Vowel harmonySound change in vowels Sound change and alternation Metathesis Quantitative metathesis Lenition Consonant gradation Consonant voicing and devoicing Assibilation Spirantization L-vocalization Debuccalization Fortition Epenthesis Prothesis Paragoge Unpacking Vowel breaking Elision Apheresis Syncope Apocope Haplology Cluster reduction Transphonologization Compensatory lengthening Nasalization Tonogenesis Floating tone Assimilation Fusion Coarticulation Palatalization Velarization Labialization Final devoicing Metaphony (vowel harmony, umlaut) Consonant harmony Dissimilation Sandhi Liaison, linking R Consonant mutation Tone sandhi Vowel hiatus Synalepha Elision Crasis Synaeresis and diaeresis Synizesis Other types Apophony Affrication Gemination Clipping Fronting Raising Betacism Iotacism Fusion Merger Compensatory lengthening Monophthongization Rhotacism Rhinoglottophilia Sulcalization Shm-reduplication Consonant mutation Vowel shift Chain shift vte In phonology, vowel harmony is a phonological process in which vowels assimilate ("harmonize") to share certain distinctive features.
Sahaptin languageSahaptin (), also called Ichishkiin (; Umatilla: Čiškíin, Yakama: Ichishkíin Sɨ́nwit), is one of the two-language Sahaptian branch of the Plateau Penutian family spoken in a section of the northwestern plateau along the Columbia River and its tributaries in southern Washington, northern Oregon, and southwestern Idaho, in the United States; the other language is Nez Perce (Niimi'ipuutímt).
Sahaptian languagesSahaptian (also Sahaptianic, Sahaptin, Shahaptian) is a two-language branch of the Plateau Penutian family spoken by Native American peoples in the Columbia Plateau region of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho in the northwestern United States. The terms Sahaptian (the family) and Sahaptin (the language) have often been confused and used interchangeably in the literature. Family divisionSahaptian includes two languages: 1. Nez Perce (Niimiʼipuutímt)2.
Asa Bowen SmithAsa Bowen Smith, also known as A.B. Smith (July 16, 1809 – February 10, 1886), was a Congregational missionary posted in Oregon Country and Hawaii with his wife Sarah Gilbert White Smith. In 1840, Smith wrote the manuscript for the book Grammar of the Language of the Nez Perces Indians Formerly of Oregon, U.S.. He conducted the first census of the Nez Perce.
Nez PerceIndigenous peoples of North America Ethnic group Nez Perce Tribe NimíipuunimíipuuNez Percé men, 1906Total population3,500+Regions with significant populationsUnited States (Idaho)LanguagesEnglish, nimipuutímt aka Nez PerceReligionSeven Drum (Walasat), ChristianityRelated ethnic groupsSahaptin peoples The Nez Perce (/ˈnɛz ˈpɜːrs/ ⓘ NEZ-purse); autonym in Nez Perce: nimíipuu, meaning 'we, the people') are an Indigenous people of the Plateau who still live on a fraction of their ancestral lands on the southeastern Columbia River Plateau in the Pacific Northwest.
Penutian languagesPenutian is a proposed grouping of language families that includes many Native American languages of western North America, predominantly spoken at one time in British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California. The existence of a Penutian stock or phylum has been the subject of debate among linguists. Even the unity of some of its component families has been disputed.Plateau Penutian languagesPlateau Penutian (also Shahapwailutan, Lepitan, Plateau) is a family of languages spoken in northern California, reaching through central-western Oregon to northern Washington and central-northern Idaho. The family is accepted by the linguist Lyle Campbell.
Language revitalizationEffort to promote an endangered language or revive a dead languageHebrew translation of the "Are at this hour asleep!" monologue from Henry IV, Part 2 by Solomon Löwisohn, 1816. The revitalization of Hebrew is the only successful example of language revival.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.
Endangered languageAn endangered language or moribund language is a language that is at risk of disappearing as its speakers die out or shift to speaking other languages. Language loss occurs when the language has no more native speakers and becomes a "dead" or "extinct language". A dead language may still be studied through recordings or writings, but it is still considered dead or extinct once there are no more fluent speakers left.MisnomerA misnomer is a name that is incorrectly or unsuitably applied. Misnomers often arise because something was named long before its correct nature was known, or because an earlier form of something has been replaced by a later form to which the name no longer suitably applies. A misnomer may also be a word that is used incorrectly or misleadingly.
Northwestern United StatesThe Northwestern United States, also known as the American Northwest or simply the Northwest, is an informal geographic region of the United States. The region consistently includes the states of Oregon and Washington. Some sources include Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, and Southeast Alaska in the Northwest. The related but distinct term Pacific Northwest generally excludes areas from the Rockies eastward, whereas the term "Inland Northwest" excludes areas west of the Cascades.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.