Unami

Unami is an Eastern Algonquian language that was historically spoken along the lower Delaware and Hudson rivers in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Delaware in the USA. Unami speakers later ended up in Ontario and Oklahoma. The last fluent speaker of Unami, Edward Thompson, died in 2002. However, before then the language was well documented, especially by the linguists Ives Goddard and Bruce Pearson, and efforts are currently being made to revive it.

Unami is considered a dialect of Lenape, along with Munsee, and both languages are referred to as Lenape or Delware. The name Lenape means "common person". The names Delaware or Delaware proper are sometimes used for Unami, Unami people in Oklahoma refer to themselves as Oklahoma Delaware.

Unami alphabet and pronuncation

Unami alphabet and pronunciation

Notes

L = [ɬ] when at the end of a word, or in the middle of a word between vowels, or before H or X. This sound is also written LH in some texts.
MP = [b] at the beginning of a word, [mb] in the middle of a word, and [mp] at the end of a word. The /b/ sound is also written B.
NCH = [ʤ] at the beginning of a word, [ŋ] in the middle of a word, and [nʧ] at the end of a word. J is also used to write the /ʤ/ sound.
NK = [ʤ] at the beginning of a word, [ŋ] in the middle of a word, and [nk] at the end of a word. G is also used to write the /g/ sound.
NS = [z] at the beginning of a word, [ns] in the middle and at the end of a word, and nazalizes the preceeding vowel. Z is also used to write the /z/ sound.
NSH = [ʒ] at the beginning of a word, [nʃ] in the middle and at the end of a word, and nazalizes the preceeding vowel. ZH is also used to write the /ʒ/ sound.
NT = [d] at the beginning of a word, [nd] in the middle of a word, and [nt] at the end of a word. D is also used to write the /d/ sound.
An apostrophe (') is used to separate two sounds which would otherwise be pronounced differently if they were together.

Source: http://www.talk-lenape.org/lenape-spelling.pdf

Download an alphabet chart for Unami (Excel)

Sample text in Unami(Silent Night)

Wèmi pilët, ahi chitkwe
Kwishkwei piskèke
Sapëlee òkai nèk nisha
Pilsit mimëns ahi tànktitit
Nalai kawiyok
Nalai kawiyok.

Wèmi pilët, ahi chitkwe
Nanàngihëleyok
Wëlësëwakàn òs'hakaming
Enjëlàk asuhatuwàk
Christ ènda mitahpit
Christ ènda mitahpit

Wèmi pilët, ahi chitkwe
Kètantuwit kwisa
Osëlee wënji wëshkingung
Pilët ènda pètapànge
Jesus Këmitahpi!
Jesus Këmitahpi!

Source: http://silentnight.web.za/translate/lenape.htm

Information about Unami | Numbers

Links

Information about the Unami language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unami_language
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware_languages
http://delawaretribe.org/blog/2013/06/26/language/
https://www.ethnologue.com/language/unm
http://www.native-languages.org/lenape.htm
http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/Linguistics/LenapeLanguageResources/pdf/2Hoffmann_thesis.pdfr
http://lenapedelawarehistory.net/mirror/language.htm

Unami Lenape lessons
http://talk-lenape.org/lessons
http://www.swarthmore.edu/SocSci/Linguistics/LenapeLanguageResources/pdf/ConversationLenape.pdf

Unami Lenape dictionary
http://www.talk-lenape.org/

Algonquian languages

Abenaki, Algonquin, Arapaho, Atikamekw, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Cree (East), Cree (Moose), Cree (Plains), Cree (Swampy), Cree (Woods), Fox, Innu (Montagnais), Kickapoo, Malecite-Passamaquoddy, Loup, Massachusett (Wampanoag), Menominee, Miami, Míkmaq, Mohegan, Mohican, Munsee, Narragansett, Naskapi, Ojibwe, Oji-Cree, Ottawa, Penobscot, Powhatan, Potawatomi, Quiripi, Sauk, Shawnee, Unami (Lenape)

Languages written with the Latin alphabet

Page last modified: 17.10.24

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