page_title: Nez Perce language
section_title: Grammar
hierarchical_section_title: Nez Perce language / Grammar
caption_attribution_description: Title: Nez Perce chiefs in war dress, Camas Prairie, Idaho, ca. 1899 Date: ca. 1899 Notes: Studio portrait of two chiefs (Edward Gould on right) wearing full war attire including feathered headdresses and breechcloth. One holds a sword. Caption on photo: Nez Perce chiefs dressed in fancy war suits. Collected while at Camas Prairie, Id., 1899 Subjects: Group portraits--Idaho Nez Perce Indians--Clothing &amp; dress Tribal chiefs Location Depicted: United States--Idaho--Camas Prairie Negative Number: L97-18.10 Collection: F. Young Repository: Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture Restrictions: University of Washington Digital Collections
context_page_description: Nez Perce, also spelled Nez Percé or called Nimipuutímt, is a Sahaptian language related to the several dialects of Sahaptin. Nez Perce comes from the French phrase nez percé, "pierced nose"; however, Nez Perce, who call themselves Nimiipuu, meaning "the people", did not pierce their noses. This misnomer may have occurred as a result of confusion on the part of the French, as it was surrounding tribes who did so.
  The Sahaptian sub-family is one of the branches of the Plateau Penutian family. It is spoken by the Nez Perce people of the Northwestern United States.
  Nez Perce is a highly endangered language. While sources differ on the exact number of fluent speakers, it is almost definitely under 100. The Nez Perce tribe is endeavoring to reintroduce the language into native usage through a language revitalization program, but the future of the Nez Perce language is far from assured.
  The grammar of Nez Perce has been described in a grammar and a dictionary with two dissertations.
context_section_description: As in many other indigenous languages of the Americas, a Nez Perce verb can have the meaning of an entire sentence in English. (This manner of providing a great deal of information in one word is called polysynthesis.) Verbal affixes provide information about the person and number of the subject and object, as well as tense and aspect (e.g. whether or not an action has been completed).
caption: Nez Perce chiefs
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