Language quiz

Here’s a recording in a mystery language.

Can you identify the language and where it’s spoken?

March 27th, 2011 in Language, Quiz questions

Comments (12)

bennieMarch 27th, 2011 at 9:47 am

It sounds like a northern Iroquoian language, but I can’t tell which one. I’d go for Mohawk or Onondaga.

TJMarch 27th, 2011 at 10:04 am

Yeah sounds native American. I don’t know much about these languages really, but the sample here sounds like some stuff I heard long time ago in Navajo and Heidi (spelling?).

Christopher MillerMarch 27th, 2011 at 11:34 am

Being from Montreal and living not far from Kanesatake, I’ll guess this is Mohawk (Kanien’kehá:ka).

William AtholMarch 27th, 2011 at 12:12 pm

I know that I am most likely wrong, but I detected a Baltic/Eastern European sound. I’m pretty sure that this is the Lord’s Prayer or something of that nature, as I heard the speaker say ['je:su].

fiosachdMarch 27th, 2011 at 1:59 pm

Though I don’t know Mohawk, besides Ié:sos (Jesus), I think I can make out the word khetshanihs (fear).

EeeMarch 27th, 2011 at 3:36 pm

To be different I’ll say Seneca.

Petréa MitchellMarch 28th, 2011 at 2:27 am

TJ: Do you mean Haida?

As for the recording itself, I’ve got no idea…

GMarch 28th, 2011 at 3:02 am

Just like the past comments, I heard something that sounded like “Jesus”, but no clue about anything else. Native North American?

P.March 28th, 2011 at 4:10 am

Agreed that it’s an Iroquoian language. Oneida?

P.March 28th, 2011 at 4:18 am

…or, never mind, because I went and listened to a Mohawk video on Youtube, and it sure sounds like the same language to me.

SimonMarch 28th, 2011 at 4:42 pm

The answer is Mohawk (Kanien’keha), an Iroquoian language spoken in Quebec, Ontario and New York State.

The recording comes from the Global Recordings Network.

KevinApril 9th, 2011 at 11:41 am

wow, the prosody is so similar to Sámi (which is totally unrelated)…