Cheyenne
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A language of United States
ISO 639-3
Alternate Names
Tsitsistas
Autonym
Tsėhesenėstsestȯtse
Population
380 (2018 W. Leman), decreasing. Spoken by 350 in Montana, 30 in Oklahoma (2018 W. Leman). Ethnic population: 4,000 (Golla 2007). In Montana.
Location
Montana: Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation; central Oklahoma.
Language Status
8a (Moribund). Language of registered tribe: Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Northern Cheyenne Tribe of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation.
Classification
Typology
Polysynthetic language; pragmatic word order; grammatical animacy; tonal.
Language Use
Conversation and prayer. Older adults only. Middle-aged or older. All also use English [eng].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L1: 1%–5%. Literacy rate in L2: 100% in English [eng]. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible portions: 1902–2007. Summer camps for children in Montana where Cheyenne taught by fluent speakers. Taught in Dull Knife Memorial College and at reservation schools in Montana (2018 W. Leman).
Language Resources
Writing
Latin script [Latn].
Christian, traditional religion.