Atakapa Indian Language

Atakapa is a Gulf language, once spoken along the Louisiana and East Texas coast. The Atakapas--who called themselves Ishak, meaning "the people"--were nearly destroyed by a smallpox epidemic in the 18th century, and their language, like other Gulf/Tunican languages, has not been natively spoken for more than a century. However, some Gulf Indian people today are working to revive the Atakapa language again. Atakapa is an agglutinative language with complex verbs and primarily verb-initial word order.

Atakapa Language

Atakapa language samples and resources.

Atakapa Tribe Culture and History

Information and links about the Atakapa Indians past and present.

Atakapa Indians Fact Sheet

Our answers to common questions about the Atakapas.

Atakapa Language Resources

Our Atakapa Language Materials

Atakapa Vocabulary:
Our list of vocabulary words in the Atakapa language, with comparison to words in other Gulf languages.

Atakapa Pronunciation Guide:
How to pronounce Atakapa words.

Atakapa Picture Dictionary:
Illustrated glossary of animal words in the Atakapa language.

Atakapa Body Parts:
Online and printable worksheets showing parts of the body in the Atakapa language.

Atakapa Colors:
Worksheet showing color words in the Atakapa language.

Atakapa Numbers:
Worksheet showing how to count in Atakapa.

Atakapa Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Texas Indians: A Dictionary of Atakapa:
Complete scanned-in copy of the definitive 1938 dictionary of the Atakapa language.

Language of the Atakapas-Ishak Indians:
Primer on the Atakapa language from linguist and Atakapa descendent Hubert Singleton. PDF format.

Atakapa:
Demographic information about Atakapa from the Ethnologue of Languages.

Atakapa Language Tree:
Theories about Atakapa's language relationships compiled by Linguist List.

Atakapa Language Structures:
Atakapa linguistic profile and academic bibliography.

Atakapa Dictionaries, Audio Tapes and Language Resources

Dictionary of the Atakapa Language:
Atakapa dictionary for sale online.

A Structural and Lexical Comparison of the Tunica, Chitimacha & Atakapa Languages:
Book of comparative Gulf vocabulary and grammar for sale.

American Indian Dictionaries:
Atakapa and other Native American dictionaries and language materials for sale.

Links, References, and Additional Information

Wikipedia: Atakapa:
Encyclopedia articles on the Atakapa Indian language.
Lengua Atakapa Ishak:

Langue Atakapa:
Information about the Atakapa-Ishak language in Spanish and French.

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