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Glite Dictionary
Siouan language

Siouan language

9.9
A group of Native American languages that the Sioux and related tribes speak in central North America
  • noun
  • /ˈsuːən ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
  • Specialized
translation icon : lengua sioux
  • The Lakota people communicate using a dialect from the Siouan language family.

Examples

  • The Cheraws spoke a language from the Siouan language family, and they were related to other groups.

    Academic text (2009)

  • The claim that the Sioux lack family names is true from a Western legal perspective, but it overlooks the complex ways in which Siouan languages define kinship relations on a number of levels.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Researchers are documenting the Siouan language spoken by various Native American tribes.

  • Many dictionaries include entries for words derived from the Siouan language family.

Synonyms

Siouan
vsSiouan language
  • Specialized
9.9

A family of Native American languages spoken by the Sioux and related peoples

uses older term and specifies origin in central North America

Surface Forms

Siouan language singular
Siouan languages plural

Morphology

Siouan + language

The phrase simply combines the proper name/adjective 'Siouan' with the noun 'language' to indicate the language (or language family) associated with the Siouan peoples. This is a transparent, cross-linguistic naming pattern (X-language) that a B1 learner who knows both constituent words would readily understand.

Etymology

The name Siouan language comes from the word 'Sioux', the name European settlers used for a large group of Native American tribes. Linguists then used that people-name to label the whole 'family of languages', so Siouan language means the related languages once spoken by the Sioux and nearby tribes.