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"U" vs. "O":
West-Virginian Mingo pronounces "u" where
Seneca,
(and other North-Iroquoian languages)
pronounce a clear (non-nasal) "o".
So, for example,
the West-Virginian Mingo word for "now" is
"únë",
where others say
"ónë".
For the most part, the reader can substitute an "o"
for an "u" in this site, to obtain the Seneca version of the word.
Words and Expressions:
Mingo and Seneca differ also in some words and expressions.
For example, Mingo makes use
of the negation word "thë'ë",
which
is no longer used in Seneca.
Why the Same Language:
Generally, the linguistic differences between the Iroquoian people
did not coincide with political boundries
(compare this to American English vs. Brittish English,
where two separate political entities speak the same language).
However, one can also speculate about the effects of
a particular event in history.
At some point in history, the Seneca, backed by the
political and military power of the Iroquois League,
captured the main body of the Mingo population.
This yields two theories as to why the Seneca and Mingo share the same langauge:
The Seneca learned to speak Mingo:
At the time of the conquest,
the Mingo significantly outnumbered the Seneca
(about 10 times as much). Once the two poeple were
"unified" (by force of war), the surviving language was Mingo.
It is interesting to note, though, that Cayuga seems to have stemmed (linguistically) from the Tuscarora branch of the Iroquoian languages, but maintained a high degree of resemblence to the Lake languages through close contact throughout history.
As a non-speaker, I feel that
the differences between Mingo and Seneca
are analogous to the difference between two
different "accents" within America,
such as between a Southern accent
vs. a North-Eastern accent.
The differences betwseen Onondaga and Cayuga to Mingo/Seneca
are analogous to the differences between American English
and Brittish English.
Currently, I don't have a good analogy for the relationship
between Mingo/Seneca to Mohawk and Oneida.
As a non speaker, I should also stress that I might be way off.
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