Onǫdaʼgegáʼ
Onondaga
Iroquoian (Northern, Five Nations)
Onondaga (Onǫdaʼgegáʼ, "people on the hills") is the language of the Onondaga Nation, the central council fire of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy). The Onondaga Council still maintains the wampum-belt records and convenes the Grand Council. ~20 fluent speakers remain on the Onondaga Nation Reservation south of Syracuse NY plus a handful on Six Nations Reserve in Ontario; intensive language revitalization is ongoing through the Onondaga Nation School and the Indigenous Language Institute.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Onondaga
Water
ohnekano:s
/ohnekanoːs/
Fire
oji:staʼ
/odʒiːstaʔ/
Sun
gaeh'kwa
/ɡaehʔkwa/
Moon
gaeh'kwa enitha
/ɡaehʔkwa enitha/
Mother
ekno:ha'
/eknoːhaʔ/
Father
hak'no:ha'
/hakʔnoːhaʔ/
Eat
ekho:ne'
/ekʰoːneʔ/
Drink
ehnega:i'ron
/ehneɡaːiʔron/
Love
gaonihsdá:wę
/ɡaonihsdaːwɛ̃/
Heart
awé:ri
/aweːri/
Tree
ga:enda'
/ɡaːendaʔ/
House
ganǫhsoht
/ɡanõhsoht/
Dog
só:wa:s
/soːwaːs/
Cat
takó:s
/takoːs/
Hand
onénǫhsa'
/onenõhsaʔ/
Eye
oga:tha'
/oɡaːtʰaʔ/
Hello
sgë:nǫʼ
/skẽːnõʔ/
Thank you
nya:wę'
/njaːwɛ̃ʔ/
One
ska:t
/skaːt/
Good
oyá:nre
/ojaːnre/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Iroquoian (Northern, Five Nations) languages
| Meaning | Onondaga | Cayuga | Tuscarora | Mohawk | Konso | Magahi | Angika |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ohnekano:s /ohnekanoːs/ | ohnekanos /ohnekanos/ | awę: /awɛ̃ː/ | ohnekanos /ohnekanos/ | inanta /inanta/ | पानी /paːni/ | पानी /paːniː/ |
| Fire | oji:staʼ /odʒiːstaʔ/ | ojistaʼ /odʒistaʔ/ | ujihst /udʒihst/ | o'kara /oʔkara/ | iya /ija/ | आग /aːɡ/ | आग /aːɡ/ |
| Sun | gaeh'kwa /ɡaehʔkwa/ | gaehkwa /ɡaehkwa/ | hęhts /hɛ̃hts/ | karahkwa /karahkwa/ | kawa /kawa/ | सूरज /suːraj/ | सूरज /suːrədʒ/ |
| Moon | gaeh'kwa enitha /ɡaehʔkwa enitha/ | sǫi:ya /sõːja/ | hęhts uri:węh /hɛ̃hts uɾiːwɛ̃h/ | ahsonthenhne /ahsontʰenhne/ | ayeena /ajeːna/ | चान /tʃaːn/ | चान /tʃaːn/ |
| Mother | ekno:ha' /eknoːhaʔ/ | agniha /aɡniha/ | raknų:hak /ɾaknũːhak/ | iste /iste/ | eedda /eːdːa/ | माय /maːj/ | मय /maj/ |
| Father | hak'no:ha' /hakʔnoːhaʔ/ | hagʼniha /haɡʔniha/ | rakhnih /ɾakhnih/ | ranihá /raniha/ | abba /abːa/ | बाबू /baːbuː/ | बाबू /baːbuː/ |
| Eat | ekho:ne' /ekʰoːneʔ/ | gekho /ɡekʰo/ | kré:nuʼ /kɾeːnuʔ/ | kekhwa /kekʰwa/ | ihaa /ihaː/ | खैना /kʰaiːnaː/ | खाएक /kʰaːek/ |
| Drink | ehnega:i'ron /ehneɡaːiʔron/ | gehnegira /ɡehneɡira/ | kré:hwiʼ /kɾeːhwiʔ/ | kahnek /kahnek/ | inakkaa /inakːaː/ | पीना /piːnaː/ | पीयक /piːjak/ |
| Love | gaonihsdá:wę /ɡaonihsdaːwɛ̃/ | gaihwiyu /ɡaihwiju/ | krunyę:tas /kɾuɲɛ̃ːtas/ | aknoronhkwa /aknoronhkʷa/ | jaalla /dʒaːlːa/ | प्रेम /preːm/ | मया /majaː/ |
| Heart | awé:ri /aweːri/ | awéri /aweri/ | kęhsa' /kɛ̃hsaʔ/ | awèrià /awɛriã/ | onna /onːa/ | मन /mən/ | मन /man/ |
| Tree | ga:enda' /ɡaːendaʔ/ | gaentaʼ /ɡaentaʔ/ | nyęt /ɲɛ̃t/ | okwire /okʷire/ | ergaa /erɡaː/ | गाछ /ɡaːtʃʰ/ | गाछ /ɡaːtʃʰ/ |
| House | ganǫhsoht /ɡanõhsoht/ | ganǫhsoot /ɡanõhsoːt/ | kanéhse'ę /kanehseʔɛ̃/ | kanonhsa /kanonhsa/ | mana /mana/ | घर /ɡʱər/ | घर /ɡʱər/ |
| Dog | só:wa:s /soːwaːs/ | shǫkáos /ʃõkaos/ | čerʼ /tʃeɾʔ/ | érhar /erhar/ | kareta /kaɾeta/ | कूकूर /kuːkuːr/ | कुक्कर /kukːər/ |
| Cat | takó:s /takoːs/ | ditshokwáʔ /ditʃokwaʔ/ | takʼo:s /takʔoːs/ | takós /takos/ | adurree /aduɾːeː/ | बिलाई /bilaːi/ | बिलार /bilaːr/ |
| Hand | onénǫhsa' /onenõhsaʔ/ | onénǫhsa /onenõhsa/ | kéhskweh /kehskweh/ | o'nentsha /oʔnentsha/ | harka /haɾka/ | हाथ /haːtʰ/ | हाथ /haːtʰ/ |
| Eye | oga:tha' /oɡaːtʰaʔ/ | oga:t /oɡaːt/ | ka:tæk /kaːtæk/ | kakahre /kakahre/ | ila /ila/ | आँख /aːŋkʰ/ | आँख /ãːkʰ/ |
| Hello | sgë:nǫʼ /skẽːnõʔ/ | sgë:nǫʼ /skẽːnõʔ/ | skę:nu /skɛ̃ːnu/ | she:kon /ʃeːkon/ | akkam /akːam/ | परणाम /prəɳaːm/ | प्रणाम /prəɳaːm/ |
| Thank you | nya:wę' /njaːwɛ̃ʔ/ | niáwę /niawɛ̃/ | nyaʼwę: /ɲaʔwɛ̃ː/ | niáwen /niawen/ | galta /ɡalta/ | धन्यवाद /dʱənjəbaːd/ | धन्यवाद /dʱənjəbaːd/ |
| One | ska:t /skaːt/ | skat /skat/ | ę:cæ /ɛ̃ːtsæ/ | enska /enska/ | takka /takːa/ | एक /eːk/ | एक /eːk/ |
| Good | oyá:nre /ojaːnre/ | oyanre /ojanre/ | unę:tsweht /unɛ̃ːtsweht/ | ió /jo/ | fayye /fajːe/ | नीक /niːk/ | नीक /niːk/ |
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