Nez Perce Language

By Harold Crook and Nez Perce Tribal Elders, including Rachel Aripa, Horace Axtell, Cecil Carter, Connie Claye, Florene Davis, Gordon Fisher, Josephine Hayes, Jim McCormack, Beatrice Miles, Bernice Moffett, Richard Powaukee, Katherine Rena Ramsey, Florine Rickman, Bessie Scott, Jeanette Scott, Allen Slickpoo, Vera Sonneck, and Rachel Zumwalt.

Introduction

The Nimiipuutimt Alphabet Book has been developed to aid in the learning of the Nez Perce alphabet, as approved by the Language Program's Advisory Board of Elders in March 1997.

Several different alphabets have been used to represent the Nez Perce Language, and each one has its own strengths and weaknesses.  However, the Advisory Board of Elders decided to use the writing system that had already been employed by the Bilingual Committee of the Nez Perce Tribe in 1979 (this committee included Mary Carter, Beatrice Miles, Henry Penney, Lota Sublett, and Lucille Raboin among others).

It is essential that a spelling system show all the important distinctions in the sounds that the learners need to make.  This will help them to pronounce the words correctly.  It is also important that the spelling system not incorporate unnecessary and confusing complications.  Although the alphabet used here introduces a few new letters, the Advisory Board concluded that it has the advantage of representing all of the different sounds and their important differences in the simplest manner.  It is a practical writing system that employs principles of education and the science of language.

The Nez Perce language has a number of sounds that we don't have in English.  This can make it hard at first to say the words correctly.

Improve your Nimiipuutimt (keep checking as we expand this list)

Five Vowels (plus long and short)

Nimiipuutimt has five vowels that can be short or long in duration:  a e i o u or aa ee ii oo uu.  The long vowels are written double (in English dictionaries, long vowels are represented with a line over the top ā ē ī ō ū).  When you say a long vowel, it takes longer to pronounce than a short vowel.

Some of these vowels sound just like they do in English and some have a somewhat different sound.  Just keep in mind that whether they are long or short, each letter stand for essentially the same sound (unlike English which can use many different ways of representing a sound).

STRESS

As we begin with the vowels, let's talk about stress (we are talking about language stress).  Each word will have one vowel that has the most stress or emphasis on it.  Vowels with stress are pronounced a little stronger and a little higher than other vowels.

It is important to say words with the stress on the right vowel or the word will sound wrong or funny.  For example, try saying potato and tomato with the stress on the first or last vowel.  See how funny it sounds?  Now consider the two English words cónvict and convíct.  The first one is a noun and the second one is a verb.

The convict might to got jail if, the court will convict him of the crime.

The only difference between these two words is which vowel has the stress.  It is important to put the stress in the right place.

We indicate stressed vowels by putting a stress mark ' over them: á é í ó ú.  For the long vowels, we only put the mark over the first part of the symbol: áa ée íi óo úu.  Normally, we don't mark stress on a word with only one vowel because we know that it must have the stress.

NEZ PERCE LANGUAGE STAFF:  

Circle of Elders: Bessie Scott, Clifford Allen, Mae Taylor,  Florene Davis,  Bernice Moffett, Connie Claye, Frances Paisano, & Cecil Carter.  

 208.621.4643 or 208.843.7402  

Language/ANA (Admin. for Native Americans) Coordinator: Angel Sobotta  ex. 4644

Language Coordinator: Thomas Gregory, tátlo  ex. 4659

Language Coordinator Orofino/Kamiah: Jeannie Hodges  

Language Coordinator: Bessie Walker  ex 4645

Language Technician: Abe Broncheau 

Language Intern: Bessie Blackeagle ak.a laymíwt  

Language Technician:  Leslie Whitetemple   ex. 4646