THE native Indian Americans, the original dwellers of the USA, spoke hundreds of different languages, out of which just a handful are spoken today. Statistics suggest that out of the six thousand or so languages spoken in the world today, only 6000 are expected to survive by the end of this century. Loanwords become even more important in this context, as these ‘borrowings’ may soon be the only traces left of a language. American English has preserved many words from the languages of the great Alongquian family that includes languages like Shawnee and Cree. All over the USA, lie reminders of these languages: in the names of cities like Chicago (garlic place), states like Texas (friend) and rivers like the Mississippi (great river). Here are a few more words that American English has ‘borrowed’ from the natives.

Wampum, from the Narragansett wampompeag (white strings) refers to beads made from shells, and strung in strands or belts used for ceremonial purposes. High-muck-a-muck is one word that must be a part of every politician’s vocabulary, so indispensable is it! A noun, also spelled as high-mucky-muck, high-muckety-muck and muck-a-muck, it refers to an important or high-ranking person, especially one who behaves in a pompous or arrogant manner. It comes from the Chinook Jargon hayo makamak (plenty to eat), which is made up of hayo (ten or plenty) and nootka makamak (eat, food or, the part of whale meat between blubber and flesh).

Powwow is a word heard frequently in the corridors of power. Originally, a powwow was a medicine man or a sorcerer. By and by, it came to refer to the ceremony or festivity conducted by the medicine man. It evolved further into a discussion or meeting among Indians. Today, it can be used as a noun for any important meeting or as a verb to describe the process of meeting.

The moccasins favoured for comfort come from the Natick mohkussin, an Indian shoe of soft leather with the soles, sides and toes formed of a single piece. Wigwam today is a loose term for any conical-shaped tent; the Alongquian wigwam was more distinct. This original wigwam was a hut used by the Indians of the Northeast and the Great Lakes area. These huts were round in shape and made of bark or hide on a pole framework.

The outdoor life of the American Indians is reflected in the many words their languages have given English for the world of plants and animals. Chipmunk, moose, opossum, woodchuck, skunk and raccoon are some names of animals. Hickory (a tree bearing nuts), pecan (nuts), persimmon (red-orange fruit) and squash (a vegetable of the pumpkin family) are all Indian in origin.

Sometimes a language does not become extinct, yet it can vanish from a part of the world. In the post-colonial world, this has been a common enough phenomenon. When the Turks, the Persians and the Portuguese stopped living in India, they left behind words in the Hindi lexicon. The words like the Portuguese tauliya, almari, balti and radio; the Turkish chaku, salvar and kurki and the Persian samosa, garib and parda keep languages of their origin in wide circulation.

This feature was published on January 27, 2004