Omaha-Ponca language
Encyclopedia
Omaha–Ponca is a Siouan language spoken by the Omaha
(Umoⁿhoⁿ) people of Nebraska
and the Ponca
(Paⁿka) people of Oklahoma
and Nebraska
. There are today only 60 speakers of Omaha, and 25 fluent speakers, all over 60; and a handful of semi-fluent speakers of Ponca. The two dialects differ minimally but are considered distinct languages by their speakers.
Consonants are written as in the IPA in school programs, apart from the alveopalatals j, ch, chʰ, zh, sh, shʼ, the glottal stop ’, the voiced velar fricative gh, and the dental approximant th. Historically, this th has also been written dh, ð, ¢, and the sh and x as c and q; the tenuis stops p t ch k have either been written upside-down or double (pp, kk, etc.). These latter unusual conventions serve to distinguish these sounds from the p t ch k of other Siouan languages, which are not specified for voicing and so may sound like either Omaha–Ponca p t ch k or b d j g.
One consonant, sometimes written l or th, is a velarized lateral approximant
with interdental
release, [ɫᶞ], found for example in ní btháska [ˌnĩ ˈbɫᶞaska] "flat water" (Platte River
), the source of the name Nebraska
. It varies freely from [ɫ] to a light [ð̞], and derives historically from Siouan *r.
Initial consonant clusters include approximates, as in /blᶞ/ and /ɡlᶞ/.
Ponca definite articles indicate inanimate, number, position and number
{| class="wikitable IPA" style=”text-align:center”
|-
! morphological ending
! gloss meaning
|-
| -kʰ
| for inanimate horizontal object
|-
| -tʰe
| for inanimate standing object
|-
| -ða
| for inanimate round object
|-
| akʰá
| for singular animate agent
|-
| -amá
| for singular animate agent in motion or plural
|-
| -tʰa
| for animate singular patient in standing position
|-
| ði
| for animate singular patient in motion
|-
| -ma
| for animate plural patient in motion
|-
| -ðikʰé
| for animate singular patient in sitting position
|-
| -ðikʰá
| for animate plural patient in sitting position
|}
Omaha (tribe)
The Omaha are a federally recognized Native American nation which lives on the Omaha Reservation in northeastern Nebraska and western Iowa, United States...
(Umoⁿhoⁿ) people of Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
and the Ponca
Ponca
The Ponca are a Native American people of the Dhegihan branch of the Siouan-language group. There are two federally recognized Ponca tribes: the Ponca Tribe of Nebraska and the Ponca Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma...
(Paⁿka) people of Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
and Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. There are today only 60 speakers of Omaha, and 25 fluent speakers, all over 60; and a handful of semi-fluent speakers of Ponca. The two dialects differ minimally but are considered distinct languages by their speakers.
Consonants
| Labial | Dental | Alveopalatal | Velar | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal stop | m | n | |||
| Voiced stop | b | d | dʒ | ɡ | |
| Tenuis stop | p | t | tʃ | k | ʔ |
| Aspirated stop | pʰ | tʰ | tʃʰ | kʰ | |
| Ejective stop | pʼ | tʼ | |||
| Voiced fricative | z | ʒ | ɣ | ||
| Tenuis fricative | s | ʃ | x | ||
| Glottalized fricative | sʼ | ʃʼ | xʼ | ||
| Approximant | w | lᶞ | h |
Consonants are written as in the IPA in school programs, apart from the alveopalatals j, ch, chʰ, zh, sh, shʼ, the glottal stop ’, the voiced velar fricative gh, and the dental approximant th. Historically, this th has also been written dh, ð, ¢, and the sh and x as c and q; the tenuis stops p t ch k have either been written upside-down or double (pp, kk, etc.). These latter unusual conventions serve to distinguish these sounds from the p t ch k of other Siouan languages, which are not specified for voicing and so may sound like either Omaha–Ponca p t ch k or b d j g.
One consonant, sometimes written l or th, is a velarized lateral approximant
Velarized alveolar lateral approximant
-See also:* Lateral consonant* Velarization* l-vocalization* Ł...
with interdental
Interdental consonant
Interdental consonants are produced by placing the blade of the tongue against the upper incisors...
release, [ɫᶞ], found for example in ní btháska [ˌnĩ ˈbɫᶞaska] "flat water" (Platte River
Platte River
The Platte River is a major river in the state of Nebraska and is about long. Measured to its farthest source via its tributary the North Platte River, it flows for over . The Platte River is a tributary of the Missouri River, which in turn is a tributary of the Mississippi River which flows to...
), the source of the name Nebraska
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. It varies freely from [ɫ] to a light [ð̞], and derives historically from Siouan *r.
Initial consonant clusters include approximates, as in /blᶞ/ and /ɡlᶞ/.
Vowels
The simple vowels are /a, e, i, u/, plus a few words with /o/ in men's speech. Nasal vowels are /ĩ/ and /õ/; the latter ranges across [ã] ~ [õ] ~ [ũ] and is written ⟨oⁿ⟩ in Omaha and ⟨aⁿ⟩ in Ponca.Tone
Omaha/Ponca is a tonal language that utilizes downstep (accent) or a lowering process that applies to the second of two high-tone syllables. A downstepped high tone would be slightly lower than the preceding high tone.”: wathátʰe /walᶞaꜜtʰe/ "food", wáthatʰe /waꜜlᶞatʰe/ "table". Vowel length is distinctive in accented syllables, though it is often not written: [nãːꜜde] "heart", [nãꜜde] "(inside) wall".Morphology
Omaha Ponca language adds endings to its definite articles to indicate inanimate, number, position and number.Ponca definite articles indicate inanimate, number, position and number
{| class="wikitable IPA" style=”text-align:center”
|-
! morphological ending
! gloss meaning
|-
| -kʰ
| for inanimate horizontal object
|-
| -tʰe
| for inanimate standing object
|-
| -ða
| for inanimate round object
|-
| akʰá
| for singular animate agent
|-
| -amá
| for singular animate agent in motion or plural
|-
| -tʰa
| for animate singular patient in standing position
|-
| ði
| for animate singular patient in motion
|-
| -ma
| for animate plural patient in motion
|-
| -ðikʰé
| for animate singular patient in sitting position
|-
| -ðikʰá
| for animate plural patient in sitting position
|}