Page Type: languageDakota | Ethnologue

DAK ISO 639-3

Dakota

Dakhóta Autonym

A language of United States

ISO 639
dak
Alternate Names
Dakhótiyapi, Sioux
Autonym
Dakhóta
Population
100 in United States (2016 W. Meya), decreasing. Ethnic population: 170,000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux. Total users in all countries: 290.
Location:
Minnesota: Upper Sioux, Lower Sioux, Prior Lake, Prairie Island, Minneapolis; Montana: Fort Peck reservation; Nebraska: Santee; North Dakota: Devils Lake, northern Standing Rock reservation, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse reservation; South Dakota: Crow Creek, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse and Yankton reservations, Flandreau.
Language Status
7 (Shifting). Language of registered tribe: Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Crow Creek Sioux Tribe of the Crow Creek Reservation, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, Lower Sioux Indian Community in the State of Minnesota, Mdewakanton Sioux Indians, Prairie Island Indian Community in the State of Minnesota, Santee Sioux Nation, Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community of Minnesota, Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate of the Lake Traverse Reservation, Spirit Lake Tribe, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe (North Dakota and South Dakota), Upper Sioux Community, Yankton Sioux Tribe of South Dakota.
Classification
Siouan-Catawban, Siouan, Mississippi Valley-Ohio Valley Siouan, Mississippi Valley Siouan, Dakota
Dialects
Dakota (Dakhota, Santee, Santee-Sisseton), Nakota (Nakoda, Yankton, Yankton-Yanktonais). Lexical similarity: 83%–86% with Stoney [sto], 89%–94% with Assiniboine [asb], 90%–95% with dialects.
Language Use
Adults only. Most youth prefer English [eng] or do not speak the language (Golla 2007). Most shifting to English [eng].
Language Development
Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible: 1879. Teaching programs at every level, preschool through university (Golla 2007).
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Dakota
Writing
Latin script [Latn].

Also Spoken in

Language Name
Dakota
User Population
190 in Canada (2016 W. Meya), decreasing. 2,300 L1 speakers of all Sioux dialects in a total population of 175,000, of which 5,000 reside in Canada (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Ethnic population: 5,000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux.
Location
Manitoba: south; Saskatchewan: Oak River and Oak Lake, Long Plain west of Winnipeg, Standing Buffalo, Birdtail, Stony Wahpeton, and Moose Woods. May be at Wood Mountain Reserve.
Dialects
Dakota (Santee), Nakota (Yankton).
Language Status
8b (Nearly extinct)
Other Comments
Non-indigenous.
View other languages of Canada

Map

Location: Minnesota: Upper Sioux, Lower Sioux, Prior Lake, Prairie Island, Minneapolis; Montana: Fort Peck reservation; Nebraska: Santee; North Dakota: Devils Lake, northern Standing Rock reservation, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse reservation; South Dakota: Crow Creek, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse and Yankton reservations, Flandreau.