The Choctaw are a Native American people . They were originally from the Southeastern portion of the United States. They resided primarily in the present states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana.

They are of the Muskogean linguistic group. The word Choctaw tribe is also also known as the Chahta, Chato, Tchakta, and Chocktaw.

 In the 1800s, the Choctaw nation was known as one of the "Five Civilized Tribes."The primary groups of Choctaw are represented in the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma and the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians.

The Choctaw languge is a member of the Muskogean family of languages.  The Choctaw language was well known frontiersmen of the early 19th Century. The Choctaw language is closely related to Chickasaw some much so that they are considered by some as two dialects of a single language.

For more information, see our Choctaw language article.

Choctaw is a language conventionally spoken by the Choctaw tribe. It is grouped under the Muskogean family and is used by Native Americans in the southeastern U.S.

It was a very popular language in the Frontier days, even known by the likes of some American presidents. Today it is spoken by just under 10,000 people.

Choctaw has been linked to Chickasaw, another Native American language, but members of the tribe would scoff at the claim that the tongues are comparable. The Choctaw alphabet is short five letters in contrast to the English version. There are no rolling rs in the Choctaw language, as this sound is absent.

The Choctaw language is divided into three dialects: "Native" Choctaw from Oklahoma, Mississippi Choctaw (also in Oklahoma), and Choctaw of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (this version actually is in Mississippi).

The dialects are thought to have come about as the result of some of the tribe being forced to relocate to Oklahoma with the Trail of Tears. Each dialect can still comprehend the other, it's just the pronunciation is a bit different.

You may find it interesting that the state Oklahoma is actually a Choctaw word meaning "red people". Sounds simple enough, but when it comes to Choctaw grammar, it may seem confusing to those who are accustomed to English.

Verbs, for example, are also adjectives that can have up to three prefixes or five suffixes and are always listed at the end of a sentence. Tenses are indicated by adverbs that follow verbs, and neither singular nor plural nouns exist. Amounts are instead expressed using these terms:

Chito (cheh-toe) - For one to be large Hochito (hoe-cheh-toe) - For several to be large Hikia (heh-keh-ah) - For one to stand Heli (hay-leh) - For two to stand Hiyohli (heh-yoe-leh) - For many to stand

Choctaw today is usually only spoken by individuals forty-five years of age and up, but in Mississippi an effort is being made to raise kids with it as their first language.

Those kids are raised by the head of the household, which is considered to be the woman for the Choctaws because they are and always have been the caretakers.

In the present day, the Choctaw Nation supplies its people with countless services. Like any good society, there are housing programs, hospitals, and educational grants.

The Choctaw have founded numerous bingo joints and shopping plazas, which in turn provide plenty of jobs for these Native Americans. They delight in their free time and holidays, too, engaging in food, games, and sports that celebrate their heritage.

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Jacob Lumbroso is a world traveler and an enthusiast for foreign languages, history, and foreign cultures. He writes articles on history and languages for http://www.ultimatelanguagestore.com and has used Pimsleur courses to learn various languages.