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Glite Dictionary
Sahaptin language

Sahaptin language

9.9
A Native American language spoken by Sahaptin people in the Pacific Northwest
  • noun
  • Specialized
: idioma sahaptin
  • He is helping to preserve the Sahaptin language by recording traditional stories from elders.

Examples

  • Linguists have documented several dialects of the Sahaptin language in Washington and Oregon.

  • The Sahaptin language is still spoken by some members of the Yakama Nation today.

  • The Sahaptin language is rich in history.

  • Many children in the region learn the Sahaptin language at school.

  • He is helping to preserve the Sahaptin language by recording traditional stories from elders.

  • Linguists have documented several dialects of the Sahaptin language in Washington and Oregon.

  • The Sahaptin language is still spoken by some members of the Yakama Nation today.

Synonyms

Sahaptin
vsSahaptin language
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A Native American language spoken in the inland Pacific Northwest of the United States

is tied to one named indigenous people rather than several tribes

Surface Forms

Sahaptin language singular
Sahaptin languages plural

Morphology

Sahaptin + language

The meaning is directly compositional: 'Sahaptin' names the people or ethnic group and 'language' denotes the speech system, so a learner who knows both constituents will infer 'the language of the Sahaptin people.' This noun+language naming pattern is cross-linguistically common and follows standard English modifier+noun composition, making it transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Sahaptin language comes from the name of the people called Sahaptin, a Native American group in the Pacific Northwest. The word 'Sahaptin' may come from a name used by nearby groups, so Sahaptin language simply means 'the language spoken by the Sahaptin people'.