SSBMI Language Department - Flashcards

Flashcards: Kind Words in Nisenan

The SSBMI Language Department created this set of flashcards to support you and your loved ones as you learn words for relatives and phrases of kindness in Nisenan. Here, you can listen to the language on the Kind Words in Nisenan cards and learn more.

The SSBMI Community has ancestral ties to the Valley and Southern Hill dialects of the Nisenan language through the Tribe's Matriarchs, Pamela Cleanso Adams and Annie Hill Murray Paris. Pamela and her relations spoke Valley Nisenan and shared some of their knowledge of the Nisenan language through historical documents. We have less direct information about Annie's language; however, based on where she was from and the documented language of her relations and associates, it is likely that Annie spoke Southern Hill Nisenan.

The Nisenan language that we share is from speakers of the Valley dialect like SSBMI Matriarch Pamela Cleanso Adams and her brother Tom Cleanso as well as speakers of the Southern Hill dialect like William Joseph, Ida Hill Starkey, and Charlie Hunchup. The language on these cards is almost entirely shared by speakers of both Valley & Southern Hill Nisenan. Below, we point out one notable case where the two dialects differ.

Please contact us at language@ssband.org to check on the availability of these flashcards and to ask us any questions. You can also download a printer-friendly version that you can print at home. We also have Kind Words in Northern Sierra Miwok flashcards.

Suggestions for using these cards

Learn in chunks: Instead of trying to learn all thirty cards at once, try learning five cards per week.

Challenge yourself: If you like a challenge, try timing yourself when you review with the flashcards and try to beat your best time.

Learn in several ways: In addition to quizzing yourself with the flashcards, you can also learn by listening to the language, sounding the language out, writing the language down, and most importantly, using the language in real life.

Personalize the language and use it in real life: You can combine terms for relatives and phrases from these cards when talking to your family. For example, combine Kotó (Grandma) with Tuk’úm ni min (I love you) to say "I love you, Grandma".

Use spaced repetition: Learn one day and review the language the next day. Letting a day go by between learning and reviewing lets the language take root and grow.

Use two decks to play memory games: Shuffle each deck. Lay out one deck Nisenan-side up and the other deck English-side up. If playing with another learner, take turns trying to match phrases in the two languages. When all the cards are matched, the player with the most matches wins. If playing by yourself, aim for accuracy and speed!

Terms for Relatives

Language Note

Why do the cards specify "You are talking to your..."? In English, we can use the same word for a family member when we are talking to them and when we are talking about them. For example, it's normal to say things like "Hey Mom, can I eat this?" and "My mom is coming for a visit." In the first case, you're talking directly to your mom, and in the second case, you're talking about her.

In Nisenan, you use different terms in these two contexts for 'mom', 'younger brother', and 'friend'. We designed the cards to highlight that the context can matter when choosing your words in Nisenan. Here are the terms where this contextual information changes what you say:

Mother (card #001)

When you are talking about your mom (or anyone else's mom), you use the term ne (mom, mother). When you are talking to your mom, you call her naa (mom, mother):

'Mom, Mother' (when talking about her)

Naa

'Mom, Mother' (when talking to her)

Younger brother (card #012)

When you are talking about your younger brother (or anyone else's), you use the term tɨn (younger brother). When you are talking to your younger brother, you call him tɨ (younger brother):

Tɨn

'Younger brother' (when talking about him)

Tɨ

'Younger brother' (when talking to him)

Friend (card #015)

When you are talking about your friend (or anyone else's), you use the term k’o (friend). When you are talking to your friend, you call them k’es (friend):

K’o

'Friend' (when talking about them)

K’es

'Friend' (when talking to them)

The Flashcards

001 - Mother (see Language Note)

'Mom, Mother' (when talking about her)

Naa

'Mom, Mother' (when talking to her)

002 - Father

'Dad, Father'

003 - Daughter

Poo

'Daughter'

004 - Son

Tee

'Son'

005 - Grandmother

Kotó

'Grandma, Grandmother'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) The name of Koto Road, one of the roads on the rancheria, is from the word Kotó (Grandmother). Koto Road is named in honor of the Tribe's Matriarchs, Pamela Cleanso Adams and Annie Hill Murray Paris.

006 - Grandfather (maternal)

Paapá

'Grandpa, Grandfather' (mother's father)

Heads-up: In Nisenan, you use different names for someone's maternal grandfather (i.e. their mother's father) compared to their paternal grandfather (i.e. their father's father).

007 - Grandfather (paternal)

Paa

'Grandpa, Grandfather' (father's father)

Heads-up In Nisenan, you use different names for someone's maternal grandfather (i.e. their mother's father) compared to their paternal grandfather (i.e. their father's father).

008 - Grandchild

Pey

'Grandchild'

009 - Older sister

Etí

'Older sister, Big sister'

010 - Older brother

Eyí

'Older brother, Big brother'

011 - Younger sister

K’así

'Younger sister, Little sister' (Valley Nisenan)

Əsə́w

'Younger sister, Little sister' (Southern Hill Nisenan)

Heads-up: Speakers of different Nisenan dialects use different terms for 'little sister'. K’así is the term in Valley Nisenan (spoken by Pamela and her relations), whereas əsə́w is the term in Southern Hill Nisenan (spoken by Annie and her relations).

That said, many Nisenan speakers know and have shared both of these terms, and we encourage you to learn both of them too.

012 - Younger brother (see Language Note)

Tɨn

'Younger brother, Little brother' (when talking about him)

Tɨ

'Younger brother, Little brother' (when talking to him)

013 - Wife

Kɨlé

'Wife'

014 - Husband

Yep’

'Husband'

015 - Friend (see Language Note)

K’o

'Friend' (when talking about them)

K’es

'Friend' (when talking to them)

Words of kindness

Language Note

In English, we can say things like "I love you" to just one person or to more than one person; the word 'you' is the same in both cases (though we sometimes say things like "I love you guys" when we are talking to more than one person).

In Nisenan, there are different words for 'you (one person)', 'you (two people)', and 'you (three or more people)'. The phrases in these flashcards that have 'you' in them are all directed at just one person.

For example, you could say Tuk’úm ni min (I love you) when talking to one person, but you would use different language to say the same thing to two people or to three or more people.

The Flashcards

016 - I love you

Tuk’úm ni min.

'I love you.'

Tuk’úm ni min kan.

'I love you too.'

017 - Take care of yourself

Sitapáy’omís.

'Take care of yourself.'

Sitapáy’omiswá.

'Take care of yourselves.'

Heads-up: Remember that in Nisenan you use different language to talk to one person versus a group of people. You can use the phrase Sitapáy’omiswá (Take care of yourselves) when talking to a group of two or more people.