Ofo language
- noun
- The Ofo language became extinct in the early twentieth century after its last speakers died.
Examples
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Very few written records of the Ofo language have survived to the present day.
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Linguists have studied the Ofo language to better understand Siouan language relationships.
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The Ofo language is no longer spoken.
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Many scholars study the Ofo language to understand its history.
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The Ofo language became extinct in the early twentieth century after its last speakers died.
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Very few written records of the Ofo language have survived to the present day.
-
Many scholars study the Ofo language to understand its history.
Synonyms
A language no longer spoken that was used by a Native American people in the lower Mississippi Valley
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase 'Ofo language' is fully compositional: 'Ofo' is a proper name referring to the Ofo people/language and 'language' denotes a speech system, so the phrase straightforwardly means the language of the Ofo. This proper-noun + language construction is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning even if the specific language is rare or extinct.
Etymology
Ofo language gets its name from the Ofo people who once lived along the lower Mississippi River. It refers to the speech those people used, which became 'extinct' after the last speakers died, so today Ofo language means that lost language.
