This primer discusses the linguistics of the Dakota and Sioux native American tribes, noting how the fascinating characteristics of these languages interact in sentence conjugation.
Writing in the 1870s, Frederic Rœhrig presents his insights after spending years with the Dakota tribespeople. Through conversing in their native tongue, he discovered flaws in how earlier scholars interpreted and transcribed the meanings of words and terms – that such subtleties were missed or garbled due to human errors or misunderstandings is demonstrated, while the general composition of the tribe’s communication is discussed.
For those possessing little familiarity with native American tongues, Rœhrig’s researches into the Dakota tribe are a valuable introduction to linguistic tenets. For readers educated or researching the field, this work is an intriguing glimpse at how the linguistic disciplines were gradually refined and formalized through the 19th century. Rœhrig met with success when promoting his discoveries, which were well-received – this work is adapted from a report he drafted for the Smithsonian Institute in 1871.
