Tawasa language

Tawasa is an extinct Native American language. Ostensibly the language of the Tawasa people of what is now Alabama, it is known exclusively through a word list attributed to a Tawasa named Lamhatty, collected in 1707.

Tawasa
Teouachi
Native toUnited States
Regioneastern Alabama
EthnicityTawasa people
Extinct18th century
Timucuan?
  • Tawasa
Language codes
ISO 639-3None (mis)
tjm-taw
GlottologNone
Pre-contact distribution of the Timucua language (Florida) and Tawasa

John Swanton studied the Lamhatty word list and identified the language as a Timucuan dialect, suggesting it was intermediary between Timucua and Muskogean. This opinion has been the subject of significant scholarly debate, with some such as Julian Granberry considering it a dialect of Timucua, others arguing it was a distinct language in the Timucua family, and yet others such as John Hann doubting that Lamhatty was a Tawasa at all. The language shows significant Alabama influence, including the Muskogean same-subject suffix -t.

Evidence

In 1707 an Indian named Lamhatty arrived in the British colony of Virginia, eventually arriving at the estate of Colonel John Walker. Taking an interest in him, Walker introduced him to colonial historian Robert Beverley. Through an interpreter, Lamhatty explained that he was from the village of Tawasa near the Gulf of Mexico. He had been captured and enslaved by the Tuscarora, who transported him eastward and sold him to the Savannah people. He escaped and traveled north to Virginia. Walker recorded the 60-word lexicon he learned from Lamhatty on the back of a letter, while Beverley wrote an account of Lamhatty's story. According to Beverley, Walker began treating Lamhatty like a slave once he learned other Tawasa were enslaved. Lamhatty escaped and went into the woods, never to be heard from again.[1]

There has been scholarly debate about the place of Tawasa among languages. Studying the word list in the early 20th century, John Swanton noted the similarity with the Timucua language, and suggested Tawasa was an intermediary with Muskogean. Linguist Julian Granberry identifies it as a dialect of Timucua.[2] Others, such as John Hann, are skeptical of the accuracy of Beverley's account. He questions whether Lamhatty was a Tawasa at all.[3]

Vocabulary

Tawasa words are a bit difficult to make out, due to English respellings. For example, oo, ou corresponds to Timucua u, ough to o, eu to yu, and often e, ee to Timucua i. Tawasa w corresponds to Timucua b, which was probably pronounced [β]. Timucua c, q were [k]; qu was [kʷ]. Some of the following correspondences have a final t in Tawasa, which appears to be a Muskogean suffix. Others appear to have the Timucua copula -la. Timucua forms are Mocama dialect.

TawasaTimucuagloss
effalàhefa-ladog
píssopesolobread
soúasobameat
pítcho-tpichoknife
ocoò-tucudrink
heă-thiyarabacat
yáukfahyanqua1
eúksahyucha2
hóp-hohapu3
checúttahcheqeta4
márouahmarua5
mareékahmareca6
pekétchahpiqicha7
pekénnahoughpiqinaho8
peétchcuttahpeqecheqeta9
toómahtuma10
tomo-eúchatuma-yucha20
foóleyhue-lehand
hewéenouhininotobacco
ocut-soúaucuchuadoor
hoI
heyou
uēkqūahcahere
uēkhethheqethere
hĕmèhhimecome
héwahhibasit down
loókqŭy(a)ruquiboy
néăhniawoman
wiedōōbiroman
colútecolobow
wiéo-ttibiwater
wiéo-tt opù-tibi-apisalt water
yōweyayugreat
chicky, chiékychiri, qichilittle
sōquàhchucahow many

Correspondences with Muskogean and Timucua are,

TawasaMuskogeanTimucuagloss
chesapàAlabama: časitapolamaize
hásseyAlabama: hašielasun
ássickAlabama: nila hašiacumoon
chénah, chénohNatchez: ičinaoqehe
tútcahCreek: tó'tkatacafire

Although ássick 'moon' appears to be an Alabama form, its compounds are Timucuan:

TawasaTimucuaglossnotes
ássick hóomahacu homafull moonhoma 'finish'
ássick-toúquahela-tocoeastela-toco 'sun-come out' = 'sunrise'
ássick-eachahela-echawestela-echa 'sun-enter = 'sunset'

Notes

  1. Gallay, Alan (2002). The Indian Slave Trade: The Rise of the English Empire in the American South, 1670-1717. Yale University Press. pp. 307–308. ISBN 0300101937.
  2. Granberry (1993), pp. 10–11
  3. Hann (1996), pp. 6, 131–134

References

  • Hann, John H. (1996). A History of the Timucua Indians and Missions. Gainesville, Florida: University Press of Florida. ISBN 0-8130-1424-7.
  • Granberry, Julian (1993). A Grammar and Dictionary of the Timucua Language. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press. pp. 10–11.
  • Swanton, John R.; Walker, John (1929). "The Tawasa Language". American Anthropologist. 31 (3): 435–453. doi:10.1525/aa.1929.31.3.02a00040.
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