American Indian language index * American Indian cultures * What's new on our site today!

Dakota-Lakota Sioux Language

Dakota and Lakota are Siouan languages of the Great Plains. They are so closely related that most linguists consider them dialects of the same language, similar to the difference between British and American English. There are some differences in pronunciation, but they are very regular, and Dakota and Lakota Indians can almost always understand each other. The Nakota languages--Stoney and Assiniboine--are also closely related languages but a Dakota or Lakota Sioux speaker cannot easily understand them without language lessons, similar to the difference between Spanish and Portuguese. There are a combined 16,000 speakers of Lakota and Dakota Sioux in the western United States and southern Canada, especially in their namesake states of North and South Dakota.



˜Sioux Language
Dakota and Lakota language samples and resources.

˜Sioux Culture and History
Related links about the Sioux tribe past and present.

˜Sioux Indians Fact Sheet
Our answers to common questions about the lifestyle of the Sioux Indian tribe.

˜Sioux Indian Legends
Introduction to the mythology of the Lakotas and Dakotas.



˜Dakota and Lakota Sioux Language Resources –

Our Online Dakota-Lakota Materials

Dakota Sioux Vocabulary:
    List of vocabulary words in the Dakota language, with comparison to words in other Siouan languages.
Lakota Sioux Vocabulary:
    List of vocabulary words in the Lakota language, with comparison to words in other Siouan languages.
Sioux Pronunciation Guide:
    How to pronounce Lakota and Dakota Indian words.
Lakota Sioux Animal Words:
    Picture dictionary of animal words in the Lakota Sioux language, with audio files. Dakota Sioux version also available.
Lakota Body Parts:
    Online and printable worksheets showing parts of the body in the Lakota language. Dakota Sioux version also available.
Lakota Numbers:
     Worksheet showing how to count in the Lakota language. Dakota Sioux version also available.
Lakota Colors:
    Pictures showing color words in the Lakota language. Dakota Sioux version also available.
One Fish, Two Fish:
    Translation of part of the Dr. Seuss children's book in Lakota Sioux.

Dakota-Lakota Language Community and Tools

Lakota Language Consortium:
    Organization working on Lakota language revitalization, with background and language teaching materials.
Oceti Wakan:
    A Pine Ridge organization dedicated to preserving Lakota language and culture. Lakota workbook and CDs for sale.

Dakota-Lakota Language Lessons and Linguistic Descriptions

Dakoteyah Wogdaka/Talk Dakota!:
    Yankton Dakota vocabulary and audio files online.
Lakhota Language Resources:
    A collection of online texts in Lakhota and Dakota Sioux, with dialect maps and other language materials.
Lakota (Teton):
    Lakota Sioux orthography and text example.
Sioux Language, Alphabet and Pronunciation:
    Phonological inventory of Dakota Sioux, with a sample text.
Dakota Language The Silent Way:
    Online Dakota Sioux language games based on an experimental theory of language learning.
Lakxota Language:
    Rotating language lessons in Lakota Sioux.
Dakota Language: * Dakota Sioux Bible Translation: * Dakota Sioux Text * Lakota Sioux Text * Sioux Indian Texts:
    Scanned-in Dakota and Lakota language materials from the Rosetta Project.
Lakota Sioux Language:
    Wikipedia article on the Lakota language, including phonology, grammar, and phrases.

Literature and Texts in the Dakota-Lakota Language

Dakota Prayers * Lord's Prayer in Lakota
    Christian prayers translated into Dakota and Lakota Sioux.
Language Museum: Dakota:
    Bible passage in the Dakota Sioux language.
Dakota Language Plaque:
    Canadian human rights tribute written in the Dakota language.

Dakota-Lakota Language Preservation and Usage

Dakota Language * Lakota Language:
    Demographic information about Lakota and Dakota Sioux from the Ethnologue of Languages.
College Uses Rap Music to Preserve Dakotah Language:
    Article on language preservation efforts on the Sisseton-Wahpeton Reservation.

Dakota and Lakota Sioux Proper Names

Sioux Indian Placenames:
    Chart of place names in Lakota-Dakota and Omaha-Ponca.
American Indian Names for Pets:
    Our new fundraiser offering names for dogs and other animals in Native American languages (including Lakota and Dakota Sioux).

Dakota-Lakota Language Dictionaries, Audio Tapes and Language Resources

New Lakota Dictionary * English-Lakota and Lakota-English Dictionary:
    Lakota dictionaries for sale.
English-Dakota Dictionary * Dakota-English Dictionary
    Dakota Sioux dictionary for sale (two-volume set.)
Introductory Lakota:
    Comprehensive audio language learning course from the Oglala Lakota College.
Dakoteyah Wogdaka/Talk Dakota!:
    Dakota language CD for sale (proceeds benefiting a Yankton women's center).
Reading and Writing the Lakota Language * Audiocassette
    Lakota Sioux language textbook and accompanying audiocassette for sale.
Native American Language Dictionaries:
    Sioux and other American Indian dictionaries and language materials for sale.

Additional Resources, Links, and References

La Lengua Dakota * La Lengua Lakota-Teton:
Articles on the Souix language in Spanish. With language maps.
Lakota and Dakota Language Resources:
Sioux language bibliography.
Dakota Language: * Lakota Language:
Sioux links.



Back to the index of North American Indian tribes
Back to our American Indian website for kids



Contemporary Native American art * Cheyenne Nation * Tribal tattoo symbols

Would you like to sponsor our work on the Dakota-Lakota Indian language?

or buy some books through this link:

Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2009 * Contacts and FAQ page