Houma (Houma: ''uma'') is a

Western Muskogean language Muskogean (also Muskhogean, Muskogee) is a Native American language family spoken in different areas of the Southeastern United States. Though the debate concerning their interrelationships is ongoing, the Muskogean languages are generally div ...

that was spoken in the Central and Lower Mississippi Valley by the indigenous

Houma people The Houma () are a historic Native American people of Louisiana on the east side of the Red River of the South. Their descendants, the Houma people or organization "The United Houma Nation", have been recognized by the state as a tribe since 1 ...

. There are currently no native speakers; however, efforts continue to bring the Houma language back to its people through a group of dedicated Houma persons and linguists, the Houma Language Project. The Indigenous Houma language is thought to have fallen out of use by the late 19th century due to European-American encroachment. In 1907,

John R. Swanton John Reed Swanton (February 19, 1873 – May 2, 1958) was an American anthropologist, folklorist, and linguist who worked with Native American peoples throughout the United States. Swanton achieved recognition in the fields of ethnology and et ...

interviewed an elderly Houma woman to collect vocabulary from the Houma language. As a result of a

language shift Language shift, also known as language transfer or language replacement or language assimilation, is the process whereby a speech community shifts to a different language, usually over an extended period of time. Often, languages that are percei ...

that began during the French colonial period and trading in Louisiana, most Houma people today speak

Louisiana French Louisiana French ( frc, français de la Louisiane; lou, françé la lwizyàn) is an umbrella term for the dialects and varieties of the French language spoken traditionally by French Louisianians in colonial Lower Louisiana. As of today Louisi ...

, while

American English American English, sometimes called United States English or U.S. English, is the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States. English is the most widely spoken language in the United States and in most circumstances i ...

is also widely used. In light of their distinct society and isolated geography, as many as 3,000 mostly elderly people living on Houma tribal lands in the Lafourche Basin are believed to be monolingual speakers of French. More recently, efforts have been made to collect vocabulary and grammar from elders to revitalize the language.

Classification

Based on a list gathered by Swanton of seventy-five words and three sentences, linguists have concluded that the Houma spoke a Western

Muskogean Muskogean (also Muskhogean, Muskogee) is a Native American language family spoken in different areas of the Southeastern United States. Though the debate concerning their interrelationships is ongoing, the Muskogean languages are generally div ...

language (akin to Choctaw or

Chickasaw The Chickasaw ( ) are an indigenous people of the Southeastern Woodlands. Their traditional territory was in the Southeastern United States of Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee as well in southwestern Kentucky. Their language is classif ...

Classification

Modern Houma phonology

Vowels

Consonants

References

Further reading