Comanche is an Uto-Aztecan language spoken in south west Oklahoma and New Mexico by about 854 mainly elderly speakers, out of a total Comanche population of 12,000.
In the early years of the 19th century many Comanche children were taken from their homes and educated in boarding schools where the language of instruction was English. They were punished for speaking Comanche and as a result, soon spoke only English. By the middle of the century only the elders could still speak the language.
In 1989 the Comanche Tribe began a project to preserve the language and the history of their ancestors. The end result was 15 two-hour tapes featuring 40 tribal elders telling stories and family history in their native tongue. During the following two years a number of language classes were organized by individual tribal members, all working independently.
In 1993 the Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee was formed with the vision of reviving Comanche as a living language. The Committee wants to provide the opportunity for Comanche people of all ages to be able to speak, write and understand their language in order that it and their culture might live on.
In 1994 the Comanche Tribe adopted a Comanche alphabet and spelling system developed by Dr. Alice Anderton, a linguistic anthropologist at the University of Oklahoma, Norman. Since then a number of Comanche books, dictionaries, and other materials have been published.
| A a | B b | E e | H h | I i | K k | M m | N n | O o |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P p | R r | S s | T t | U u | W w | Y y | ? |
stress normally falls on the first syllable of a word. If it falls elsewhere, an acute accent is used to indicate this.
Comanche language = numu tekwapu
English Language = taibo tekwapu
Do you speak Comanche? = unha numu tekwa?eyu?
Hello! = marúawe (to 1 person),
marúawebukwu (to 2 people),
marúaweeka/marúaweka (to a group),
haa marúawe (hi), marúawekwai (tell me all about it)
How are you? = unha hakai nuusuka?
Fine, and you? = tsaatu, untse?
I'll see you tomorrow! = noo nu puetsuku u punine!
My name is ______. = nu nahnia tsa ______.
What's your name? = unha hakai nahniaka?
What's the Comanche word for _____? = hakai _____ numu nahniaka?
Do you understand me? = unha nu nakisupana?inu?
I understand you = u nakisupana?itu nu
I don't understand you = ke nu u nakisupana?itu
Kiowa Tribe = kaiwa
Please = haamee
Thank you = ura
How old are you? = unha huu tomopu?
Yes = haa
No = kee
Spanish Language = yuhu taibo tekwapu
Fry bread = yuhu nookopu
1 = sumu
2 = wahaatu
3 = pahiitu
4 = hayarokweetu
5 = mo?obetu
6 = naabaitu
7 = taatsukwitu
8 = namewatsukwitu
9 = wumhinatu
10 = suumaru
Comanche pronunciation and useful words supplied by Benjamin Bruce
Information about the Comanche language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comanche_language
Information about the Comanche people, their history and culture
http://kathleen_burnett.homestead.com/Comanche.html
The Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee
http://www.comanchelanguage.org/
Hello Oklahoma - Benjamin Bruce's site about the native languages of Oklahoma
http://www.hello-oklahoma.com
Comanche, Hopi, O'odham, Nahuatl, Pipil, Shoshone, Yaqui