Wyandot

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A language of United States

ISO 639-3
wyn
Alternate Names
Wandat, Wyandott, Wyandotte
User Population

No known L1 speakers, but emerging L2 speakers. Last speaker died about 1960 (Golla 2007). Ethnic population: 11,300 (2021 M. Lukaniec). Wyandotte Nation of Oklahoma (6,800), Wyandot Nation of Kansas (650), and the Wyandot Nation of Anderdon in Michigan (3,800).

Location

Kansas: Kansas City; Michigan: Trenton; Oklahoma: Wyandotte.

Language Status

9 (Reawakening). Language of registered tribe: Wyandotte Nation.

Classification
Iroquoian, Northern Iroquoian, Five Nations-Huronian-Susquehannock, Huronian, Huron-Petun
Language Use

Shifted to English [eng].

Language Development

Dictionary. Grammar. There are audio and video resources available for learning Wyandot and also online course materials at a dedicated website, along with games and keyboards. A series of 40 Wyandot narratives have been published in four different versions, as well as shorter texts, such as children’s stories. Wyandot is taught in on-going online classes for adults, and a high school-level course has been developed (2021 M. Lukaniec).

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Wyandot
Other Comments

After the Huron Confederacy was destroyed by the Iroquois around 1650 in a war over control of the fur trade, some Hurons moved to Ohio. Then in the 19th century, they were removed from there to Kansas and Oklahoma (Golla 2007).