Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Lakota
CLASSIFICATION		Siouan, Mississippi Valley Siouan, Dakota
LANGUAGE CODE		dak, lkt, sto
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Santee-Sisseton (Dakota) Yankton-Yanktonai Teton (Lakota)
DOWNLOAD		As csv
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		Sioux is the cover term for the varieties of the Dakotan dialect complex, with three well defined dialect areas: Stoney, currently spoken in southwestern Alberta; Assinibone, in southern Saskatchewan and northern Montana; and Sioux, spoken widely in North and South Dakota, Minnesota, and in southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Intelligibility between these dialect areas is low, although speakers can communicate after a while with some difficulty, and they are perhaps best considered emergent languages. Sioux is further divided into three major dialects, Santee-Sisseton (Dakota), Yankton-Yanktonai, and Teton (Lakota), between which there is a fair degree of mutual intelligibility. Ethnologue distinguishes four Dakota languages: Assiniboine [asb], Dakota [dak], Lakota [lkt], Stoney [sto].

Compare Sources (7)

Information from: “North America” (7-41) . Victor Golla and Ives Goddard and Lyle Campbell and Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco (2008) , Chris Moseley and Ron Asher · Routledge

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
25,000
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
103,000

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: USA; Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Minnesota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota

PLACES: USA; Canada;

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
5490 Dakota 290, Lakota 2100, Stoney 3100
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Dakota [dak]: US: 100 (2016 W. Meya). Ethnic population: 170,000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux. Canada: 190 (2016 W. Meya). 2300 L1 speakers of all Sioux dialects in a total population of 175,000, of which 5,000 reside in Canada (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Ethnic population: 5,000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux.

Lakota [ltk]: US: 2000 (1997 W. Meya). 2300 L1 speakers of all Sioux dialects in a total population of 175,000. L2 users: 100 in US (2016 W. Meya). Ethnic population: 170,000 (2016 W. Meya). Includes all ethnic Sioux. Total users in all countries: 2200 (as L1: 2,100; as L2: 100). Canada: 100 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Ethnic population: 5000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux.

Stoney [sto]: 3160 (2011 census). Ethnic population: 3200 (Golla 2007).

DATE OF INFO: 2106, 1997, 2007

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: USA: Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota. Canada: Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Dakota [dak]: Minnesota: Upper Sioux, Lower Sioux, Prior Lake, Prairie Island, Minneapolis; Montana: Fort Peck reservation; Nebraska: Santee; North Dakota: Devils Lake, northern Standing Rock reservation, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse reservation; South Dakota: Crow Creek, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse and Yankton reservations, Flandreau. Canada: Manitoba: south; Saskatchewan: Oak River and Oak Lake, Long Plain west of Winnipeg, Standing Buffalo, Birdtail, Stony Wahpeton, and Moose Woods. May be at Wood Mountain Reserve.

Lakota [lkt]: US: Nebraska: northwest corner; North Dakota: Bismark, Standing Rock reservation; South Dakota: Cheyenne River, Lower Brule reservation, Pine Ridge, Rapid City, Rosebud; Urban centers including Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle. Canada: Saskatchewan: Wood Mountain Reserve.

Stoney [sto]:
Alberta province: Alexis, Bighorn, Eden Valley, Morley, and Paul reserves west and northwest of Calgary and west of Edmonton.

PLACES: USA; Canada;

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
25,675
Native speakers worldwide

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: USA; Canada;

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
20,355
Native speakers worldwide

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
Ethnic population
19,280
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Ethnologue distinguishes 4 Dakota languages: Assiniboine [asb], Dakota [dak], Lakota [lkt], Stoney [sto].
15,400 in US (1990 census), decreasing. 31 monolinguals (1990 census). 250 Yanktonais (1997 D. Parks); Census (2000) data may include Lakota. Population total all countries: 19,280. Ethnic population: 5,000 Yanktonais (1997 D. Parks); 20,475 (2000 census).

DATE OF INFO: 1990, 1997

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: USA; Canada;

0199255911		2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer		Oxford University Press	New York			2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.												USA; Canada;		45.0,-93.5
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis		SIL International	Dallas, TX	http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	19,280		1990, 1997		Ethnologue distinguishes 4 Dakota languages: Assiniboine [asb], Dakota [dak], Lakota [lkt], Stoney [sto]. 15,400 in US (1990 census), decreasing. 31 monolinguals (1990 census). 250 Yanktonais (1997 D. Parks); Census (2000) data may include Lakota. Population total all countries: 19,280. Ethnic population: 5,000 Yanktonais (1997 D. Parks); 20,475 (2000 census).	English	Severely Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	14		USA; Canada;
		2016	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 19th Edition (2016)			Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig	online	SIL International	Dallas, Texas	http://www.ethnologue.com		Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2016. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Nineteenth edition (2016). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com.			5490 Dakota 290, Lakota 2100, Stoney 3100	2106, 1997, 2007	1000-9999	Dakota [dak]: US: 100 (2016 W. Meya). Ethnic population: 170,000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux. Canada: 190 (2016 W. Meya). 2300 L1 speakers of all Sioux dialects in a total population of 175,000, of which 5,000 reside in Canada (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Ethnic population: 5,000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux. Lakota [ltk]: US: 2000 (1997 W. Meya). 2300 L1 speakers of all Sioux dialects in a total population of 175,000. L2 users: 100 in US (2016 W. Meya). Ethnic population: 170,000 (2016 W. Meya). Includes all ethnic Sioux. Total users in all countries: 2200 (as L1: 2,100; as L2: 100). Canada: 100 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Ethnic population: 5000 (2016 Lakota Language Consortium). Includes all ethnic Sioux. Stoney [sto]: 3160 (2011 census). Ethnic population: 3200 (Golla 2007).	English	Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	14	Dakota [dak]: Minnesota: Upper Sioux, Lower Sioux, Prior Lake, Prairie Island, Minneapolis; Montana: Fort Peck reservation; Nebraska: Santee; North Dakota: Devils Lake, northern Standing Rock reservation, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse reservation; South Dakota: Crow Creek, Sisseton-Lakota Traverse and Yankton reservations, Flandreau. Canada: Manitoba: south; Saskatchewan: Oak River and Oak Lake, Long Plain west of Winnipeg, Standing Buffalo, Birdtail, Stony Wahpeton, and Moose Woods. May be at Wood Mountain Reserve. Lakota [lkt]: US: Nebraska: northwest corner; North Dakota: Bismark, Standing Rock reservation; South Dakota: Cheyenne River, Lower Brule reservation, Pine Ridge, Rapid City, Rosebud; Urban centers including Denver, Minneapolis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle. Canada: Saskatchewan: Wood Mountain Reserve. Stoney [sto]: Alberta province: Alexis, Bighorn, Eden Valley, Morley, and Paul reserves west and northwest of Calgary and west of Edmonton.	USA: Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota. Canada: Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan.
	3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing	Paris	http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		25,675		10000-99999		English	Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				USA; Canada;		43.0588,-102.5244
		2008	North America	Atlas of the World's Languages	7-41	Chris Moseley and Ron Asher		Routledge	London		Victor Golla and Ives Goddard and Lyle Campbell and Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco	Victor Golla, Ives Goddard, Lyle Campbell, Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco. 2008. "North America." In Atlas of the World's Languages, edited by Chris Moseley and Ron Asher. 7-41. Routledge.		103,000	25,000		10000-99999		English	Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	12	14		USA; Canada;	Minnesota, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota
	2nd edition	2010	Endangered Languages of the United States	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger of Disappearing	108-130	Christopher Moseley		UNESCO	Paris		Christopher Rogers, Naomi Palosaari and Lyle Campbell	Christopher Rogers, Naomi Palosaari and Lyle Campbell. 2010. "Endangered Languages of the United States." In Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger of Disappearing, edited by Christopher Moseley. 108-130. UNESCO.												USA; Canada;		43.0588,-102.5244
			World Oral Literature Project							http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			20,355		10000-99999			Vulnerable (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Sioux

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

25,000

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5490 Dakota 290, Lakota 2100, Stoney 3100

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

25,675

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

20,355

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

Discussion

Sioux

Language metadata

Language information by source

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

25,000

Endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

5490 Dakota 290, Lakota 2100, Stoney 3100

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

25,675

Vulnerable

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

20,355

Severely endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

Discussion

Suggest information or improvement

Download language data

Sources of information

Compare Sources