Wyandot language
| Wyandot | |
|---|---|
| Waⁿdat | |
| Pronunciation | [wa.ndá.t] |
| Native to | Canada, United States |
| Region | Northeastern Oklahoma, Quebec; recently near Sandwich, Ontario, and Wyandotte, Oklahoma |
| Ethnicity | Wyandot people |
| Extinct | 1972 |
| Revival | Oklahoma and Quebec have limited language programs (2007) |
Iroquoian
| |
Early form | Wendat
|
| Latin script | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:wyn – Wyandotwdt – Wendat |
| Glottolog | wyan1247 |
Huron Wyandot is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Wyandot (also Wyandotte, Wendat, Quendat or Huron) is the Iroquoian language traditionally spoken by the people known as Wyandot or Wyandotte, descended from the Tionontati. It is considered a sister to the Wendat language, spoken by descendants of the Huron-Wendat Confederacy. It was last spoken, before its revival, by members located primarily in Oklahoma, United States, and Quebec, Canada. Linguists have traditionally considered Wyandot as a dialect or modern form of Wendat, even though the two are no longer mutually intelligible.
Wyandot essentially died out as a spoken language with the death of the last native speaker in 1972, though there are now attempts at revitalization:
- The Wyandotte Nation is offering Wyandot language classes in the Wyandotte Public Schools grades K–4, at the Wyandotte Nation's preschool "Turtle-Tots" program in Oklahoma and has created online language lessons for self-study.
- The Huron-Wendat Nation of Quebec is offering adult and children's classes in the Wendat language at its village school in Wendake.