American Indian Loanwords

Mark 97501029 Eileen98501040

Algonquian Languages

• Most densely populated in Eastern America

Names of Places

• Mississippi -- Great River• Michigan -- Great Sea → Lake Michigan• Quebec -- where the river narrows

Racoon

• "[the] one who rubs, scrubs and scratches with its hands“

• Virginia Algonquian aroughcun, aroughcoune

Chipmunk – Red Squirrel

mid 19th century: from Ojibwa

Mooseearly 17th century: from Abnaki “mos”

Qua·hog mid 18th century: from Narragansett

“poquaûhock”

Pecan – a nut requiring a stone to crack

late 18th century: from Illinois (an American Indian language)

Hominyshortened from Virginia Algonquian

uskatahomenliterally “that which is treated”

Moccasinearly 17th century: from Virginia Algonquian

“mockasin.” The word is also found in other American Indian languages

Totem• ‘that which marks the family or tribe’• Ojibwe nindoodem, "my totem" or

odoodeman, "his totem

Powwow -- to dreamearly 17th century: from Narragansett powah

powwaw 'magician' (literally 'he dreams')

References: Oxford Dictionary. (n.d.). Oxford Dictionaries. Retrieved from http://oxforddictionaries.com/

Hartman, H.,(2007). American Indian Loanwords. Infoplease.Retrieved from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/aihmwords1.html

List of English Words from Indigenous Languages of the Americas. (n.d.). InWikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_English_words_from_indigenous_languages_of_the_Americas#Words_from_Algonquian

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