Bidai language

Bidai (also spelled Beadeye, Bedias, Bidey, Viday, etc.; autonym: Quasmigdo) is an unclassified extinct language formerly spoken by the Bidai people of eastern Texas. Zamponi (2024) notes that the numerals do not appear to be related to those of any other languages and hence proposes that Bidai may be a language isolate.

Word list
Rufus Grimes, a Texan settler in Navasota, Grimes County sent a letter dated November 15, 1887 to Albert S. Gatschet that contained several Bidai words. The word list was published in Gatschet (1891: 39, fn. 2).


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

! gloss !! Bidai
 * one || namah
 * two || nahonde
 * three || naheestah
 * four || nashirimah
 * five || nahot nahonde
 * six || nashees nahonde
 * boy || púskus
 * corn || tándshai
 * }
 * five || nahot nahonde
 * six || nashees nahonde
 * boy || púskus
 * corn || tándshai
 * }
 * corn || tándshai
 * }
 * }

Comparison of numerals
Below is Zamponi's (2024) comparison of Bidai numerals with those of neighboring languages.


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

! language !! one !! two !! three !! four !! five !! six
 * Bidai || namah || nahonde || naheestah || nashirimah || nahot nahonde || nashees nahonde
 * W. Atakapa || tanuʹk, taʹnuk || tsīk || lāt || (h)imatoʹl || nīt, nit || latsīʹk
 * Karankawa || náatsa || háikia || kaxáji || hájo hakn || náatsa béhema || hájo háikia
 * Tonkawa || we·ʔis-pax || ketay || metis || sikit || kaskwa || sikwa·law
 * Caddo || ’wísts’i’ || bít || daháw’ || híwí’ || diːsik’an || dáːnkih
 * Adai || nancas || nass || colle || tacache || seppacan || pacanancus
 * Mobilian Jargon || (a)čaf(f)a || tok(o)lo || točena || ošta || taɫape || han(n)ale
 * }
 * Caddo || ’wísts’i’ || bít || daháw’ || híwí’ || diːsik’an || dáːnkih
 * Adai || nancas || nass || colle || tacache || seppacan || pacanancus
 * Mobilian Jargon || (a)čaf(f)a || tok(o)lo || točena || ošta || taɫape || han(n)ale
 * }
 * Mobilian Jargon || (a)čaf(f)a || tok(o)lo || točena || ošta || taɫape || han(n)ale
 * }
 * }

Anthony Grant (1995) finds the following cognates shared with Choctaw and Mobilian Jargon.


 * {| class="wikitable sortable"

! language !! boy !! corn
 * Bidai || púskus || tándshai
 * Choctaw || poškoš ~ poskos ‘child’ || tãci’
 * Mobilian Jargon || posko(š) ~ poškoš ‘baby, child’ || tãče ‘baby, child’
 * }
 * Mobilian Jargon || posko(š) ~ poškoš ‘baby, child’ || tãče ‘baby, child’
 * }
 * }