Editing Sioux language (section)

==Writing systems==
In 1827, [[John Marsh (pioneer)|John Marsh]] and his wife, Marguerite (who was half Sioux), wrote the first dictionary of the Sioux language. They also wrote a "Grammar of the Sioux Language."<ref>Winkley, John W. ''Dr. John Marsh: Wilderness Scout,'' pp. 22-3, 35, The Partnenon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1962.</ref><ref>Lyman, George D. ''John Marsh, Pioneer: The Life Story of a Trail-blazer on Six Frontiers,'' pp. 79-80, The Chautauqua Press, Chautauqua, New York, 1931.</ref>

Life for the Dakota changed significantly in the nineteenth century as the early years brought increased contact with European settlers, particularly [[Christianity|Christian]] [[missionary|missionaries]]. The goal of the missionaries was to introduce the Dakota to Christian beliefs. To achieve this, the missions began to transcribe the Dakota language. In 1836, brothers Samuel and Gideon Pond, Rev. [[Stephen Return Riggs]], and Dr. Thomas Williamson set out to begin translating hymns and [[Bible]] stories into Dakota. By 1852, Riggs and Williamson had completed a Dakota Grammar and Dictionary (Saskatchewan Indian Cultural Center). Eventually, the entire Bible was translated.

Today, it is possible to find a variety of texts in Dakota. Traditional stories have been translated, children's books, even games such as [[Pictionary]] and [[Scrabble]]. Despite such progress, written Dakota is not without its difficulties. The Pond brothers, Rev. Riggs, and Dr. Williamson were not the only missionaries documenting the Dakota language. Around the same time, missionaries in other Dakota bands were developing their own versions of the written language. Since the 1900s, professional [[linguist]]s have been creating their own versions of the [[orthography]]. The Dakota have also been making modifications. "Having so many different writing systems is causing confusion, conflict between our [the Dakota] people, causing inconstancy in what is being taught to students, and making the sharing of instructional and other materials very difficult" (SICC).

Prior to the introduction of the [[Latin alphabet]], the Dakota did have a writing system of their own: one of representational [[pictograph]]s. In pictographic writing, a drawing represents exactly what it means. For example, a drawing of a dog literally meant a dog. Palmer writes that,

{{blockquote|As a written language, it [pictographs] was practical enough that it allowed the Lakota to keep a record of years in their winter counts which can still be understood today, and it was in such common usage that pictographs were recognized and accepted by census officials in the 1880s, who would receive boards or hides adorned with the head of the household’s name depicted graphically. (pg. 34){{full citation needed|date=January 2019}}}}

For the missionaries, however, documenting the Bible through pictographs was impractical and presented significant challenges.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Comparative table of Dakota and Lakota orthographies
|-
![[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] || Buechel &<br>Manhart<br><small>spelling<br>(pronunciation)</small> || Standard orthography<ref>Orthography of the New Lakota Dictionary</ref> || Brandon<br>University || Deloria<br>& Boas || Dakota<br>Mission || Rood &<br>Taylor || Riggs<ref>Riggs, p. 13</ref> || Williamson || University<br>of<br>Minnesota || White Hat || Txakini<br>Practical<ref>{{cite web| url=http://sioux.saivus.org/lakotaarticleorthographies.html| publisher=Society to Advance Indigenous Vernaculars of the United States| date=2011| title=Lakota orthographies| access-date=2020-05-24| archive-date=2015-01-11| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150111223628/http://sioux.saivus.org/lakotaarticleorthographies.html| url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
| {{IPA|ʔ}} || ´ || ´ || ʾ || ´ || <small>none</small> || ʼ || ´ || ´ || ´ || <small>none</small> || '
|-
| {{IPA|a}} || a || a || a || a || a || a || a || a || a || a || a
|-
| {{IPA|aː}} || a (á) || á || a || a || a || a || a || a || a || a || 'a<ref group="note" name="note1">Marks a stressed initial syllable</ref>
|-
| {{IPA|ã}} || an, an' (aƞ) || aŋ || an̄ || ą || an || ą || aŋ || aŋ || aŋ || aƞ || an
|-
| {{IPA|p~b}} || b || b || b || b || b || b || b || b || b || b || b
|-
| {{IPA|tʃ}} || c || č || c || c || c || č || ć || c || c || c̄ || c
|-
| {{IPA|tʃʰ}} || c (c, c̔) || čh || ć || cʽ || c || čh || ć̣ || c̣ || c̣ || ċ<ref group="note" name="note2">Saskatchewan uses c̀ for White Hat's ċ</ref> || ch
|-
| {{IPA|tʃʼ}} || c’ || č’ || c̦ || c’ || c || čʼ || ć || c || c’ || ċ’<ref group="note" name="note2"/> || c'
|-
| {{IPA|t~d}} || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || d || d || d || d || d || d || d || d || d
|-
| {{IPA|e~ɛ}} || e || e || e || e || e || e || e || e || e || e || e
|-
| {{IPA|eː~ɛː}} || e (é) || é || e || e || e || e || e || e || e || e || 'e<ref group="note" name="note1"/>
|-
| {{IPA|k~ɡ}} || g || g || g || g || g || g || g || g || g || g || g
|-
| {{IPA|ʁ~ɣ}} || g (ġ) || ǧ || ǥ || ġ || g || ǧ || ġ || ġ || ġ || ġ || gx
|-
| {{IPA|h}} || h || h || h || h || h || h || h || h || h || h || h
|-
| {{IPA|χ}} || h̔ || ȟ || ħ || ḣ || r || ȟ || ḣ || ḣ || ḣ || ḣ || x
|-
| {{IPA|χʔ~χʼ}} || h’ (h̔’) || ȟ’ || ħ̦ || ḣ’ || r || ȟʼ || ḣ || ḣ || ḣ’ || ḣ’ || x'
|-
| {{IPA|i}} || i || i || i || i || i || i || i || i || i || i || i
|-
| {{IPA|iː}} || i (í) || í || i || i || i || i || i || i || i || i || 'i<ref group="note" name="note1"/>
|-
| {{IPA|ĩ}} || in, in' (iƞ) || iŋ || in̄ || į || in || į || iŋ || iŋ || iŋ || iƞ || in
|-
| {{IPA|k}} || k (k, k̇) || k || k || k || k || k || k || k || k || k || k
|-
| {{IPA|kʰ~kˣ}} || k || kh || k̔ || k‘ || k || kh || k || k || ḳ || k || kh
|-
| {{IPA|qˣ~kˠ}} || k (k̔) || kȟ || k̔ || k‘ || k || kh || k || k || ḳ || k̇ || kx
|-
| {{IPA|kʼ}} || k’ || k’ || ķ || k’ || q || kʼ || ḳ || ḳ || k’ || k’ || k'
|-
| {{IPA|l}} || l || l || <small>none</small> || l || <small>none</small> || l || l || l || <small>none</small> || l || l
|-
| {{IPA|lː}} || l´ || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> || <small>none</small> 
|-
| {{IPA|m}} || m || m || m || m || m || m || m || m || m || m || m
|-
| {{IPA|n}} || n || n || n || n || n || n || n || n || n || n || n
|-
| {{IPA|ŋ}} || n || n || n || n || n || ň || n || n || n || n || ng
|-
| {{IPA|o}} || o || o || o || o || o || o || o || o || o || o || o
|-
| {{IPA|oː}} || o (ó) || ó || o || o || o || o || o || o || o || o || 'o<ref group="note" name="note1"/>
|-
| {{IPA|õ~ũ}} || on, on' (oƞ) || uŋ || un̄ || ų || on || ų || oŋ || oŋ || uŋ || uƞ || un
|-
| {{IPA|p}} || ṗ (p, ṗ) || p || p || p || p || p || p || p || p || p̄ || p
|-
| {{IPA|pʰ}} || p || ph || p̔ || p‘ || p || ph || p || p || p̣ || p || ph
|-
| {{IPA|pˣ~pˠ}} || p (p̔) || pȟ || p̔ || p‘ || p || ph || p || p || p̣ || ṗ || px
|-
| {{IPA|pʼ}} || p’ || p’ || p̦ || p’ || p || pʼ || p̣ || p̣ || p’ || p’ || p'
|-
| {{IPA|s}} || s || s || s || s || s || s || s || s || s || s || s
|-
| {{IPA|sʼ}} || s’ || s’ || ș || s’ || s || sʼ || s’|| s’ || s’ || s’ || s'
|-
| {{IPA|ʃ}} || š || š || š || ṡ || x, ś || š || ś || ṡ || ṡ || ṡ<ref group="note" name="note3">Saskatchewan uses s̀ for White Hat's ṡ</ref> || sh
|-
| {{IPA|ʃʔ~ʃʼ}} || š’ || š’ || ș̌ || ṡ’ || x, ś || š || ś’ || ṡ’ || ṡ’ || ṡ’<ref group="note" name="note3"/> || sh'
|-
| {{IPA|t}} || t (t, ṫ) || t || t || t || t || t || t || t || t || t || t
|-
| {{IPA|tʰ}} || t || th || tʿ || tʽ || t || th || t || t || ṭ || t || th
|-
| {{IPA|tˣ~tˠ}} || t (t̔) || tȟ || tʿ || tʽ || t || th || t || t || ṭ || ṫ || tx
|-
| {{IPA|tʼ}} || t’ || t’ || ţ || t’ || t || tʼ || ṭ || ṭ || t’ || t’ || t'
|-
| {{IPA|u}} || u || u || u || u || u || u || u || u || u || u || u
|-
| {{IPA|uː}} || u (ú) || ú || u || u || u || u || u || u || u || u || 'u<ref group="note" name="note1"/>
|-
| {{IPA|õ~ũ}} || un, un' (uƞ) || uŋ || un̄ || ų || un || ų || uŋ || uŋ || uŋ || uƞ || un
|-
| {{IPA|w}} || w || w || w || w || w || w || w || w || w || w || w
|-
| {{IPA|j}} || y || y || y || y || y || y || y || y || y || y || y
|-
| {{IPA|z}} || z || z || z || z || z || z || z || z || z || z || z
|-
| {{IPA|ʒ}} || j || ž || ž || z || j || ž || ź || ż || ż || j || zh
|}
<references group="note"/>