Adai (also Adaizan, Adaizi, Adaise, Adahi, Adaes, Adees, Atayos) is an extinct Native American language that was spoken in northwestern Louisiana.
Classification
It was once proposed that there may be a connection between Adai and the nearby Caddoan languages, but this now seems unlikely.[3]
Vocabulary
Adai is known only from a list of 275 words from 1804 by John Sibley.[4] The manuscript word list below has been reproduced from Grant's (1995) transcriptions.[3] (Note: Due to the poor printing in Grant (1995), the text below may not be entirely accurate and will need to be re-checked.)
Nouns
| gloss |
Adai
|
| fire |
nang
|
| water |
holcat
|
| earth |
capăt
|
| air |
gavecăt
|
| wind |
solette
|
| sky |
ganick
|
| sun |
naleen
|
| moon |
nachavat
|
| star |
otat
|
| light |
cahachet
|
| darkness |
hachaoosto
|
| day |
nestack
|
| night |
arestenet
|
| cold |
hastalza
|
| smoke |
sewot
|
| cloud |
sowie
|
| fog |
sawiatto
|
| rain |
ganic
|
| hail |
hiechuck
|
| ice |
hăhing
|
| frost |
hatsuck
|
| dew |
helgat
|
| rainbow |
cochakee
|
| thunder |
nacotrine
|
| lightning |
newiche
|
| yesterday |
woncha
|
| today |
naleaton
|
| tomorrow |
ansteete
|
| a day |
nallenachus
|
| a month |
ponachus
|
| a year |
ovetsnachus
|
| spring |
hoasang
|
| summer |
weetsuck
|
| autumn |
hăstal neetsoock
|
| winter |
henawnck
|
| a man |
haasing
|
| a woman |
quaechuke
|
| a boy |
tallahache
|
| a girl |
quoatwistuck
|
| a child |
tallahaning
|
| father |
kewanick
|
| mother |
amanie
|
| brother |
gasing
|
| sister |
nasing
|
| husband |
hasekino
|
| wife |
quochekino
|
| son |
tallehennic
|
| daughter |
quolasinic
|
| the body |
stieng
|
| the head |
tochae
|
| the hair |
catatuck
|
| the beard |
tosocat
|
| the faced |
annack
|
| an eye |
analca
|
| the nose |
wecoocat
|
| the cheek |
ampachochuk
|
| chin |
teaskuck
|
| lip |
wacachuck
|
| mouth |
wacatcholak
|
| tooth |
awat
|
| tongue |
tenanat
|
| ear |
calat
|
| neck |
hautoleat
|
| arm |
walcat
|
| wrist |
sickolat
|
| hand |
secut
|
| finger |
okinsin
|
| belly |
noeyack
|
| back |
sahaocat
|
| side |
soleot
|
| bubby |
acut
|
| nipple |
actonè
|
| thigh |
otack
|
| leg |
ahasuck
|
| foot |
nocal
|
| toe |
notocat
|
| skin |
polac
|
| nails |
sicksapasca
|
| bone |
wahacut
|
| blood |
pchack
|
| life |
waaton
|
| death |
oeying
|
| food |
capisting
|
| meat |
kosing
|
| fat |
taanack
|
| lean |
ahcanick
|
| bread |
okhapin
|
| Indian corn |
ocasuck
|
| milk |
haplecut
|
| egg |
oalaken
|
| a house |
coochut
|
| buffalo |
haapan
|
| elk |
wakhanissie
|
| deer |
wakhine
|
| bear |
solang
|
| wolf |
akalasco
|
| panther |
hieanne
|
| wildcat |
ocashine
|
| polecat |
nowat
|
| fox |
yanostan
|
| beaver |
culawa
|
| raccoon |
angalasto
|
| opossum |
wasehat
|
| hare |
awaine
|
| squirrel |
onack
|
| flying squirrel |
paachan
|
| mole |
ainolack
|
| a bird |
washang
|
| an eagle |
ochuck
|
| a hawk |
tiang
|
| owl |
onack
|
| turkey |
owachuck
|
| swan |
teotoka
|
| wild goose |
nicknicka
|
| duck |
ahuck
|
| turkey buzzard |
aspachuack
|
| raven |
anak
|
| crow |
antocock (anlocock)
|
| blackbird |
tehalhuck
|
| crane |
cuhat
|
| pigeon |
anchocat
|
| pheasant |
newatocat
|
| partridge |
newan
|
| mockingbird |
waccocochin
|
| redbird |
yatochosto
|
| snake |
hostuck
|
| lizard |
annuila
|
| butterfly |
washep
|
| fly |
ganetso
|
| fish |
aesut
|
| frog |
halonloka (halontoka)
|
| gold |
selhack
|
| silver |
stawa
|
| copper |
holnasak
|
| a stone |
ekseka
|
| wood |
mang
|
| gum |
wastocha
|
| a mountain |
tolola
|
| hill |
newanah
|
| valley |
steluck
|
| sea |
aatack
|
| lake |
aatalkon
|
| pond |
holcata
|
| river |
yawichat
|
| creek |
yacuck
|
| a spring |
holcastalga
|
| grass |
hasack
|
| a tree |
tanack
|
| pine |
tanquechat
|
| cedar |
nooktanuck
|
| sycamore |
heohè
|
| ash |
toltenna
|
| elm |
napstein
|
| beech |
hancaptin
|
| birch |
caoluck
|
| maple |
wieack
|
| oak |
pantana
|
| chestnut |
hangan
|
| hickory |
tampchasuck
|
| walnut |
nahattonie
|
| locust |
nohat
|
| mulberry |
etalenno
|
| a vine |
colac
|
| tobacco |
hackhuck
|
| joy |
olaha
|
| sorrow |
cachtiek
|
Adjectives
| gloss |
Adai
|
| white |
testaga
|
| black |
hatona
|
| green |
naetsa
|
| blue |
ostonga
|
| yellow |
neetsack
|
| red |
pechasat
|
| good |
awiste
|
| bad |
ashawè
|
| large |
tocat
|
| small |
enechet
|
| high |
alonie
|
| low |
hatishtinet
|
| broad |
walack
|
| narrow |
cooatechuck
|
| old |
hansnala
|
| young |
tallahasin
|
| new |
colisco
|
| hard |
toosca
|
| soft |
yolaca
|
| sweet |
piscacha
|
| sour |
chacuck
|
| bitter |
yaweiling
|
| hot |
welchuck
|
| cold |
hostalga
|
| dry |
tollooso
|
| wet |
walloco
|
| strong |
olack
|
| weak |
okesack
|
| pretty |
alwoinie
|
| ugly |
chawack
|
| sick |
kistana
|
| brave |
hackhing
|
| cowardly |
tewani
|
| wise |
acknossese
|
| foolish |
achiskiet
|
Pronouns
| gloss |
Adai
|
| I |
hicatuck
|
| you |
innaluak
|
| he |
nassicon
|
| she |
estuck
|
| they |
ostachan
|
| this |
attack
|
| that |
natack
|
Verbs
| gloss |
Adai
|
| to eat |
okeach
|
| to drink |
hann
|
| to sleep |
nican
|
| to laugh |
heike
|
| to cry |
newaskè
|
| to sing |
havetoo
|
| to whistle |
yastoo
|
| to smell |
nescon
|
| to hear |
henaasack
|
| to see |
watuck
|
| to speak |
cocheek
|
| to walk |
enacoot
|
| to run |
hehi
|
| to stand |
hintoco
|
| to sit |
hetachelsa
|
| to lie down |
connie
|
| to smoke a pipe |
hatchhunk
|
| to love |
cosetan
|
| to hate |
hieska
|
| to strike |
ecanhack
|
| to kill |
yoeick
|
| to dance |
nasan
|
| to jump |
yestook
|
| to fall |
yeahtack
|
| to break |
cheeceek (cheereek?)
|
| to bend |
pasquoque
|
Numerals
| gloss |
Adai
|
| 1 |
nancas
|
| 2 |
nass
|
| 3 |
colle
|
| 4 |
tacache
|
| 5 |
seppacan
|
| 6 |
pacanancus
|
| 7 |
pacaness
|
| 8 |
pacalcon
|
| 9 |
sickinish
|
| 10 |
neusne
|
| 11 |
cooscosnawa
|
| 12 |
coawaconnos
|
| 13 |
coescoescola
|
| 14 |
coescoestacahce
|
| 15 |
coescoesspacanas
|
| 16 |
coescoespacana
|
| 17 |
coescoespalcol
|
| 18 |
coescoespaciness
|
| 19 |
coescoessickiness
|
| 20 |
neusnieanagas
|
| 20 |
coescoesnagas
|
| 30 |
coescoesnass
|
| 40 |
coescoescola
|
| 50 |
coescoestathata
|
| 60 |
coescoesipagan
|
| 70 |
coescosepanas
|
| 80 |
coescoeshana
|
| 90 |
coescoespalcola
|
| 100 |
coescoessikiness
|
| 200 |
neusnicola
|
| 300 |
neusnicol
|
| 400 |
coscosnagas
|
| 500 |
coscosnassa
|
| 600 |
coescoescolla
|
| 700 |
coescoestacataha
|
| 800 |
coescoesipacanis
|
| 900 |
coescoespacanis
|
| 1000 |
quosquospanis
|
Others
| gloss |
Adai
|
| yes |
cola
|
| no |
ieska
|
Notable places language was spoken
| This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
References
- ^ Adai at MultiTree on the Linguist List
- ^ "Our Language – ADAI CADDO INDIAN NATION". Retrieved 2025-03-22.
- ^ a b Grant, Anthony P. 1995. John Sibley's Adai vocabulary: a contribution to Caddoan Lexicography? Paper presented at 1995 Siouan-Caddoan Conference, Albuquerque. 15pp. (Contains the entire vocabulary of Adai from MS in American Philosophical Soc.)
- ^ Sibley, John. 1804. A vocabulary of the Adaye or Adaize Indians. Manuscript. (See also Mithridates Vol. 3, part 3., p. 278.)
- Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-509427-5
- Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.
External links
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Language families and isolates |
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| Lists | |
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† indicates an extinct language, italics indicates independent status of a language, bold indicates that a language family has at least 6 members |