Lenape Tribe Seal

Lenape Talking Dictionary

By English WORD or PHRASE

By Lenape WORD or PHRASE

Detailed Entry Information

Sound Icon
English:we are murderers
Lenape:nìnhiluwehëna [via]

Comments

/nn/ coalesces to a single occurrence /n/.
/ë/ of the reduplicated prefix is raised to /ì/ when adjacent to /n/.
/ë/ of the root metathesizes with /h/ and is raised to /i/.
/ë/ is inserted as a transition sound between /l/ and /w/ and is rounded to /u/ in anticipation of /w/.
/ë/ is inserted as a transition sound between /h/ and /m/, and /m/ is elided before /n/.
First person plural /-nan/ is realized as /-na/ in final position.
Stress falls on the antepenult: /nìnhiluwéhëna/.

Analysis

Form:
nìnhiluwehëna
Structure:
n-në-nëhl-we-hm-nan
Meaning:
1-redup-kill-vb-MP-1.pl