Catawban languages explained

The Eastern Siouan branch consists of various historical languages spoken by Siouan peoples of the Appalachian Plateau and Piedmont regions of present-day Virginia and the Carolinas. These languages are sometimes collectively referred to as Catawban.

Eastern Siouan languages were historically spoken by the Catawba and Waccamaw people. They possibly represent a dialect continuum with Ohio Valley Siouan languages (Ofo language/Mosopelea, Biloxi language).^[1] The Catawban family is a branch of the larger Siouan–Catawban language family.

Family division

Recognized members of the Eastern Siouan/Catawban family include:

1. Catawba – spoken by the Catawba people
2. Woccon (†) – spoken by the Waccamaw people

References

• Parks, Douglas R.; & Rankin, Robert L. (2001). The Siouan languages. In R. J. DeMallie (Ed.), Handbook of North American Indians: Plains (Vol. 13, Part 1, pp. 94–114). W. C. Sturtevant (Gen. Ed.). Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. .

Notes and References

1. Ryan M. Kasak. 2016. "A distant genetic relationship between SiouanCatawban and Yuchi." In Catherine Rudin and Bryan J. Gordon (eds.), Advances in the study of siouan languages and linguistics, 5–39. Berlin: Language Science Press. DOI:10.17169/langsci.b94.120 https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/id/be94144a-3e4f-4913-9089-2bcfe5bd0879/611691.pdf