Borrowing in Southern Great Lakes Algonquian and the History of Potawatomi

This article analyzes patterns of lexical borrowing in the Algonquian languages of the Southern Great Lakes region (Miami-Illinois, Sauk-Fox-Kickapoo, Shawnee, and Potawatomi), which have been in contact for centuries. Such an investigation not only helps distinguish which features of the languages are inherited and which are diffused, but also provides considerable insight into cultural connections prevailing in the Great Lakes area in the precontact and early contact periods. Some languages have borrowed far more than others, and others far less. The most extensive borrowing among these languages is that by Potawatomi from Sauk-Fox-Kickapoo, which includes not just nouns, but also extends to verbs, numerals, adverbs, pronouns, and even morphological elements.