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Grammar of the Choctaw Language
Excerpt from Grammar of the Choctaw Language
The Choctaws have always been quick to adopt the instruction of their civilized neighbors, and at present have about seventy schools with nearly two thousand pupils on their reservation.' During the French occupation of Louisiana, in the early part of the last century, efforts were made by the Roman Catholic missionaries to convert them, but without success.2 In 1818, Protestant missionaries were sent among them, who effected a permanent impression upon them, and were mainly instrumental in bringing about their present highly creditable condition. Their evil habits were reformed, they were instructed in agriculture, and their language was reduced to writing. In the latter, the alphabet suggested by the Hon. John Pickering, in his essay On a uniform orthography of the languages of the Indians of North America, was employed. The first book printed was a spelling book, by the American Tract Society, in 1825. Since that time, besides a large number of tracts, almanacs, hymn books, and educational works, the whole of the New Testament and most of the Old Testament have been printed in the language, by the American Bible Society, New York city, after faithful translations by the Rev. Cyrus Byington and the Rev. A. Wright, assisted by educated natives.3 These can readily be obtained, and will be found of great service in elucidating the grammatical structure of the language, as it is for the first time explained in the present work by the hands of the rev. Cyrus byington.
The Choctaws have always been quick to adopt the instruction of their civilized neighbors, and at present have about seventy schools with nearly two thousand pupils on their reservation.' During the French occupation of Louisiana, in the early part of the last century, efforts were made by the Roman Catholic missionaries to convert them, but without success.2 In 1818, Protestant missionaries were sent among them, who effected a permanent impression upon them, and were mainly instrumental in bringing about their present highly creditable condition. Their evil habits were reformed, they were instructed in agriculture, and their language was reduced to writing. In the latter, the alphabet suggested by the Hon. John Pickering, in his essay On a uniform orthography of the languages of the Indians of North America, was employed. The first book printed was a spelling book, by the American Tract Society, in 1825. Since that time, besides a large number of tracts, almanacs, hymn books, and educational works, the whole of the New Testament and most of the Old Testament have been printed in the language, by the American Bible Society, New York city, after faithful translations by the Rev. Cyrus Byington and the Rev. A. Wright, assisted by educated natives.3 These can readily be obtained, and will be found of great service in elucidating the grammatical structure of the language, as it is for the first time explained in the present work by the hands of the rev. Cyrus byington.
60 pages, Paperback
Published August 24, 2018
About the author
Cyrus Byington
28 booksCyrus Byington (March 11, 1793 – December 31, 1868) was a White Christian missionary from Massachusetts who began working with the Choctaw in Mississippi in 1821. Although he had been trained as a lawyer, he abandoned law as a career and became a minister affiliated with the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions. During this period he learned the Choctaw language, which was then entirely unwritten. He also began to develop a Choctaw orthography.
After the U.S. government began enforcing its Indian Removal policy to relocate Native Americans from their lands in the Southeastern states to Indian Territory, later called Oklahoma, during the 19th century. In 1835, Byington and his family returned to the new Choctaw homeland and founded a mission near Eagletown. He sought to construct a lexicon and develop other linguistic tools for the Choctaw language to translate Christian prayers, hymns, and bible passages. Byington's work is considered one of the most complete lexicons for a Native American language. He worked nearly 50 years translating Choctaw as a written language.
After the U.S. government began enforcing its Indian Removal policy to relocate Native Americans from their lands in the Southeastern states to Indian Territory, later called Oklahoma, during the 19th century. In 1835, Byington and his family returned to the new Choctaw homeland and founded a mission near Eagletown. He sought to construct a lexicon and develop other linguistic tools for the Choctaw language to translate Christian prayers, hymns, and bible passages. Byington's work is considered one of the most complete lexicons for a Native American language. He worked nearly 50 years translating Choctaw as a written language.
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