Tawasa language
Tawasa is an extinct Native American language. Ostensibly the language of the Tawasa people of what is now Alabama, it is known exclusively through a word list attributed to a Tawasa named Lamhatty, collected in 1707.
| Tawasa | |
|---|---|
| Teouachi | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | eastern Alabama |
| Ethnicity | Tawasa people |
| Extinct | 18th century |
Timucuan?
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | None (mis) |
tjm-taw | |
| Glottolog | None |
Pre-contact distribution of the Timucua language (Florida) and Tawasa | |
John Swanton studied the Lamhatty word list and identified the language as a Timucuan dialect, suggesting it was intermediary between Timucua and Muskogean. This opinion has been the subject of significant scholarly debate, with some such as Julian Granberry considering it a dialect of Timucua, others arguing it was a distinct language in the Timucua family, and yet others such as John Hann doubting that Lamhatty was a Tawasa at all. The language shows significant Alabama influence, including the Muskogean same-subject suffix -t.