Nottoway language
Nottoway /ˈnɒtəˌweɪ/, also called Cheroenhaka, is a language formerly spoken by the Nottoway people. Nottoway is closely related to Tuscarora within the Iroquoian language family. Two tribes of Nottoway are recognized by the state of Virginia: the Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia and the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe. Other Nottoway descendants live in Wisconsin and Canada, where some of their ancestors fled in the 18th century. The last known speaker, Edith Turner, died in 1838. The Nottoway people are undertaking work for language revival.[3]
| Nottoway | |
|---|---|
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Virginia |
| Ethnicity | Nottoway people |
| Extinct | ca. 1838 |
Iroquoian
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | Either:ntw – Nottowaynwy – Nottoway-Meherrin |
nwy Nottoway-Meherrin | |
| Glottolog | nott1246 Nottoway[1]mehe1242 Meherrin[2] |
Knowledge of Nottoway comes primarily from a word list collected on March 4, 1820. Former President Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten letter to Peter S. Du Ponceau, on July 7, 1820, states that a Nottoway Indian vocabulary was obtained on March 4th, 1820 from Edith Turner, styled as their “Queen,” by John Wood, a former Professor of Mathematics at the College of William and Mary.[4] Du Ponceau recognized the language immediately as Iroquoian, writing that he was "struck as well as astonished at its decided Iroquois Physiognomy."[5] Blair A. Rudes (1981) concluded that Nottoway is a distinct language from Tuscarora, but closest to Tuscarora within Iroquoian.[6]
In addition to the vocabulary collected by John Wood, a few additional words were gathered by James Trezvant.[7]
Phonology
Vowels
By comparing words in Wood’s vocabulary with cognates in other Iroquoian languages, Blair Rudes (1981) was able to reconstruct the phonemes of Nottoway. According to Rudes (1981: 46), Nottoway has five vowel phonemes as seen in the following table. These symbols, which Rudes uses in his transcriptions, are consistent with the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Note that the mid central vowel is nasalized.
| Front | Central | Back | |
| High | i | ||
| Mid | e | ə̃ | o |
| Low | a |
Examples of these vowels are shown in the following table (from the Wood vocabulary as cited in Rudes 1981: 31). Wood's spelling of Nottoway was based on English and was therefore not systematic. A comparison to Tuscarora cognates in the rightmost column, however, provides evidence of Wood's intended vowel sound.
| /i/ | tariha | ‘hot’ | cf. Tuscarora yuʔnarihə̃ |
| whisk | ‘five’ | cf. Tuscarora wísk | |
| aheeta | ‘sun’ | cf. Tuscarora híhtæʔ | |
| keenu | ‘swamp’ | cf. Tuscarora kí:nə̃ʔ | |
| /e/ | owena | ‘iron’ | cf. Tuscarora uwǽ:nə̃h |
| oter | ‘sand’ | cf. Tuscarora uʔtǽhæh | |
| dekanee | ‘two’ | cf. Tuscarora nǽ:kti: | |
| /a/ | oyag | ‘six’ | cf. Tuscarora úhyaʔk |
| gatkum | ‘blood’ | cf. Tuscarora kátkə̃ʔ | |
| /o/ | owena | ‘iron’ | cf. Tuscarora uwǽ:nə̃h |
| owees | ‘ice’ | cf. Tuscarora uwí:sæh | |
| akuhor | ‘old man’ | cf. Tuscarora rúhuhr, akúhuhr ‘one’s old man’ | |
| /ə̃/ | hahenū | ‘thunder’ | cf. Tuscarora haʔ híʔnə̃ʔ |
| deeshū | ‘stars’ | cf. Wyandot tíšɔ̃h | |
| dekra | ‘eight’ | cf. Tuscarora nǽ:krə̃ʔ | |
| auwa | 'water’ | cf. Tuscarora á:wə̃ʔ |
Consonants
Nottoway has ten consonant phonemes, listed in the table below. Like the vowels, these consonant phonemes were reconstructed by Rudes using John Wood's vocabulary and knowledge of related languages.[6] Most of the symbols that Rudes uses are the same as the IPA symbols. Where they differ, the IPA symbol is included in square brackets. The three labial consonants are in parentheses because these phonemes are only present in five words of the language, none of which are of Iroquoian descent. The letter ‘m’ also sometimes occurs at the end of a word after a vowel, but this is to indicate nasalization of the previous vowel, not the presence of the phoneme /m/ (Rudes 1981: 29).
| Labial | Dental | Palatal | Velar | Glottal | |
| Plosive | (p) | t | k | ʔ | |
| Nasal | (m) | n | |||
| Affricate | č [t͡ʃ] | ||||
| Fricative | (f) | s | h | ||
| Approximant | r | y [j] | w |
The following table shows example words with each of these consonants (also from the Wood vocabulary as cited in Rudes 1981: 31). Comparison to related languages (primarily Tuscarora) allowed Rudes to reconstruct some of the consonant phonemes (in bold).
| /t/ | aheeta | 'sun' | cf. Tuscarora híhtæʔ |
| otkum | 'devil' | cf. Tuscarora úʔtkə̃h | |
| oter | 'sand' | cf. Tuscarora uʔtǽhæh | |
| oteusag | 'nose' | cf. Tuscarora uʔtyə̃́hsæh | |
| dekra | 'eight' | cf. Tuscarora nǽ:krə̃ʔ | |
| deeshū | 'stars' | cf. Wyandot tíšɔ̃h | |
| dekanee | 'two' | cf. Mohawk tékeni | |
| /k/ | keenu | 'swamp' | cf. Tuscarora ki:nə̃ʔ |
| kaintu | 'fish' | cf. Tuscarora kə̃́:čə̃h | |
| ekunsquare | 'cheeks' | cf. Tuscarora ukə̃́skaræh | |
| unkoharae | 'eyes' | cf. Tuscarora ukáhræh | |
| waquast | 'good' | cf. Tuscarora wákwahst | |
| aquia | 'deer' | cf. Tuscarora á:kwæh | |
| gatkum | 'blood' | cf. Tuscarora kátkə̃ʔ | |
| oyag | 'six' | cf. Tuscarora úhyaʔk | |
| /ʔ/ | onushag | 'house' | cf. Mohawk kanṹ |
| /č/ | cheer | 'dog' | cf. Tuscarora číhr |
| geekquam | 'gold' | cf. Tuscarora učitkwáhnæh | |
| untchore | 'to eat' | cf. Tuscarora ə̃čú:riʔ ‘it ate’ | |
| yautatch | 'air' | cf. Tuscarora úʔna:č ‘wind’ | |
| unte | 'one' | cf. Tuscarora ə̃́:či | |
| kaintu | 'fish' | cf. Tuscarora kə̃́:čə̃h | |
| /s/ | whisk | 'five' | cf. Tuscarora wísk |
| /h/ | ohonag | 'skin' | cf. Mohawk óhnaʔ |
| /n/ | hahenū | 'thunder' | cf. Tuscarora haʔ híʔnə̃ʔ |
| /r/ | cheer | 'dog' | cf. Tuscarora číhr |
| querū | 'rabbit' | cf. Tuscarora kwǽ:ruh | |
| orwisag | ‘tail’ | cf. Tuscarora uʔrhwə̃́:θæh | |
| dekra | 'eight' | cf. Tuscarora nǽ:krə̃ʔ | |
| quaharrag | 'apple' | cf. Tuscarora kwáhrak | |
| waskarrow | 'hog' | cf. Tuscarora waθkwá:ræh | |
| /w/ | owees | 'ice' | cf. Tuscarora uwí:sæh |
| auwa | 'water' | cf. Tuscarora á:wə̃ʔ | |
| owena | 'iron' | cf. Tuscarora uwǽ:nə̃h | |
| orwisag | 'tail' | cf Tuscarora uʔrhwə̃́:θæh | |
| waquast | 'good' | cf. Tuscarora wákwahst | |
| aquia | 'deer' | cf. Tuscarora á:kwæh | |
| kosquenna | 'mouse' | cf. Tuscarora ruskwǽ:nə̃h | |
| querū | 'rabbit' | cf. Tuscarora kwǽ:ruh | |
| /y/ | oyentu | 'rat' | cf. Tuscarora ruyə̃́ʔtuh |
| gotyakum | 'husband' | cf. Tuscarora katyá:kə̃h | |
| oteusag | 'nose' | cf. Tuscarora uʔtyə̃́hsæh |
Syllable structure
The English-based spelling Wood used makes it difficult to determine syllable structure. Most words, however, are consistent with the syllable structure (C)V(C)(C):
| Syllable shape | Wood's Nottoway spelling | |
|---|---|---|
| V | otosag | 'tooth' |
| CV | gakuhar | 'to wash' |
| CVC | orwisag | 'tail' |
| CVCC | wakwast | 'good' |
| VC | orwisag | 'tail' |
An exception is words that begin with /kw/ (which may have been a complex segment):
| A Rabbit | Querū | cf. Tuscarora kwǽ:ruh |
There is also limited evidence that words could end in three consonants:
| A Squirrel | osarst |
Consonant clusters must include /w/ or /s/, and possibly /n/. /w/ is the most common, but /s/ is still regularly seen in words like Whisk 'five'. The status of /n/ is uncertain since Wood used ⟨n⟩ to represent nasal vowels.
Aside from Whisk 'five', most content words are multisyllabic.
Grammar
Possessive prefixes
Rudes (1981) notes that Nottoway has two series of pronominal prefixes used for inalienable and alienable possession. Inalienable nouns, such as body parts, are possessed with the prefix ge- 'my': ge-snunke 'my hand', ge-tunke 'my belly'. Alienable nouns are possessed with the prefix ak- 'my': ak-uhor '(my) old man', aqu-eianha '(my) boy'. These two series of pronominal prefixes are also used on verbs, where they indicate the agent and patient, respectively. The full set of prefixes is listed in the table below (Rudes 1981: 38-39).
| Possessive prefixes | ||
|---|---|---|
| First singular inalienable possessive (my; I) | ||
| ge- | ge-snunke | ‘my hand’ (recorded as ‘your hand’) |
| ge-tunke | 'my belly' (recorded as 'your belly') | |
| Second singular inalienable possessive (your; you) | ||
| se-/s- | se-tunke | ‘your belly’ (recorded as ‘my belly’) |
| se-tarakē | ‘the head (your head)’ | |
| Feminine/zoic inalienable possessive (her/one's; she) | ||
| ye-/e- | ye-tunke | '(one's) nails' |
| e-skaharant | '(one's) mouth' | |
| First-person singular alienable possessive (my; I/me) | ||
| ak-/aqu- | ak-uhor | ‘(my) old man’ |
| aqu-eianha | ‘(my) boy’ | |
| Second-person singular alienable possessive (your; you) | ||
| sa- | sa-ttaak | '(your) bed' |
| sa-tuntatag | '(you) listen' | |
| Feminine/zoic kinship possessive (her/one's; she/it/one)’ | ||
| go- | go-tyāg | ‘(one’s) marriage’ |
| go-tyakum | ‘(her) husband’ | |
Other affixes
In addition to the possessive prefixes, Rudes (1981, 37-42) identifies a number of other affixes appearing in the Wood vocabulary. They are as follows:
| Partitive (indicates part of a whole; also used to form multiples of ten) | ||
| ne(e)- | newisha | ‘short’ |
| arsaneewarsa | 'thirty' | |
| Dualic | ||
| de-, to-, te- | towatgeheterise | ‘lightning’ |
| dewartha | ‘twenty’ | |
| Aorist | ||
| wa-, un- | untchore | 'to eat' |
| wasweke | 'to speak' | |
| Semireflexive | ||
| at-, t-, ate- | satuntatag | '(you) listen' |
| untoreesweg | '(it) drown(ed)' | |
| Reflexive (action done to oneself) | ||
| tat- | untatren | ‘(it) cut’ |
| untatreeyou | ‘(it) kill(ed)’ | |
| Simple Noun | ||
| -ag | ototorag | 'door' |
| onushag | 'house' | |
| Internal locative (“in,” “under”) | ||
| -coon | oraracoon | ‘the woods’ |
| External locative (usually means “on,” or “at,” but loses its locative meaning when attached to a body part) | ||
| -ke | setunke | ‘your belly’ |
| skeshunke | ‘your flesh’ | |
| Characterizer (person who is part of a group) | ||
| -hoka, -hakaʔ | tcherohakaʔ | ‘Cheroenhaka people’ |
| “Teen” (as in “thirteen,” “fourteen,” etc.) | ||
| -ahr | arsaskahr | ‘thirteen’ |
| dekraskahr | ‘eighteen’ | |
Word order
Most of the written Nottoway materials are vocabularies rather than texts, so scholars can only make limited assumptions about the syntactic structure of the language. However, Rudes (1981) explains three syntactic characteristics that are supported by recorded Nottoway evidence:
1. The definite article precedes a noun, as in Tuscarora.
Hahenũ 'the thunder' (cf. Tuscarora haʔ híʔnə̃ʔ)
2. Of two adjacent nouns, the first noun modifies the second.
Acquia ohonag 'deer skin' (from acquia'deer' + ohonag 'skin')
3. An adjective follows the noun it modifies, and most likely could also precede it.
Unksawa wokenhu 'the new year' (from wokenhu 'year')
Rudes tentatively reconstructs noun incorporation based on these examples:
| Nottoway yuhtaquaahkum 'shoemaker' (lit. 'one makes shoes') |
|---|
| yu- 'neuter patient prefix' |
| -htaqua- 'shoe' (cf. Tuscarora uhnáhkwaʔ, Seneca ahtáhkwaʔ) |
| -ahkum 'to assemble' (cf. Tuscarora -ahk 'to pick up') |
| Nottoway satuntatag 'to listen' (lit. 'you stand up your ears') |
|---|
| s- 'second singular agent prefix' |
| -at- 'reciprocal' |
| -unta- 'ear' (cf. Tuscarora uhə̃́hnæh, Onondaga ohə̃́htaʔ) |
| -tag 'to stand + '(?) descriptive aspect' (cf. Onondaga iktaʔ 'I'm standing,' Seneca iːkeːt) |
Vocabulary
The following vocabulary is from Wood as cited in Rudes (1981: 30-31, 46-48) from the version Jefferson sent to Du Ponceau.
Nouns of the Universe
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway spelling | Cognates |
| The Sun | Aheeta | cf. Tuscarora híhtæʔ |
| The Moon | Tethrāke | |
| The Stars | Deeshū | cf. Wyandot tíšɔ̃h |
| The Clouds | Uraseque | |
| Thunder | Hahenū | cf. Tuscarora haʔ híʔnə̃ʔ |
| Lightning | Towatgeheterise | cf. Tuscarora næwatkarǽʔnari:ks |
| Air | Yautatch | |
| God | Quakerhuntè | |
| Devil | Otkum | cf. Tuscarora útkə̃h |
| Rain | Yountoutch | cf. Tuscarora wə̃́:tu:č |
| Snow | Kankaus | |
| Ice | Owees | cf. Tuscarora uwí:sæh |
| Fire | Auteur | |
| Water | Auwa | cf. Tuscarora á:wə̃ʔ |
| a river | Joke | |
| a great river | Onoschioke | |
| The Ocean | Owan Fetchota | cf. Tuscarora á:wə̃ʔ ‘water’ |
| a mountain | Yenuntenunte | cf. Tuscarora unə̃́ʔnæh |
| The Woods | Oraracoon | |
| Rocks | Oruntag | |
| Light | Youhanhū | |
| Darkness | Asuntā | cf. Tuscarora uhθə̃́:ʔnæh |
| a Swamp | Keenu | cf. Tuscarora kí:nə̃ʔ |
| Sand | Oter | cf. Tuscarora uʔtǽhæh |
| Gold or Copper | Geekquan | |
| Silver | Wanee | |
| Iron | Owena | cf. Tuscarora uwǽ:nə̃h |
| Heaven | Quakeruntika |
Of the Human Species
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway Spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| Man | Enihā | cf. Tuscarora raʔníhə̃h ‘he’s male’ |
| An old man | Akuhor | cf. Tuscarora rúhuhr, akúhuhr ‘one’s old man’ |
| A young man | Aquatio | |
| A boy | Aqueianha | |
| A woman | Ekening | |
| An old woman | Aquasuari | |
| A young woman | Chewasrisha | |
| Death | Anseehe | |
| A dead body | Wahehun | |
| The head | Setarakē | |
| Marriage | Gotyāg | |
| A husband | Gotyakum | cf. Tuscarora katyá:kə̃h |
| A wife | Dekes | |
| A son | Wakatonta | |
| A daughter | Eruhā | |
| A King | Tirer | |
| The belly | Unkē | |
| My belly | Setunke | cf. Tuscarora sætkwə̃́ʔkyæ ‘your stomach’ |
| Your belly | Getunke | |
| The hand or fingers | Nunke | |
| My hand | Sesnunke | cf. Mohawk sesnṹhsaʔke ‘your hand’ |
| Your hand | Gesnunke | cf. Mohawk kesnṹhsaʔke ‘my hand’ |
| The right hand | Panunkee | |
| The left hand | Matapanunkee | |
| The thigh | Otitchag | |
| The knee | Sunsheke | |
| The leg | Franseke | |
| The foot | Saseeke | |
| The hair | Howerac | |
| The eyes | Unkoharae | cf. Tuscarora ukáhræh |
| The mouth | Eskaharant | |
| The ears | Suntunke | cf. Tuscarora shə̃hnə̃́ʔkyæ ‘your ears’ |
| The tongue | Darsunke | |
| The teeth | Otosag | cf. Tuscarora utú:ʔθæh |
| The neck | Steereke | |
| The nose | Oteusag | cf. Tuscarora uʔtyə̃́hsæh |
| The lips | Oarāg | |
| The chin | Ochag | |
| The toes | Seeke | |
| Blood | Gatkum | cf. Tuscarora kátkə̃ʔ |
| Skin | Ohonag | cf. Mohawk óhnaʔ |
| Flesh | Skeshunke | |
| Nails | Yetunke | |
| Heart | Sunke | |
| The cheeks | Ekunsquare | cf. Tuscarora ukə̃́skaræh |
| The breath | Untures | |
| The Eye brows | Eskarunke | |
| A shoemaker | Yuntaquaankum (Yuhtaquaahkum) |
Of Animals
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| A Cow | Tosherung | |
| A dog | Cheer | cf. Tuscarora číhr |
| A hog | Waskarrow | cf. Tuscarora waθkwá:ræh |
| A boar | Garhusung | |
| A deer | Aquia | cf. Tuscarora á:kwæh |
| A mouse | Kosquenna | cf. Tuscarora ruskwǽ:nə̃h |
| A rat | Oyentu | cf. Tuscarora ruyə̃́ʔtuh |
| A bull frog | Drakon | |
| Fish | Kaintu | cf. Tuscarora kə̃́:čə̃h |
| A Shad or Herring | Kohan | |
| An Eel | Kunte | |
| A crab | Sosune | |
| A snake | Antatum | |
| A bird | Cheeta | cf. Tuscarora číʔnə̃ʔ |
| A turkey | Kunum | |
| A Hen | Tawrettig | cf. Tuscarora tahurǽ:tik |
| A Fox | Skeyu | |
| A Wolf | Huse | |
| A Squirrel | Osarst | |
| A Rabbit | Querū | cf. Tuscarora kwǽ:ruh |
| A house fly | Deēsrere | |
| A Bee | Ronuquam | |
| A Shell | Odersag | |
| A Deer Skin | Aquia ohonag | cf. Tuscarora á:kwæh; cf. Mohawk óhnaʔ |
| A Wing | Ohuwistāg | cf. Tuscarora uyə̃hwí:θnæh |
| A Feather | Awenkrāg | |
| Wool | Ostoharag | |
| The tail | Orwisag | cf. Tuscarora uʔrhwə̃́:θæh |
| Horns | Osherag |
Division of Time
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| A year | Wokenhu | |
| The new year | Unksawa-Wokenhu | |
| The new moon | Dotratung | |
| Spring | Shantaroswache | |
| Summer | Genheke | |
| Autumn | Basheke | |
| Winter | Goshera | |
| Morning | Suntetung | |
| Day-time | Antyeke | |
| Mid-day | Anteneekal | |
| Evening | Gensake | |
| Night-time | Asunta |
Domestic Articles
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway Spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| A House | Onushag | cf. Tuscarora unə̃́hsæh |
| The house of some individual | Weynushag | |
| A door | Ototorag | |
| A chimney | Odeshag | |
| A Knife | Osakenta | |
| A Stick | Ocherura | |
| A Gun | Ata | |
| A Bed | Sattaak | |
| Milk | Canu | |
| Spirits | Anuqua | cf. Tuscarora uhnǽ:kyæh 'liquor, spirits' |
| Clothes | Aquast | |
| Smoke | Okyer | |
| Shoes | Otagwāg | cf. Tuscarora uhnáhkwaʔ |
| Stockings | Orisrāg | |
| Leather | Totierhiā | |
| Linen | Nikanrārā | |
| Fat meat | Oskaharag | |
| Lean meat | Oharag | |
| A Fiddle | Eruskarintita | |
| A Bottle | Chewak | cf. Tuscarora učhǽʔwæh |
| Paper | Orirag |
Adjectives
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway Spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| White | Owheryakum | |
| Black | Gehuntee | cf. Tuscarora kahə̃́sči: |
| Red | Ganuntquare | |
| Green | Sekatequantin | |
| Weak | Genuheha | |
| Dry | Yourha | cf. Onondaga óhɛ̃h |
| Wet | Yaorā | |
| Ugly | Yesaxa | |
| Beautiful | Yesquast | |
| Good | Waquast | cf. Tuscarora wákwahst |
| Bad | Wassa | |
| Hot | Tariha | cf. Tuscarora yuʔnaríhə̃: |
| Cold | Watorae | cf. Tuscarora á’thuʔ |
| Angry | Thatcharore | cf. Tuscarora θačaʔrú:rih ‘you’re angry’ |
| Happy | Thatchanunte | |
| Unhappy | Dodoitchewakeraksa | |
| Old | Onahahe | |
| Young | Osae | |
| Long | Ewis | |
| Short | Newisha | cf. Tuscarora tiwæ:θʔáh |
| Great | Tatchanawihiē | |
| Little | Newisha | cf. Tuscarora tiwaʔθʔáh |
| Deep | Tatchanuwiras | |
| Sharp | Watchoka | |
| Round | Tatowerente | |
| Smooth | Chuwatee | |
| Rough | Genuaquast | |
| Hard | Wokoste | |
| Strong | Wakoste | cf. Tuscarora wakáθnæh ‘I’m strong’ |
Numerals
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway Spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| One | Unte | cf. Tuscarora ə̃́:či |
| Two | Dekanee | cf. Tuscarora nǽ:kti: |
| Three | Arsa | |
| Four | Hentag | cf. Tuscarora hə̃́ʔtahk |
| Five | Whisk | cf. Tuscarora wísk |
| Six | Oyag | cf. Tuscarora úhyaʔk |
| Seven | Ohatag (Chatag) | cf. Tuscarora čá:ʔnak |
| Eight | Dekra | cf. Tuscarora nǽ:krə̃ʔ |
| Nine | Deheerunk | cf. Tuscarora níhrə̃ʔ |
| Ten | Washa | |
| Eleven | Urteskahr (Unteskahr) | |
| Twelve | Dekaneskahr | |
| Thirteen | Arsaskahr | |
| Fourteen | Hentagskahr | |
| Fifteen | Whiskahr | |
| Sixteen | Oyagskahr | |
| Seventeen | Ohatagskahr (Chatagskahr) | |
| Eighteen | Dekraskahr | |
| Nineteen | Deheerunkskahr | |
| Twenty | Dewarthaunteskahr (Dewartha) | cf. Tuscarora næwáhθhə̃h |
| Thirty | Arseneewarsa | cf. Tuscarora áhsə̃ tiwáhθhə̃h |
| Forty | Hentagneewarsa | cf. Tuscarora hə̃́ʔtahk tiwáhθhə̃h |
| Fifty | Wiskaneewarsa | cf. Tuscarora wísk tiwáhθhə̃h |
| Sixty | Oyagneewarsa | |
| Seventy | Getaganeewarsa | |
| Eighty | Dekranee warsa | |
| Ninety | Deheerunknee warsa | |
| A hundred | Kahorsthree | |
| A thousand | Unteyoasthree (yoasthree) |
Verbs
| Wood's English | Wood's Nottoway Spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| To walk | Jā | |
| To ride | Unksatā | |
| To fly | Getya | |
| To swim | Orerunte | |
| To drink | Ararher | |
| To eat | Untchore | cf. ə̃čú:riʔ ‘it ate’ |
| To throw | Esungwisatoee | |
| To cry | Tehesuhard | cf. Tuscarora næká:θnə̃hr ‘I cry’ |
| To sleep | Kertus (Kentus) | cf. Tuscarora kə̃́:tʔuhs ‘it sleeps’ |
| To fight | Wauntrehu | |
| To wound | Yahterund | |
| To kill | Urtatreeyou (Untatreeyou) | cf. Tuscarora ə̃ʔnarí:yuʔ 'it killed itself' |
| To hear | Thrahurta (Thrahunta) | |
| To see | Waskehee | cf. Tuscarora wáhskə̃ʔ ‘you saw it’ |
| To smell | Saharantoo | |
| To touch | Swarore | |
| To speak | Wasweke | cf. Tuscarora wáhswæʔ ‘you spoke’ |
| To hunt | Kunun | |
| To fish | Watchunund | |
| To love | Tatchadanuste | |
| To hate | Dotautche | |
| To pray | Durtanhara | |
| To stab | Untequara | |
| To cut | Untatren | cf. Tuscarora ə̃ʔnáthræʔn ‘it cut itself’ |
| To break | Wayetcherorag | |
| To drown | Untoreesweg | |
| To hang | Waharee | cf. Tuscarora waʔká:rə̃ʔ ‘I hung it up’ |
| To strike | Untateuheerug (Untatenheerug) | cf. Tuscarora ə̃ʔnatkə̃́hruk ‘it struck itself’ |
| To shoot | Untatchag | |
| To listen | Satuntatag | |
| To wash | Gakuhar | cf. Tuscarora ktú:har ‘I wash’ |
| To run | Sarioka | |
| To leap | Deunti |
Other Words
Rudes (1981:48) attributes the following words to a vocabulary by J. N. B. Hewitt.[8] It may be a later version of the one gathered by Trezvant.
| English | Nottoway Spelling | Cognates |
|---|---|---|
| No | roh (H) | |
| Yes | hokeh (H) | |
| Bark | ohseroch (H) | |
| Corn, maize | ohnehahk (H) | |
| Infant, child | nahkasehkeh (H) | |
| Father | akroh (H) | |
| Mother | ena (H) | |
| Sow | wakatouta (H) | |
| Brother | kahtahtekeh (H) | |
| Sister | ahkahchee (H) | |
| Arm | ohnunchahk (H) | cf. Tuscarora unə̃́čhæh |
| Belly | ohtequahk (H) | |
| Chief | etesheh (H) | |
| Arrow | aruntquaserauk (H) | |
| Earth, land | ahonroch (H) | |
| Lake | kahahtahia (H) | |
| Mountain | newntehs (H) | cf. Tuscarora unə̃́ʔnæh |
| I | ee (H) | |
| Nottoways | Cherohaka (H) |
References
- Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Nottoway". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Meherrin". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- "Nottoway". Ethnologue. 2009. Retrieved January 18, 2013.
- Thomas Jefferson to Peter S. Du Ponceau, July 7, 1820
- Peter S. DuPonceau to Thomas Jefferson, July 12, 1820, The Thomas Jefferson Papers, Series 1, The Library of Congress.
- Rudes, Blair (1981). "A Sketch of the Nottoway Language from a Historical-Comparative Perspective". International Journal of American Linguistics. 47: 27–49. doi:10.1086/465672.
- Encyclopedia Virginia
- Hewitt, J. N. B. n.d. Nottoway-Anonymous. BAE ms., National Anthropological Archives catalog no. 3603. Washington, D.C.