Native to United States Ethnicity 1,700 Kaw (2007) | Region Kansas, Oklahoma ISO 639-3 ksk | |
Extinct early 1980s
a dozen claim to know it (2007) Language family Siouan
Western Siouan
Mississippi Valley
Dhegiha
Kansa–Osage
Kansa | ||
Kansa is a Siouan language of the Dhegihan group once spoken by the Kaw people of Oklahoma. The last mother-tongue speaker, Walter Kekahbah, died in 1983.
Contents
Phonology
Kansa has 30 consonants and 8 vowels.
Consonants
The long consonant sounds /pː tː tʃː kː/ can also be pronounced normally.
Vowels/ Nasal Vowels
Nasal vowels are in parentheses. /a/ and /o/ can also be pronounced as /ə/ and /u/.
Language revitalization
As of 2012, the Kaw Nation offers online language learning for Kansa second language speakers.
The 2nd Annual Dhegiha Gathering in 2012 brought Kansa, Quapaw, Osage, Omaha and Ponca speakers together to share best practices in language revitalization.
References
Kansa language Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA