Fact check: Does "Latah" (Idaho) really mean "teeth"?

[Alan H. Hartley]

> We've discussed "Latah" on this list before; I carry the assumption that
> it's Lewis & Clark's "Lar-tie-lo", said to be their name for the Spokane
> Indians.  Their spelling with an "r" suggests to me a pronunciation distinct
> from the Jargon word for "tooth".

I imagine the "r" just indicates that the preceding "a" is to be 
pronounced "broad" (ah, IPA ɑ). Incidentally, L&C write it "Lar-ti-e-lo" 
(i.e., with an additonal hyphen).

The Nez Perce word for tooth is tít [i acute = ih, IPA ɪ] (Aoki's 
Dictionary). That looks a lot like English "teeth," but that may just be 
coincidence.

Alan

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