User:Pingnova/sandbox/Minnesota etymology bibliography

The purpose of this userspace page is to collect recent, accessible, fully up-to-date, and accurate bibliography information about the etymology of the state name Minnesota. The author believes that a unified resource such as this can improve the quality of Wikipedia content which includes information about the etymology of Minnesota.

As noted in Minnesota (as of May 22nd, 2024), Euro-American settlers have confused the precise Dakota language behind the state name since the time of contact. This has led to a profusion of English-language sources that repeat historical mistakes and continue to perpetuate misinformation about both Dakota language and the name of Minnesota.

Prioritized citations include those from living Dakota language professionals, Dakota-perspective historians, and Euro-American sources that are considered to have high veracity and expertise in the areas of Dakota history and language. Additional citations that were previously considered to be accurate but are no longer, or that are frequently cited on Wikipedia, will also be included with notes indicating their errors and suggesting better citations. Primary or difficult to access citations will be avoided. Dictionaries or entries without additional encyclopedic or contextual information will likewise be avoided.

Overall consensus on the etymology of Minnesota
Minnesota as it is pronounced by most English speakers today, with a "regular s" or a "hard s", means "clear water". To the understanding of a modern Minnesota or Dakota person, Minnesota means "clear water", or the more poetic explanation: "water so clear it reflects the sky".

Etymological history
The spelling of the official state name "Minnesota" was devised by the territory's House of Representatives for the future Minnesota Territory. Between 1846 when the first bill for the formation of the territory was introduced and 1849 when the bill finally passed and the territory was legally formed, multiple versions of the name were debated including "Minasota". "Minnesota" was based on the translations of Reverend Edward D. Neill, who used the popular orthographies of Reverend Gideon H. Pond. Pond recorded "minne" as "water" and "sota" as "cloudy". At the time, Pond's interpretations were considered the most accurate (and frequently the only ones in existence). To the understanding of Pond, Neill, and the territorial legislature, "Minnesota" meant "cloudy water".

In Dakota language there are two words which are spelled and sound similar, and which describe similar phenomena, that became the state name Minnesota: mni sota and mnissota. Previously as an exclusively oral language with no orthography, the difference was in pronunciation.

Mni sota: mni "water", sota lit. 'clear' (so clear and still that it reflects the sky).

Mnissota: mni "water", ssota "cloudy" or "smoky" (a description of mist over water: "misty").

These two words are spelled and sound similar but mean two opposite things: clear water or cloudy water. Additionally, mnissota in modern Dakota does not mean that the water itself is cloudy or turbulent, but that there are clouds or smoke over the water, such as seasonal mists.

Minnesota as it is pronounced by most English speakers today, with a "regular s" or a "hard s", means "clear water". To the understanding of a modern Minnesota or Dakota person, Minnesota means "clear water", or the more poetic explanation: "water so clear it reflects the sky".

Some Dakota do adhere to "Minnesota" pronounced as mnissota meaning "misty water", but that is rare to encounter outside Dakota communities.

Relevent entries in primary sources
A Dakota-English Dictionary by Stephen Return Riggs. This is a dated document that is considered historical and does not reflect modern Dakota. References to these dictionary entries by themselves are not sufficient.
 * mi'ni, n. water.
 * Mi'nisota, n. the Minnesota or Saint Peters River.  It means whitish water and is the name also of the lake called by white people Clear Lake.
 * Mi'niśośe, n. turbid water, i. e., the Missouri River.
 * śo'ta, n. smoke.
 * śo'ta, v. n. to smoke, as a fire.

Highest quality citations

 * The authors offer the original phrase that became the name Minnesota and describe the linguistics behind it. This book is the best modern summary of Dakota history and location language, with comparisons to modern scholarship and Dakota tradition. Should take precedence over other sources.
 * On page 10: "Our title, Mni Sota Makoce, uses the Dakota adjective sota with a regular "s," meaning "clear" or "sky-colored," so that it translates as "land where the waters are so clear they reflect the clouds." Just one of the forms of the name..."
 * On page 10: "Our title, Mni Sota Makoce, uses the Dakota adjective sota with a regular "s," meaning "clear" or "sky-colored," so that it translates as "land where the waters are so clear they reflect the clouds." Just one of the forms of the name..."
 * On page 10: "Our title, Mni Sota Makoce, uses the Dakota adjective sota with a regular "s," meaning "clear" or "sky-colored," so that it translates as "land where the waters are so clear they reflect the clouds." Just one of the forms of the name..."

Citations that can provide additional context
While some citations are not high quality on their own, they can help provide historical or cultural context, particularly about Euro-American settler and scholar perceptions, which may be linguistically erranous when provided by themselves.


 * Warren accurately describes the legislative and settler-focused history of the name Minnesota and offers an unnuanced translation of the Dakota words. Takes precedence over historical sources but not Mni Sota Makoce.
 * On page 4: "The Dakota, or Sioux, name Minnesota means sky-tinted water (Minne, water, and sota, somewhat clouded)..."
 * On page 4: "The Dakota, or Sioux, name Minnesota means sky-tinted water (Minne, water, and sota, somewhat clouded)..."
 * On page 4: "The Dakota, or Sioux, name Minnesota means sky-tinted water (Minne, water, and sota, somewhat clouded)..."


 * Historical understandings only. Early European attempt at Romanizing Dakota. Should not take precedence on pages for words in modern use. Currently this is a problem on English Wikimedia projects.
 * This work has been republished in multiple editions and formats including the below.
 * This work has been republished in multiple editions and formats including the below.

Erronous citations

 * Campbell does not provide enough context on the etymology of Minnesota and simply mentions it once with an unnuanced translation. The book is not intended to be an etymological source for specific terms but a general overview of language histories, as noted in the preface which is about 5 pages in (page unnumbered).
 * Campbell does not provide enough context on the etymology of Minnesota and simply mentions it once with an unnuanced translation. The book is not intended to be an etymological source for specific terms but a general overview of language histories, as noted in the preface which is about 5 pages in (page unnumbered).

Orthography
There is currently no orthographic standard for written Dakota, although best practice is to follow the conventions of recent widely publicized research from the University of Minnesota department of American Indian Studies (particularly their Dakota Language Program), which actively publishes research through the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

Mni Sota Makoce: The Land of the Dakota includes an orthographic standard developed by the University of Minnesota which has gained wide acceptance. ("Introduction", page 11.)

Dialect
Dakota language includes multiple dialects which are often mutually intelligible (speakers of different dialects can still understand each other). Pond, Neill, Williamson, and Riggs specifically studied the dialect of the Sisseton Dakota, and so the name Minnesota has a Sisseton bias when it comes to interpreting meaning and deciding which orthography to use.