Koasati

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A language of United States

Alternate Names
Coushatta
Autonym
Koasati
User Population

370 (2015 census), decreasing.

Location

Louisiana: Koasati Reservation near Elton; Texas: Alabama-Koasati Reservation near Livingston.

Language Status

7 (Shifting). Language of registered tribe: Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas, Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town, Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana.

Dialects

None known. Koasati and Alabama [akz] grammars are significantly different. Lexical similarity: less than 50% with Alabama [akz].

Typology

SOV.

Language Use

More in Louisiana than Texas. Use decreased until the last decade. Fewer than 10 primary school-age speakers. Home, religious services. Adults only. Positive attitudes. Shifting to English [eng]. Some also use Alabama [akz]. Some also use Choctaw [cho]. A few also use Cajun French [frc], with more proficiency than in English. Used as L2 by Alabama [akz].

Language Development

Written usage is minimal. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1981.

Writing

Latin script [Latn], limited usage.

Other Comments

Christian.