Tunica
PrintPrimary tabs
A language of United States
32, all users. L1 users: No known L1 speakers, but emerging L2 speakers. The last known native speaker, Sesostrie Youchigant (aka Sam Young), died in 1948 (1964 M. Haas). L2 users: 32 (2017 J. Maxwell).
Louisiana: north central.
9 (Reawakening). Language of registered tribe: Tunica-Biloxi Indian Tribe of Louisiana.
Shifted to English [eng].
Literature. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. The Tunica Language Revitalization Project has received a grant that would allow 5 young adults to have the opportunity to learn to speak and teach their language. Also, full digital transcriptions of 2,000 handwritten pages from the 1930s notebooks of Mary Haas’ fieldwork with the last known Tunica speaker, Sesostrie Youchigant, have been created (2020 J. Maxwell). Agency: Tunica-Biloxi Language and Culture Revitalization Program.
Heritage language of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Marksville, Avoyelles Parish, Louisiana.