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Glite Dictionary
Seneca language

Seneca language

9.9
A Native American language spoken by the Seneca people in western New York
  • noun
  • /ˈsɛnɪkə ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
translation icon : idioma seneca
  • The museum offers classes in the Seneca language for community members.

Examples

  • Few people today are fluent speakers of the Seneca language.

  • She wrote her thesis on the grammar of the Seneca language.

  • The Seneca language is rich in history.

  • Many young people are learning the Seneca language today.

  • Few people today are fluent speakers of the Seneca language.

  • The museum offers classes in the Seneca language for community members.

  • Many young people are learning the Seneca language today.

Synonyms

Seneca
vsSeneca language
9.9

A language of the Iroquoian people in western New York

focuses on being spoken mainly in western New York State

Surface Forms

Seneca language singular
Seneca languages plural

Morphology

Seneca + language

The meaning 'the language of the Seneca people' is directly and compositionally derived from the constituents 'Seneca' (the group/name) + 'language' (a named spoken or written system). The noun-noun pattern 'X language' is a regular, cross-linguistic way to denote the language of a group, so a B1 learner who knows both words would understand it.

Etymology

Seneca language comes from the name of the Seneca people, a Native American group from western New York. It simply means the language those people speak, so 'Seneca language' refers to their traditional way of speaking.