Sahaptian

Sahaptian is a branch of the proposed Penutian language family that includes Nez Perce (Nimiipuu) and a group of Sahaptin languages. It is spoken in the interior Pacific Northwest of the United States, especially along the Columbia River Plateau in present-day Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. The branch is commonly described as containing Nez Perce and the Sahaptin languages, which are associated with various tribal groups such as the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Walla Walla, and Klickitat. Linguistic classification of Sahaptian varies; some scholars divide it into Northern and Southern Sahaptian, while others treat Sahaptian as a single unit within Penutian. The status of Penutian itself is debated among linguists.

Most Sahaptian languages are endangered. Nez Perce has relatively more active language programs and some intergenerational use, but many Sahaptin varieties have only a small number of speakers. Documentation and community-led revitalization efforts, including language classes, curricula, and immersion programs, are ongoing.

Orthographies based on the Latin alphabet have been developed for several Sahaptian languages, aiding teaching and linguistic description. Sahaptian languages are of interest to linguists for illustrating Penutian relationships and for their distinctive grammatical features, including rich verbal morphology and the use of aspect and evidentiality in discourse.