Adai language

Adai (also Adaizan, Adaizi, Adaise, Adahi, Adaes, Adees, Atayos) is an extinct Native American language that was spoken in northwestern Louisiana.

Classification

It was once proposed that there may be a connection between Adai and the nearby Caddoan languages, but this now seems unlikely.

Vocabulary

Adai is known only from a list of 275 words from 1804 by John Sibley. The manuscript word list below has been reproduced from Grant's (1995) transcriptions. (Note: Due to the poor printing in Grant (1995), the text below may not be entirely accurate and will need to be re-checked.)

Nouns

Adjectives

Pronouns

Verbs

Numerals

Others

Notable places language was spoken

• Natchitoches, Louisiana
• Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
• Sabine Parish, Louisiana
• Robeline, Louisiana
• Isle Brevelle
• Los Adaes
• Fort St. Jean Baptiste State Historic Site
• San Antonio

References

• Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-509427-5
• Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.

External links

• OLAC resources in and about the Adai language