Walla Walla is a Penutian language of the Western Plateau. It is spoken natively by
only a handful of elders there, but some younger people are working to keep their ancestral language alive. Some linguists consider Walla Walla to
be one dialect of a single Sahaptin language, and others consider it to be
one of three or four distinct Sahaptin languages. Walla Walla speakers have some difficulty understanding
Yakama or Umatilla
speakers, but they are similar enough that speakers can usually all communicate relatively well.
Walla Walla Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions
Umatilla, Walla Walla & Cayuse Language
Brief profile of the languages of the Umatilla reservation, with a Quicktime video of a native woman discussing Sahaptin language loss.
Tribes Race to Save Dying Languages
Article about Sahaptin, Chinook, and other Oregon language restoration efforts.
Walla Walla Language
Demographic information about Walla Walla from the Ethnologue of Languages.
Links, References, and Additional Information
Lenguas Sahaptin:
Information on Walla Walla and other Sahaptian languages in Spanish.
Walla Wallas:
Walla Walla links.