Sahaptin

Sahaptin refers to a group of related Indigenous languages spoken in the Columbia Plateau region of the northwestern United States. The languages are traditionally associated with peoples along the Columbia River in what is now Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, including Nez Perce communities and several Sahaptin-speaking tribes such as the Yakama, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Klickitat, and Palouse groups.

Classification is debated. In many classifications, Sahaptin is treated as a branch of the larger Penutian language stock, though the validity of Penutian and the exact placement of Sahaptin are contested among linguists. The languages form a coordinated subgroup within the Sahaptian branch, with diverse but related varieties.

Linguistically, Sahaptin languages share a number of features, including rich verbal morphology and word formation that allow complex predicates to be built. They typically employ a flexible word order with agglutinative affixes encoding tense, aspect, mood, evidentiality, and agreement. Phonologically, they use a consonant inventory characteristic of the Pacific Northwest and employ ejectives in some varieties.

Today most Sahaptin varieties are endangered. English and restoration programs have affected language use, and many communities emphasize language preservation, education, and revitalization through immersion schools, bilingual programs, and archival documentation. Language revitalization efforts include community-led teaching, dictionaries, and linguistic fieldwork aimed at documenting and sustaining Sahaptin for future generations.