NO. 6 CADDOAN LINGUISTIC STOCK LESSER AND WELTFISH 3 



SUBDIVISIONS 

 PAWNEE 



Of the three Pawnee dialects, that known as South Band Paw^nee 

 or Pawnee proper preser\'es the oldest forms of Pawnee. The 

 dialect of the Skiri differs from the South Band Pawnee primarily 

 in phonetics. Speeds, lengths, and tones differ between these 

 dialects; but most important is the fact that the phonetic changes 

 which ha\e occurred have resulted in Skiri in the loss of a number 

 of vowel and consonant distinctions that are found in South Band 

 Pawnee. As a result, what was already a meager phonetic system 

 in Pawnee proper is still further reduced in Skiri. ^ While it may well 

 be true that historically — as tradition claims — the Arikara dialect 

 diverged from a root which was once common to Arikara and Skiri, 

 nevertheless on the basis of a comparison of the three Pawnee 

 dialects as spoken today, the Arikara divergences should be treated 

 in relation to the Pawnee proper or South Band dialect, rather than 

 in relation to the speech of the Skiri. The phonetic divergence of 

 Arikara can be characterized in two ways: first, there are many 

 shifts of vow^els and consonants, numbering many more than those 

 which differentiate Pawnee proper and Skiri; and second, in Arikara 

 enunciation whole syllables are lost to the ear through elision and 

 whispering of the vowels. Today, South Band and Skiri dialects 

 are almost fully mutually intelligible; older natives understand the 

 speech of the other group but reply in their own, while among the 

 young people there is a tendency to develop a mixed dialect which 

 overrides the differentiation of the two. Skiri and Arikara gener- 

 ally insist that they can understand one another, and some do; but 



' Material on which these statements and those referring to the Arikara are 

 based, as well as the details of the phonetic shifts, will be given in an analytic 

 study of comparative text material. 



wide, the aperture between them forming a very narrow slit; and e in Pawnee 

 which does not have the usual diphthongal quality. 



o) (Greek omega) of Wichita is the aw of English law. 



ai of Caddo is the diphthong of English height. 



Diacritical marks: 



The glottal catch (') and the aspiration (') are used in the usual way. Stress 

 accent is indicated by (') after the syllable (a')- Vowel length is indicated by (') 

 after the vowel (a"); vowel shortness by (^) under the vowel (a). Pitch accents 

 are (a) for high tone, (a) for middle high. Tone combinations occurring in 

 Pawnee are: (a') high to middle high, (a") normal to middle high, (a") middle high 

 to normal, (a") middle high to high. 



Whispered or slightly articulated sounds are indicated as superior symbols (f^). 



