants, two short vowels, and four long vowels. The consonants consisted of the stopStop consonant
In phonetics, a plosive, also known as an occlusive or an oral stop, is a stop consonant in which the vocal tract is blocked so that all airflow ceases. The occlusion may be done with the tongue , lips , and &...
s /p/, /t/, /c/, /t͡ʃ/, and /k/; fricative
Fricative consonant
Fricatives are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. These may be the lower lip against the upper teeth, in the case of ; the back of the tongue against the soft palate, in the case of German , the final consonant of Bach; or...
s /s/ and /ʃ/; nasal
Nasal consonant
A nasal consonant is a type of consonant produced with a lowered velum in the mouth, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. Examples of nasal consonants in English are and , in words such as nose and mouth.- Definition :...
s /m/ and /n/; and semivowel
Semivowel
In phonetics and phonology, a semivowel is a sound, such as English or , that is phonetically similar to a vowel sound but functions as the syllable boundary rather than as the nucleus of a syllable.-Classification:...
s /w/ and /j/. The short vowels were /a/ and /ə/, and the long vowels were /iː/, /uː/, /aː/, and /ãː/.
External links
- The Wôpanâak (Wampanoag) Language Reclamation Project
- Wampanoag Language and the Wampanoag Indian Tribe, (general information and links)
- Fermino, Jessie Little Doe (2000): An Introduction to Wampanoag Grammar, MIT
- "Algonquian Texts" (features many Wampanoag texts, including the bulk of the Eliot bible and subsequent missionary writings), University of Massachusetts
- Eliot, "Translation of the Book of Genesis, 1655, Kings Collection
- Trumbull, James Hammond (1903). Natick Dictionary, Washington, DC: Government Printing Office (Washington) (also at the Internet Archive)
- Eliot, John (1666): The Indian Grammar Begun. Cambridge: Marmaduke Johnson.
- Eliot, John (1709): The Massachuset Psalter or, Psalms of David with the Gospel according to John. Boston, N.E: Company for Propagation of the Gospel in New England.
- "A glance back at America’s first bible", Cotton Boll Conspiracy blog, 19 September 2011, scanned image of Eliot Bible page