About the Choctaw Language
The Choctaw are from the Mississippian region of the United States, specifically Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi. Their language bears a striking similarity to Latin-based languages and is therefore easier to learn than some Native American languages. The Choctaw language evolved slightly with the tribe's removal to Oklahoma from their native Mississippi. Naming traditions incorporated vocabulary meanings and were extremely important in Choctaw culture.
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Geography
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The Choctaw are a Muskogean tribe. The Choctaw tribe inhabited the Mississippi valley, including parts of Louisiana and Alabama. British exploration in the 1700s first began encourage the Choctaws to move west. In 1830, they were sent further west to Oklahoma, on the Trail of Tears, to live on government reservations.
The Facts
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The Choctaw language is unusual in its similarity to Latin based languages such as English, Spanish and French. Choctaw is a phonetically based language with complex linguistic structures. The verb usage follows the Latin structure by including various subject forms (I, you, plural you, plural I). Verb tenses include the past, present and future tenses. This similarity to English enabled English speakers, such as missionaries at the reservations, to translate school and religious materials easily into the Choctaw language.
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Features
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A common feature to Muskogean tribal languages is complex use of patterns in inflections, word derivation and linguistic composition. The Choctaw use a phonetic alphabet consisting of 18 individual letters and three letter combinations including: Ch, Hi, and Sh. Many of the letters are close to the English pronunciations. Even the unsual Hi combination is the same sound found in the English word "think" where the h and i connect. The language includes two diphthongs: AI and AU.
Evolution
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Like any other language over a span of time, the Choctaw language has evolved slightly. The most significant difference is the creation of two distinct dialects between the Choctaw people who were removed to Oklahoma and the Choctaw who remained in Mississippi. Minor changes occurred in the language due to the geographic expanse between the two groups. Some words have different pronunciations and different structures have evolved.
Expert Insight
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As in many Native American cultures, naming was a ritual and an honored tradition for the Choctaw people. Children were usually given names to represent animals or certain things that happened to them in their childhood. When girls became adult women, the tribe held a ritual to give them their adult name. Men, however, earned their names based on courage and skills shown when fighting or hunting. Also, a name earned to represent strength or courage could be renamed if the Choctaw individual proved to be a coward or did something dishonorable.
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