Tetons (digression into English)

[Liland Brajant Ros']

>From: "Alan H. Hartley" <ahartley at D.UMN.EDU>
>Reply-To: "Alan H. Hartley" <ahartley at D.UMN.EDU>
>To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
>Subject: Re: Tetons
>Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 13:27:42 -0600
>
>Hello Yann,
>
> > As far as I know, there is no connection between French 'teton' (teat,
> > coll. from 'teter' to suck) and the Sioux subgroup. The excellent
> > 'Lakota Warrior' by Joseph White Bull (Univ. of Nebraska Press) states
> > that (introduction by James Howard) Tetons (meaning 'plain dwellers')
> > are one of the 7 bands making up the Dakota Nation.
>
>You're right:
>
>Teton < Fr. Tinthonha (and variants) or directly from its etymon, Lakota
>títuNwaN (t's are aspirated) < thí (of uncertain meaning, but perhaps tí
>'house', or a contraction of tíNta 'prairie/plain') + -tuNwaN 'those who
>inhabit' (Hdbk. N. Amer. Indians XVII. (1996) 481/2 and S. R. RIGGS
>Dakota-English Dict. (1890) 478)
>
>Incidentally, vol. XIII of HNAI (the Plains) is now available. That
>leaves only the Southeast volume to complete its (amazing) areal
>coverage. (Vols. VII (NW Coast) and XII (Plateau) are those of most
>interest to this list.)
>
>Alan

Okay, so now the question arises (a bit off the chinUk wawa focus, but
directly raised by the foregoing) whether the English spelling and/or
pronunciation of Teton in the Sioux sense has been coloured by that of Teton
in the mountain and/or French teat sense(s). Alan?

Liland

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