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
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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| Proposed groupings | |
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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 10 members |