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This question has been puzzling me for a long time. I am a UK listener to Way With Words and could almost be called an addict I love it so much. I have listened to all the pod casts posted from previous years and thank everyone for fantastic programmes presented with such erudition and gentility. All this time I have been waiting to hear on the programme of words used in the US that are not used in the UK because they are local 'imports' to American English from American Indian languages. Have I missed references to the influence on American English from the native languages? Am I wrong in my assumption, could anyone tell me whether there are any such words?
A great question. Powwow and Wampum leap to mind, but I suspect there are many others, with some much more subtle examples. Certainly, many American place names (Manhattan) come from native American languages. In addition, there are words that come as espressions of native American concepts, such as warpath.
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I found some good words from among several hundred from various native American languages. Many come via Spanish. Some are a bit surprising (e.g. chocolate! — but you have that word in the UK, right?). Here are some examples, although I have not confirmed the origins of all of these:
chipmonk
hickory
moccasin
moose
opossum
pecan
succotash
toboggan
kayak
barbecue
canoe
hammock
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
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