[Linda]

My very witty friend, Thomas McElwain, speaks WV Seneca, otherwise known as Mingo. He submitted this to the Mingo EGADS e-list, http://www.mingolanguage.org/mingo-l.html (If our VA/NC ancestors migrated into Appalachia, this is likely the last native language they spoke. )

Learn Fluent Mingo in a Week

Actually, if you are fairly young, you can learn fluent Mingo in one brief session. Just learn the words for “like” and “awesome.” The former is niyu’tê, and the latter is uiwanëëkwat. When you substitute the Mingo equivalents in your conversation, you will find that you only have about ten percent left to learn. Ninety percent fluency is better than what most people ever achieve in learning a language late. Just add a greeting, aaskënö’kêôk, and you’ll never need anything else.

But if you are in the generation that still lives under the illusion of communication, you will need ten or a dozen sentences to make yourself fluent. It will take about a week of fairly intensive work. First of all, read, learn and memorize the sentences below, no matter how long it takes. It may take several hours, so pick a Sunday like today to do it. Look at the Mingo EGADS website, http://www.mingolanguage.org/ to get the pronunciation. If you go over that carefully, you should have no trouble.

Once you have learned the sentences, review them over the next six days, starting tomorrow. Spend an hour or so repeating the sentences over and over. At the end of each session you will have the impression that you known them backwards and forwards, but in fact when you try to use them after a couple of hours, you will find that you don’t after all. Not to worry. That’s why you’re taking a week to do what you think you did the first day. The important thing is to keep repeating them aloud.

By next Saturday you will be fluent in Mingo. Then is the time to put it in practice. Use all of the sentences every day, whether you need them or not. Use them as much as possible, because the more you use them the more fluent you will sound. There are only two reasons for speaking Mingo: 1) Because you want to use your native language and 2) because you want to impress the people around you. With these sentences, you can kill two birds with one stone.

1 Heyúé ëhsátkë. Únë u’kátkë ní’a.

It’s time for you to get up. I’m already up.

Heyúé – it’s time for something. ëhsátkë – you will get up. Únë – now, already. u’kátkë – I got up. ní’a – myself.

2 Akatöswe’tani. Të’ë na’u’t ëtwák ëtwatekhôni’?

I’m hungry. What shall we eat?

Akatöswe’tani – I’m hungry. Të’ë na’u’t – what? ëtwák – we’ll eat something. ëtwatekhôni’ – we’ll eat a meal

3 Ha’tekakôt ëkatyuu’tát nêkê wênishäte’.

I have to work today.

Ha’tekakôt – it’s necessary. ëkatyuu’tát – I’ll work. nêkê – this. wênishäte’ – today.

4 Thë’ë, tëyökninuö’s shô.

No, let’s just be lazy.

Thë’ë – no. tëyökninuö’s – let’s be lazy. shô – just

5 Tëtwe’ tkanötayë’. Tewakatöëtsúni ha’kwistë’ ëknínö’.

Let’s go to town. I need to buy something.

Tëtwe’ – let’s go. tkanötayë’ – to town. Tewakatöëtsúni – I need, want. ha’kwistë’ – something. ëknínö’ – I will buy it.

6 Kha’táthës ní’a. Únekanus ëknekeä’.

I’m thirsty. I’m going to drink some water.

Kha’táthës – I’m thirsty. ní’a – myself. Únekanus – water. ëknekeä’ – I’ll drink.

7 Ëkátö’ shô. Káwé nae huikê?

I’ll just go to the toilet.

Ëkátö’ – I’ll go to the toilet. shô – just. Káwé – where? nae – indeed. huikê – that thing.

8 Ne’ wai nê wíyú!

That’s good, beautiful, nice.

Ne’ – that. wai – indeed. nê – this thing. wíyú – it’s good, beautiful, great.

9 Yanëöshäwënëë’të Nawëníyu’.

God bless you.

Yanëöshäwënëë’të – may he bless you. Nawëníyu’ – God.

10 Sathsëhtö nae? Akathsëhtö ní’a. Únë ëkënôétha’ ëkíta’.

Are you tired? I am. I’m going to go to bed and go to sleep now.

Sathsëhtö – you are tired. nae – indeed. Akathsëhtö – I’m tired. ní’a – myself. Únë – now, already. ëkënôétha’ – I’m going to go to bed. ëkíta’ – I’ll go to sleep.

Thomas

[Tom]

Hello and thanx for this, it makes some sence to use this, and if our old Souian language was replaced by Mingo then it answers the question of ” where is the remants of the eastern souian language, besides Tutelo? And is our older language really extinct, did Mingo entirely replace eastern Souian?.

Also I think that this may be a very valid source to present that song fragment to.. there is a wiyu and the end of the verse, and the location of the owner of that song coorelates to the Mingo area.

Since Mingo is an iroquoian language both the Cherokee and the Souians would have been comfortable hearing it.

This is not unlike some languages being spoken in the Creek communities where Choctaw is becoming more influential that the Creek forms.

My only question then is, does Mingo have any variant forms of Souian words?.

All the best , Tom

[Author]

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