Introduction

Comanche is spoken by about 100 people with an ethnic population of 8,500 (Golla 2007). The Comanche Nation is located in western Oklahoma.

The Comanche call their language Tekwapʉ. They are also referred to as Numinu.

The ISO code is [com]. The language is classified as Uto-Aztecan, Northern Uto-Aztecan, Numic, Central. The language was derived from Shoshoni [shh] and has some similarity to Timbisha [par].

The language is valued and spoken by older adults. The population is declining. Most of the younger generation speak English.

Language Development includes a dictionary, a grammar. Courses in Comanche have been taught at the University of Oklahoma (Golla 2007). The Comanche Language and Cultural Preservation Committee promotes the use of the language.