550 Da~ota Verbs Preface Da~ota Alphabet, IT Sounds, and Orthography Conjugation Forms 5 7 Conjugated VerbsA-Z 11 Da~ota-English/Wasicu Word List 145 English/Wasicu-Da~ota Word List 161 Appendix "Verbs" excerpt from John P. Williamson, An English-Dakota Dictionary (1902) 177 Preface Centuries of pressures and incentives to speak English have severely reduced the number of speakers of tribal languages in the United States and Canada. Numerous native languages are on the verge of disappearing with their last elderly speakers, and many others are not far behind. Fewer and fewer D~ota people-most in Minnesota, Canada, North and South Dakota, northern Nebraska, and northeastern Montana-speak their language at home. In Minnesota's four D~ota communities, less than thirty elders whose first language was D~ota are alive today. Perhaps 6,000 others in the region can converse in the language or speak on some level. In D~ota communities and in the larger population, the language nevertheless remains a strong symbol of identity. But loss oflanguage can mean loss of cultural knowledge. The D~ota language offers access to a different-a D~ota reality. For this reason, the language is again being taught to young children and high school and college students and in community settings. D~ota is different from English in both grammar and vocabulary. It has sounds and letters that are unfamiliar. Where English may label things with different words, D~ota may use a single term -or vice versa. Words that are adjectives in English may be verbs in D~ota. Verbs are the heart of our language. Because D~ota was spoken, not written, very few word and grammar books are available to learners. That is why we have compiled and conjugated this list of 550 common and not so common verbs. We invite speakers to submit new verbs to us so that we will one day have a book of 1,000 D~ota verbs. Please send information to Neil McKay, Department of American Indian Studies, University of Minnesota, 2 Scott Hall, 72 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (
[email protected]). Students of the D~ota language, we hope you will find that this book of verbs helps your journey. Always remember that the best way to learn D~ota is to visit with a speaker. Hena owas Da~ota iapi okihipi ki1J wopida ta1Jka u1Jkeniciyapi do. Ho hecetu! Harlan LaFontaine ($u1Jkmanitu Hota1Jka) Neil McKay ((;a1Jtemaza ) South Dakota Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux North Dakota Spirit Lake D~ota ix Introduction This book of verbs is created for students of the D~ota language. It will help them see the patterns in D~ota verb conjugation and make D~ota easier