Catherine Willmond

The Chickasaws are one of the Five Tribes removed by the U.S. government to Indian Territory (now Oklahoma) more than 150 years ago from their homelands in the southeastern United States. Most speakers of the Chickasaw language now live in the Chickasaw Nation in south-central Oklahoma. Although there are fewer than one hundred fluent speakers today, the tribe has a language program designed to revitalize and perpetuate the language.This first scholarly dictionary of the Chickasaw language contains a Chickasaw-English section with approximately 12,000 main entries, secondary entries, and cross-references; an English-Chickasaw index; and an extensive introductory section describing the structure of Chickasaw words.The dictionary uses a new spelling system that represents tonal accent and the glottal stop, neither of which is shown in any previous dictionary of either Chickasaw or the closely related Muskogean language, Choctaw. In addition, vowel and consonant length, vowel nasalization, and other important distinctions are given. Grammatical information is also provided.The dictionary is the product of a seventeen-year collaboration between Pamela Munro and Catherine Willmond. They have consulted over forty other Chickasaw speakers in Oklahoma to collect variant forms of words, which are also listed in the dictionary.

An important member of the Muskogean language family, Chickasaw is an endangered language spoken today by fewer than two hundred people, primarily in the Chickasaw Nation of south-central Oklahoma. Let's Speak Chickasaw Chikashshanompa' Kilanompoli' is both the first textbook of the Chickasaw language and its first complete grammar. A collaboration between Pamela Munro, a linguist with an intimate knowledge of Chickasaw, and Catherine Willmond, a native speaker, this book is designed for beginners as well as intermediate students.Twenty units cover pronunciation, word building, sentence structure, and usage. Each includes four to eight short lessons accompanied by exercises that introduce additional information about the language. Each unit also includes dialogues or readings that reflect language use by native speakers to increase students' understanding of how words and sentences are put together. Additional ""Beyond the Grammar"" sections offer insight into the history of the language and fine points of usage. Extensive Chickasaw-English and English-Chickasaw vocabularies are included.The text is written in a conversational style and defines terms in everyday language to help students master grammatical concepts. The authors developed the spelling system they use here based on earlier orthographies for Chickasaw and Choctaw. An accompanying CD provides examples of spoken Chickasaw that convey fine points of pronunciation.Classroom-tested for more than fourteen years, Let's Speak Chickasaw is the only complete and linguistically sound analysis of Chickasaw, treating it as a living language rather than as a cultural artifact. It is a vital resource for scholars of American Indian linguistics and a rich repository of the language and culture of the Chickasaw people.