Chickasaw is a member of the Western branch of the Muskogean (Muskhogean, Muscogean) language family. Choctaw is the most closely related language to Chickasaw. Other related languages include Alabama, Koasati (Cushatta) and Creek. At the time of contact, Chickasaw was spoken in the southeastern United States east of the Mississippi River in present day Mississippi.
Selected Language Information
Gordon, Matthew. 2004. A Phonological and Phonetic Study of Word-level Stress in Chickasaw. International Journal of American Linguistics Vol. 70: 1. 1-32.
Gordon, Matthew; Munro, Pamela; Ladefoged, Peter. 2000. Some Phonetic Structures of Chickasaw. Anthropological Linguistics Vol.42. 366-400.
Munro, Pamela; Willmond, Catherine. 1994. Chickasaw: An Analytical Dictionary. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Munro, Pamela. 2005. Chickasaw. In Native Languages of the Southeastern United States. Heather K. Hardy, and Janine Scancarelli (eds.) Lincoln: University Press. 385-453.
Munro, Pamela, Willmond, Catherine. 2008. Let’s Speak Chickasaw – Chikashshanompa’ Kilanompoli’. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
Sample Archival Materials in the Native American Languages Collection
Anoatubby, Bill (author). 2011. Chickasaw language flash cards: sports terms. General Field Collection. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Department of Native American Languages. Media: audio. Catalog Number: GEN-061.
Clark, Laura Marshall (author), JoAnn Ellis (translator), Joshua Hinson (illustrator). 2009. Nittak Hollo Nakfish! It’s Saturday! a Chickasaw story. General Field Collection. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Department of Native American Languages. Media: book. Catalog Number: GEN-067.
Cochran, Freddie II (author), Josh Hinson (annotator), Desiree Kirk (author), Annica Longhorn (author). (n.d.). Composition Notebook by Freddie Cochran II, Annica Longhorn, and Desiree Kirk, Annotated by Josh Hinson. John Hinson Collection. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Department of Native American Languages. Media: ephemera. Catalog Number: JHI-016.
—–. (n.d.). Interview with Chenena Roach, July 24, 2007. John Hinson Collection. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Department of Native American Languages. Media: ephemera. Catalog Number: JHI-569.
—–. (n.d.). Lokoshat Chakwihili’ Afama (Gourd Encounters A Possum). John Hinson Collection. Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History Department of Native American Languages. Media: ephemera. Catalog Number: JHI-507.
Links
Chickasaw Nation Language Revitalization Program
Catalogue of Endangered Languages
