Lakota for Beginners

Lakota is a Native American language, spoken by the Sioux Indian tribe in north america. It has two sister languages, Dakota and Nakoda/Nakota, which are variants. They are all understandable to one another - like english speakers in the UK and others in USA or Austrailia understand each other. Altogether, about 25,000 speakers are out there.

Part one of this course is only intended for absolute beginners.

Part One - The Basics

Lesson 1: Pronunciation & Script

Pronunciation

Unlike a lot of other native american groups (The cherokee, Eskimo, Cree), the Lakota don't have one official script. Instead they use variations of the Latin script.

Vowels
Letter	Sampa	IPA	Equivalence	Lakota sample
A a	[ A ]	[ ɑ ]	as a in "father"	luhá
E e	[ e ]	[ e ]	as e in "step"	he
I i	[ i ]	[ i ]	as e in "me"	hi
O o	[ o ]	[ o ]	as o in "hope"	istó
U u	[ U ]	[ ʊ ]	as oo in "book", aproaching u in "hula"	hu

Nasal Vowels
Letter	Sampa	IPA	Equivalence	Lakota sample
aŋ	[ ~a ]	[ ã ]	not in English	tohaŋ
iŋ	[ ~i ]	[ ĩ ]	not in English	wiŋyaŋ
uŋ	[ ~u ]	[ ũ ]	not in English	Nakuŋ

Consonants
Letter	Sampa	IPA	Equivalence	Lakota sample
B b	[ b ]	[ b ]	as b in English "boy"	bluha
C c	[ tS ]	[ tʃ ]	as ch in English "charlie"	chante
G g	[ g ]	[ g ]	as g in English "go"	igmu
gh	[ G ]	[ ɣ ]	as g in Spanish "saguaro"	ghi
H h	[ h ]	[ h ]	as h in English "hat"	he
Ĥ ĥ	[ x ]	[ x ]	as ch in Scottish "loch"; aspirated h	tĥozí
J j	[ z ]	[ ʒ ]	as s in English "pleasure"	janján
K k	[ k ]	[ k ]	as k in English "kite"	hánska
L l	[ l ]	[ l ]	as l in English "love"	luhá
M m	[ m ]	[ m ]	as m in English "moon"	mázaska
N n	[ n ]	[ n ]	as n in English "no"	éna
P p	[ p ]	[ p ]	as p in English "peace"	sápa
S s	[ s ]	[ s ]	as s in English "step"	sápa
Š š	[ S ]	[ ʃ ]	as sh in English "shop"	šica
T t	[ t ]	[ t ]	as t in English "today"	tĥípi
W w	[ w ]	[ w ]	as w in English "wait"	wóze
Y y	[ j ]	[ j ]	as y in English "you"	yeló
Z z	[ z ]	[ z ]	as z in English "zoo"	zi

In short, most of the letters are pronounced just like English letters.

Differences between the Lakota scripts
As I said, the Lakota don't have one alphabet, so they have many different latin-based orthographies. So differences may occur between the words in this lesson, and the words in dictionaries/on other pages. Examples:

hotanin / hotaŋiŋ / hótaŋiŋ / hótĥaŋiŋ

These all mean "opinion", and can all be recognized by a Lakota speaker. Some people use many diacretics, some use none. I use them, for clarity in pronunciation.

Examples of Spoken Lakota:

Eháŋni héceš oyáte waŋ igláka áyiŋ na waná étĥipi yuŋkĥáŋ wicáša waŋ tĥawicu kiŋ heciya: "Winúĥca, itĥo wayé mní kte ló" eyá (Audio file)

Ecáš toháŋ waglí šni héhaŋ éna thí po, eyá (Audio file)

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Lesson 2: Adjectives, Definite Article, Simple Sentences

Adjectives

Unlike English, Lakota modifier-words come after the noun. For example:

ógle tĥó = blue shirt
hótĥaŋiŋ mitáwa = my opinion
šúŋka ská = white dog

Adjectives in Lakota don't decline, neither do nouns, they don't even have plural forms. So by simply putting the adjective after the noun, you've created a modified noun.

ziŋtkála = bird
ziŋtkála cíkala = small bird

Definite Article

The definite article in Lakota is "kiŋ". It comes after the noun. If you are also using an adjective, you put kiŋ after the adjective. It may seem weird, because it's the exact opposite of the English word order:

ziŋtkála kiŋ = the bird
ziŋtkála cíkala kiŋ = the small bird
šúŋka ská = white dog
šúŋka ská kiŋ = the white dog

Simple Sentences

Now see what happens when the definite article kiŋ moves between the noun and the adjective:

Ziŋtkála kiŋ cíkala = The bird is small
Šúŋka kiŋ ská = The dog is white

As you see in the last example, by putting kiŋ in the middle, ská changes from being an adjective (white) to a predicate ([it is] white).

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Lesson 3: Tense, Negation, "To Be"

To Be

There is a verb which means "to be" in Lakota. As you've seen, there are times when it can be omitted - like with adjectives. Whenever verbs in Lakota are listed, they are given in the 3rd-person singular form. In order to form all the other persons and plurals, we use this form as a root.

The verb "to be" is "un". Here is how we conjugate it:

wa + un = waun	I am
ya + un = yaun	you are
un = un	he/she/it is
un + un + pi = unkunpi*	we are
ya + un + pi = yaunpi	you all are
un + pi = unpi	they are
* when the verb starts with a vowel, un changes to unk

So now we can say things like, Wíŋyaŋ un: She is a woman. Kóla yaun: You are a friend, etc.

NOTE 1: Lakota is an SOV language. Verbs always come last.

NOTE 2: Lakota has an indefinite article (Wan/Wanží) but it is closer to the word "one". It can be omitted.

Negation

To negate a sentence in Lakota, put "šni" at the end of the sentence.

Šuŋka táŋka un = It is a big dog
Šuŋka táŋka un šni = It is not a big dog

Wicáša kiŋ yaun = You're the man
Wicáša kiŋ yaun šni = You are not the man

Ziŋtkála kiŋ cíkala = The bird is small
Ziŋtkála kiŋ cíkala šni = The bird is not small

Past & Future

In Lakota, verbs don't have a past form. So any present-tense verb can also be a past tense. Ex: "waun" can mean "I am" or "I was". Context usually indicates the difference.

However, there is a way to indicate future: by putting "kte" at the end of the sentence.

Wíŋyaŋ un = She is a woman
Wíŋyaŋ un kte = She will be a woman

Hogáŋ kiŋ cíkala = The fish is small
Hogáŋ kiŋ cíkala kte = The fish will be small

Wíŋyaŋ zizípela yaun kte = You will be a thin woman
Wíŋyaŋ zizípela yaun kte šni = You will not be a thin woman

This is fairly simple compared to some european languages which have totally different conjugations. In Lakota, you just have to add a particle to the end.

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Lesson 4: Stative Verbs (things start to get tough)

Stative Verbs

Well now it's time to dive into some of the harder stuff

In Lakota so far, you know three types of constructions.

Noun + Noun (ex: The friend is a girl, Kóla kiŋ Wicíŋcala)
Noun + Adjective (ex: The fish is small, Hogáŋ kiŋ cíkala)
Pronoun + Noun (ex: She is a girl, Wicíŋcala un)

So logically what comes next? Pronoun + Adjective (ex: I am good). However, here is the problem. You can't say, "wašté waun". You may ask, "why not? 'wašté' means 'good' and 'waun' means 'I-am'". Well here's why: we actually use a different construction, using stative verbs.

A stative verb is a verb like, "To be good" or "To be alive" etc. And actually, most of the adjectives listed here are actually stative verbs too. Here is the conjugation of the stative verb "wašté", (to be good):

mawašté	I am good
niwašté	you are good
wašté	he/she/it is good
unwaštépi	we are good
niwaštépi	you (pl) are good
waštépi	they are good

Notice two things:

1. The particles used in this verb conjugation are different from the particles used in "un" (to be) and it's conjugation. Stative Verbs conjugate differently, because they're a different verb class.
2. The particles were added to the beginning of the verb. This doesn't always happen, some conjugate inside (ex: ipuza = to be thirsty, imapuza = I am thirsty). Unfortunately, the conjugation position has to be learned with each verb individually. Whenever I give a stative verb, I'll also give the conjugation position.

So here are some examples of stative verbs:

Wicáša kiŋ wašté = The man is good
Wicáša kiŋ waštépi = The men are good
Hokšíla kiŋ waštépi kte, naíŋš iyómakiphi kte šni = The children will be good, or I will not be happy.

nicépa = you are fat
nicépa šni = you are not fat





Vocabulary

hogáŋ	fish
hokšíla	boy
kóla	friend
šuŋka	dog
waŋblí	eagle
wicáša	man
wicíŋcala	girl
wíŋyaŋ	woman
wówapi	book
ziŋtkála	bird
heyóka	clown
itáŋcaŋ	chief
mahpíya	sky
ocágku	road
wíta	island
wakpá	river
cíkala	small
sápa	black
šápa	dirty
ská	white
táŋka	big
tókeca	strange
zizípela	thin
bláha	wide
cépa	fat
ksápa	wise
šíca	bad
wašté	good
ípuza	thirsty (conjugates after "í")
taŋyáŋ	to be well/healthy
un	to be
šni	negation
kte	future
na	and
naíŋš	or



Exercises

Exercise A: Translate English to Lakota:
1) The clowns are strange
A. heyóka kiŋ tókecapi
B. heyóka kiŋ tókeca

2) I am good
A. wašté waun
B. mawašté

3) The eagle is large
A. Waŋblí kiŋ táŋkapi
B. Waŋblí kiŋ táŋka

4) The large eagle is not small
A. Waŋblí ská kiŋ cíkala šni
B. Waŋblí kiŋ ská cíkala šni

5) You (pl) are thirsty
A. ínipuzapi
B. niípuzapi


Exercise B: Translate Lakota to English:
1) Hokšíla kiŋ waštépi šni
A. The boy is not good
B. The boys are not good

2) Wíŋyaŋ unkunpi
A. We are women
B. They are women

3) nicépa kte šni
A. You (pl) won't be fat
B. You won't be fat

4) Šuŋka táŋka kiŋ šápa šni
A. The big dog is not black
B. The big dog is not dirty
Challenge:
5) heyóka kiŋ tókeca kte šni
A. The clown will be strange
B. The clown is not strange
C. The clown will not be strange


Solutions

Solution of Exercise A:
1) A, 2) B, 3) B, 4) A, 5) A

Solution of Exercise B:
1) B, 2) A, 3) B, 4) B, 5) C



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Lesson 5: 3rd Singular Object, 3rd Plural Object, Continual Action

Introduction:
Lakota verbs are different from verbs in European languages because they indicate both subject and object. This means that a sentence like, "I love you" can be said in one word: "Tecíhila". Then other times when you need to say something like, "I have the horse" you literally say, "Horse the I-have-it". It's a difference from other (non-indigenous) languages.

3rd Singular Object

When taught verbs, Lakota students learn the "3rd person singular object form", which in simpler terms means that the receiver of the action is "him/her/it". This is learnt first, because from this form, the others can be constructed.

And guess what? We use the same particles as the verb "un" (to be) uses. Take the verb "ciŋ" (want) for example.

waciŋ = I want it
yaciŋ = you want it
ciŋ = he* wants it
unciŋpi = we want it
yaciŋpi = you all want it
ciŋpi = they want it


Note 1: Lakota makes no distinction between gender. So "he" can also be "she", "it" can also be "him/her"

Note 2: Like Stative Verbs/Adjectives, not all verbs conjugate at the end. Some conjugate inside, like "tehila" (to love) ⇒ "tewahila". If they conjugate inside, I will note it.

Some examples (remember, Lakota = SOV order):

Wicíŋcala kiŋ hokšíla tehíla = The girl loves the boy
Wicíŋcala kiŋ tewahíla = I love the girl

Šuŋka táŋka kiŋ unciŋpi šni = We don't want the big dog.

Heyóka kiŋ wówapi ciŋpi kte = The clowns will want the book
(lit: Clown the book they-want-it future)


3rd Plural Object

When referring to a 3rd plural object (IE, anything that can be replaced by "them" in English, 'I see the horses' ⇒ 'I see them', for example) you must add the particle "wica" to the front of the verb particle.

For example, here's the verb "ciŋ" (to want) from the last lesson. Remember! The 3rd-singular object form (which was explained in the last lesson) is the form which we construct all the others from. By adding "wica" to the front of particles, you are indicating a 3rd-person plural object.

wicawaciŋ = I want them
wicayaciŋ = you want them
wicaciŋ = he wants them
wicunciŋpi = we want them *
wicayaciŋpi = you all want them
wicaciŋpi = they want them


* Wica + Un = Wicun. The "-a" from "wica" is dropped.

The same conjugation rule applies if the verb conjugates inside. "tehíla" = "to love", and conjugates after "te".

tewicawahíla = I love them
tewicayahíla = You love them
tewicahíla = He/she/it loves them
tewicunhílapi = we love them
tewicayahílapi = You all love them
tewicahílapi = they love them


Usually adding "wica" will tell you if the object is plural or not:

Wicíŋcala kiŋ tewahíla = I love the girl
(lit: girl the I-love-her)

Wicíŋcala kiŋ tewicawahíla = I love the girls
(lit: girl the I-love-them)


Continual Action

In order to express Continuous action (ex: "I am walking" instead of "I walk"), Lakota uses the particle "han" at the end of a verb.

wówapi kiŋ wayáwa = I read the book (yáwa = read)
wówapi kiŋ wayáwahan = I am reading the book


If the verb has "pi" at the end, then "han" comes before "pi"

škátapi = they play
škátahanpi = they are playing


Remember that anything in the present tense can also be past. So: "škátahanpi" they are playing can also mean "they were playing". This is similar to the imperfect form in Spanish: "jugaban".




Vocabulary

hogáŋ	fish
hokšíla	boy
kóla	friend
šuŋka	dog
waŋblí	eagle
wicáša	man
wicíŋcala	girl
wíŋyaŋ	woman
wówapi	book
ziŋtkála	bird
heyóka	clown
itáŋcaŋ	chief
iyapi	language
mahpíya	sky
ocágku	road
wíta	island
wakpá	river
ciŋcá	child
péta	fire
cíkala	small
sápa	black
šápa	dirty
ská	white
táŋka	big
tókeca	strange
zizípela	thin
bláha	wide
cépa	fat
ksápa	wise
šíca	bad
wašté	good
kan	old
ípuza	thirsty (conjugates after "í")
taŋyáŋ	to be well/healthy
ciŋ	to want
slolyá	to know (conjugates after "slol")
tehíla	to love (conjugates after "te")
Un	to be
wóglake	to speak (conjugates after "wo")
yáwa	to read
škáta	to play
ókiya	to help (conguates after "ó")
šni	negation
kte	future
éyas	but
na	and
naíŋš	or
icíŋ	because
héoŋ	so, therefore



Exercises

Exercise A: Translate English to Lakota:
1) We know the language
A. Iyapi kiŋ slolunyépi
B. Iyapi kiŋ unslolyépi

2) Tom loves a clown
A. Tom heyóka tehíla
B. Tom heyóka tewahíla

3) The smalls boys speak a strange language
A. Hokšíla cíkalapi kiŋ Iyapi tókeca wóglakepi
B. Hokšíla cíkala kiŋ Iyapi tókeca wóglakepi

4) The boys are small (review question)
A. Hokšíla kiŋ cíkala
B. Hokšíla kiŋ cíkalapi

5) You love the girl
A. Wicíŋcala kiŋ teyahíla
B. Wicíŋcala kiŋ tewahíla


Exercise B: Translate English to Lakota:
1) hokšíla kiŋ ówicawakiya
A. They help the boys
B. I help the boys

2) Iyapi kiŋ wówicaglake
A. He speaks the languages
B. They speak the languages

3) Iyapi kiŋ wówicaglakepi
A. He speaks the languages
B. They speak the languages

4) Wówapi kiŋ yayáwahan
A. You are reading the book
B. You read the book

Challenge (I highlighted woman/women because they are spelled close and might've been confusing)
5) Wíŋyaŋ kanpi kiŋ ówicunkiyahanpi
A. We are helping the old woman
B. We help the old women
C. We are helping the old women
D. We help the old woman



Solutions

Solution of Exercise A:
1) A, 2) A, 3) A, 4) B, 5) A

Solution of Exercise B:
1) B, 2) A, 3) B, 4) A, 5) C



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End Of Part One

This is the end of part one.

Thanks for your interest in this course! If you discovered any mistakes or you just want to say something then please let us know . We do need feedback!

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