# Cayuse language

Cayuse is an extinct unclassified language once spoken by the Cayuse people (autonym: Liksiyu) of Oregon.

## Classification

The first written vocabulary of the Cayuse language was published by Horatio Hale in 1846. As a member of the United States Exploring Expedition, he had visited the Pacific Northwest in 1841. Missionary Marcus Whitman was credited for providing "much valuable information" about the Cayuse people and other natives nearby Waiilatpu. In his Waiilatpuan language family, Hale put Cayuse and the Molala language as the sole members.
In 1910 or 1911, Stephens Savage, a Molala speaker, had told Leo Frachtenberg that the following five words were identical in both Cayuse and Molala:
    sorrel horseqasqasi tasiwitkwi spotted horseyuꞏk tasiwitkwi black horsemúkimuki tasiwitkwi combtaꞏsps spoonƚúꞏpinc
In 1929 Edward Sapir grouped Cayuse with Molala as part of the Waiilatpuan branch of the Plateau Penutian languages.
Bruce Rigsby reexamined the Cayuse-Molala lexical pairs provided by Hale in 1969 and found only a tenth to be potentially related terms. Whitman was credited as the origin of the Waiilatpuan linguistic family. The words presented by Savage were concluded by Rigsby to likely be loanwords. Upon his review of extant Molala and Cayuse linguistic data, Rigsby concluded "I do not see how the two languages could have possibly been mutually intelligible."

## Pronouns

Cayuse pronouns listed by Hale:
    Iiniŋ you (sg.)nikí you (du.)nkímiš henip wenámək you (pl.)mkímiš theynípik
Cayuse pronouns listed by McBean:
    Iin ning you (sg., pl.)in kai heneepe wenung naw naw theycap pick

## Verbs

Cayuse verb paradigms documented by Henry W. Henshaw:

### 'hungry'

    I am hungry.wi-tu-tŭnt I was hungry.kler-ka-wĭ-tu-tŭnt I will be hungry.wí-tu-näk-sŭnt You and I are hungry.swi-tu-ter-yìk You and I were hungry.swi-tu-te-lì-kai-ĭk You and I will be hungry.nĭng-i-li-pʔl-swi-tu-nak-stunk-a-wak You are hungry.tu-swi-tu-tuñg-a You were hungry.swi-tu-til-kutla You will be hungry.swi-tu-nak-stung-at-la

### 'thirsty'

    I am thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-tiñg I was thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-til I will be thirsty.nĭs-ka-mu-näk-skĭn You are thirsty.tu-mĭs-ka-mu-tĭñg You were thirsty.mĭs-ka-mu-til-hă You will be thirsty.mĭs-ka-mu-na-stĭnk-la

## Vocabulary

Limited lexical items in Cayuse have been collected by Rigsby, Melville Jacobs, Verne Ray, and Theodore Stern. Their Cayuse informants had highly limited knowledge of the language and were more fluent in either Sahaptin or Nez Perce.

### Hale

A word list of Cayuse with nearby 200 lexical items was documented by Hale. The word list has been reproduced below.

#### Nouns

    glossCayuse manyúant womanpintχlkaíu; watχlóa boyláutlaŋ girlstaítχləŋ; staítlaŋ infant; childskútχla fatherpintét; títʃa motherpenín; nínʃa husbandináiu wifeinχlkaío sonwái daughterwái brotherpnákən; pənátaŋ sisterpənátiaŋ; pənwaíəq Indian; people- headtalʃ; táəlʃ hairtχlókomot faceléequkʃ foreheadpenátχliʃ eartakʃ eyehăkaməʃ nosepitχlóken mouthsəmqakʃ tonguepuʃ teethtenif beardʃimkéməʃ neckyet armtiélaq handépip fingersépip nailsʃíŋiʃ bodyʃilăməʃ legmaúwət foottiʃ toestiyəyáu bonepápət heart- bloodtiwéə̈ʃ town; village- chiefiatóiaŋ warriorlotéwa friendenlápoit houseniʃt kettletχlípaniʃ bowhífoit arrowlalχ axe; hatchetyeŋgókinʃ knifeʃekt canoe; boattχláap shoestäítχlo pipeiptnχlónʃ tobaccohanʃ sky; heavenndjălawaía, tíŋpap sunhuéwiʃ moonhátχltóp startχlítχliʃ dayewéiə̈ nightftalp lightnotawásim darknessʃilímtiŋk morningtétχlpəna eveningwəχaía springʃuatoluŋátntiŋ; kiátim summerʃqáätim autumntəŋ winterwit windhúntilχp thundertiŋtululutéʃin lightningʃniktawíŋtiŋ raintiʃtkitχlmítiŋ snowpói hailpuŋiós firetetʃ wateriʃkáiniʃ icetók earth; landliŋʃ seayamué-iʃkaíniʃ riverluʃmi lakefuŋʃ valleypaniákp hill; mountaintéit islandliŋtkaíli stoneápit saltkamtiʃímpen ironqauqauítχliínik treelaúik woodhútiʃ leafqaisós barkpétimi grasstχleft; qə́ïʃt pinelaúikʃ flesh; meatpítχli dognáapaŋ buffalo- bearliméakʃ; nokoláo wolftχlaíu; tsóilaχs deeraitχléwa elkyútiŋʃ beaverpīeká tortoiseatsík flytqaínʃiʃ; katχlísaŋ mosquitopíŋkii snakewaíimaʃ birdtianíyiwa egglópitχl featherstiaqaímutχl wingshaŋ duckəʃimtχl pigeonsúuku fishwiaíiʃ salmonmilóqli sturgeon- namepeʃp affectionatíŋp; tiʃktaʃewetáuŋko

#### Adjectives

    glossCayuse whitetχlaktχláko blackʃkupʃkúpu redlakaítlakaítu blueyotsyóts yellowqəʃqə́ʃu greenyotsyóts greatyaúmua; yiyímu (pl.) smalletsáŋua strongntáloa; naantáloa oldkuiátsu youngitsáŋu goodsuaíu; sasuáiu (pl.) badluastu; laluástu (pl.) handsomehapútsu; suaíu uglyhuástu alivewióko deadúwaa coldʃúŋa warmlokóia

#### Pronouns

    glossCayuse Iíniŋ thounikí henip wenámək yemkímiʃ; nkímiʃ (dual) theynípik thisqe, qă, ke thatqá, ká allnaŋináo many (much)yíphea whoiʃ

#### Adverbs and others

    glossCayuse nearpiáfi todaypáməŋ yesterdayiétin tomorrowtetχlp yesi notéehu

#### Numerals

    glossCayuse onena twolépli threemátnin fourpípiŋ fivetáwit sixnōiná sevennóilip eightnōimát ninetanáuiaiʃímʃim tenniŋítelp elevennántetχle twelveleplin-ntétχle twentylépuik thirtymátuík one hundredniŋítalpuík one thousand-

#### Verbs

    glossCayuse to eatpitáŋa to drinkpasqunstáŋa to runpqíntuql to danceiókseak to singtuŋséaql to sleepʃpíʃiŋql to speakúlipkin to seemiskaléntənt to lovektáʃo to killpiaíitχltiŋ to sitifníql; ifníkta to standlaútsiŋ to gowintúkstaŋa; wintúql (imp.) to comewintúkum