The Iroquoian languages () are a language family of

indigenous peoples of North America In the Americas, Indigenous peoples comprise the two continents' pre-Columbian inhabitants, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with them in the 15th century, as well as the ethnic groups that identify with the pre-Columbian population of ...

. They are known for their general lack of

labial consonant Labial consonants are consonants in which one or both lips are the active articulator. The two common labial articulations are bilabials, articulated using both lips, and labiodentals, articulated with the lower lip against the upper teeth, b ...

s. The Iroquoian languages are

polysynthetic In linguistic typology, polysynthetic languages, formerly holophrastic languages, are highly synthetic languages, i.e., languages in which words are composed of many morphemes (word parts that have independent meaning but may or may not be able t ...

and head-marking. As of 2020, almost all surviving Iroquoian languages are severely or critically

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...

, with some languages having only a few elderly speakers remaining. The two languages with the most speakers, Mohawk (Kenien'kéha) in New York and Canada, and

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

in Oklahoma and North Carolina, are spoken by less than 10% of the populations of their nations. Iroquoian_map_close_up

Family division

*Iroquoian **Northern Iroquoian ***(Lake Iroquoian) ****Iroquois Proper (Five Nations) ***** Seneca (severely endangered) ***** Cayuga (severely endangered) ***** Onondaga (severely endangered) *****

Susquehannock The Susquehannock, also known as the Conestoga, Minquas, and Andaste, were an Iroquoian Peoples, Iroquoian people who lived in the lower Susquehanna River watershed in what is now Pennsylvania. Their name means “people of the muddy river.” T ...

or Conestoga *****Mohawk–Oneida ****** Oneida (severely endangered) ****** Mohawk ****Huronian ***** Huron-Wyandot ***** Petun (Tobacco) ***Tuscarora–Nottoway **** Tuscarora **** Meherrin **** Nottoway ***Unclassified ****

Wenrohronon The Wenrohronon or Wenro people were an Iroquoian indigenous nation of North America, originally residing in present-day western New York (and possibly fringe portions of northern & northwestern Pennsylvania), who were conquered by the Confe ...

or Wenro **** Neutral **** Erie **** Laurentian **** Scahentoarrhonon **Southern Iroquoian/

***South Carolina-Georgia dialect ( Lower dialect) ***North Carolina dialect ( Middle or Kituwah dialect) (severely endangered) ***Oklahoma dialect ( Overhill or Western dialect) (definitely endangered) — language extinct/dormant Evidence is emerging that what has been called the '' Laurentian'' language appears to be more than one dialect or language. Ethnographic and linguistic field work with the Wyandot tribal elders ( Barbeau 1960) yielded enough documentation for scholars to characterize and classify the Huron and Petun languages. The languages of the tribes that constituted the tiny

, the powerful Conestoga Confederacy and the confederations of the

Neutral Nation The Neutral Confederacy (also Neutral Nation, Neutral people, or ) was a tribal confederation of Iroquoian peoples. Its heartland was in the floodplain of the Grand River in what is now Ontario, Canada. At its height, its wider territory extend ...

and the Erie Nation are very poorly documented in print. The Huron (

Wyandot people The Wyandot people (also Wyandotte, Wendat, Waⁿdát, or Huron) are an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands of the present-day United States and Canada. Their Wyandot language belongs to the Iroquoian languages, Iroquoian language f ...

) referred to the Neutral people as ''Atiwandaronk,'' meaning 'they who understand the language'. The Wenro and Neutral are historically grouped together, and geographically the Wenro's range on the eastern end of Lake Erie placed them between the larger confederations. To the east of the Wenro, beyond the Genesee Gorge, were the lands of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. To the southeast, beyond the headwaters of the

Allegheny River The Allegheny River ( ; ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River that is located in western Pennsylvania and New York (state), New York in the United States. It runs from its headwaters just below the middle of Pennsylvania's northern border, nor ...

, lay the Conestoga (Susquehannock). The Conestoga Confederacy and Erie were militarily powerful and respected by neighboring tribes. By 1660 all of these peoples but the Conestoga Confederacy and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy were defeated and scattered, migrating to form new tribes or adopted into others. The Iroquoian peoples had a practice of adopting valiant enemies into the tribe; they also adopted captive women and children to replace members who had died. The group known as the Meherrin were neighbors to the Tuscarora and the Nottoway ( Binford 1967) in the American South. They are believed to have spoken an Iroquoian language but documentation is lacking.

External relationships

Attempts to link the Iroquoian, Siouan, and Caddoan languages in a Macro-Siouan family are suggestive but remain unproven ( Mithun 1999:305).

Linguistics and language revitalization

As of 2012, a program in Iroquois linguistics at

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York, United States. It was established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church but has been nonsectarian since 1920 ...

, the ''Certificate in Iroquois Linguistics for Language Learners'', is designed for students and language teachers working in

language revitalization Language revitalization, also referred to as language revival or reversing language shift, is an attempt to halt or reverse the decline of a language or to revive an extinct one. Those involved can include linguists, cultural or community group ...

. Six Nations Polytechnic in Ohsweken, Ontario offers Ogwehoweh language Diploma and Degree Programs in Mohawk or Cayuga. Starting in September 2017, the

University of Waterloo The University of Waterloo (UWaterloo, UW, or Waterloo) is a Public university, public research university located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is on of land adjacent to uptown Waterloo and Waterloo Park. The university also op ...

Waterloo, Ontario Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County, Ontario, Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto, but it is n ...

started offering a credit course in Mohawk; the classes are to be given at Renison University College in collaboration with the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre, St. Paul's University College.

Family division

External relationships

Linguistics and language revitalization

See also

Notes

References

Further reading

Linguistics

General works