Munsee language

Munsee (also known as Munsee Delaware, Delaware, Ontario Delaware, Delaware: Huluníixsuwaakan, Monsii èlixsuwakàn) is an endangered language of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family, itself a branch of the Algic language family. Munsee is one of the two Delaware languages (also known as Lenape languages, after the tribe's autonym). It is very closely related to the Unami Delaware, but the two are sufficiently different that they are considered separate languages. Munsee was spoken aboriginally by Lenape in the vicinity of the modern New York City area in the United States, including western Long Island, Manhattan Island, Staten Island, as well as adjacent areas on the mainland: southeastern New York State, the northern third of New Jersey, and northeastern Pennsylvania.

Munsee
Huluníixsuwaakan
Monsii èlixsuwakàn
Native toCanada; United States
Regionnow in Ontario; formerly in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Ethnicity400 Munsee (1991)
Native speakers
2 (2018)
Language codes
ISO 639-3umu
Glottologmuns1251
ELPMunsee
Munsee is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
Coordinates: 42.57, -81.879
PersonMonsi,
Lënape
PeopleMonsiyok,
Lënapeyok
LanguageMonsii èlixsuwakàn,
Lënapei èlixsuwakàn
CountryMonsihòkink,
Lënapehòkink

As of 2018, Munsee was spoken only on the Moraviantown Reserve in Ontario, Canada, by two elderly individuals, aged 77 and 90, making it critically endangered. The language that the individuals speak differs between speakers, each having a personal dialect. There has been interest in learning the language by younger individuals.

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