Cyrus Byington

Cyrus Byington (1793–1868) was an American missionary and linguist who spent decades documenting the Choctaw language. His grammar and dictionary became foundational records of Choctaw.

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Choctaw language: Choctaw is a Muskogean language traditionally spoken by the Choctaw people of the southeastern United States. It was the language Byington learned, described, and translated religious texts into.
Grammar of the Choctaw Language: Grammar of the Choctaw Language is Cyrus Byington’s description of Choctaw grammar, published posthumously in 1870. It presents the grammatical system Byington recorded during decades of study.
American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions: The American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions was a Protestant missionary organization founded in 1810. Byington served as a missionary under the organization’s auspices.
Smithsonian Institution: The Smithsonian Institution is a group of museums, research centers, and archives established by the United States in 1846. The institution published Byington’s grammar and dictionary from his manuscripts after his death.
Muskogean languages: The Muskogean languages are a family of Indigenous languages historically spoken across the southeastern United States. Choctaw belongs to this family, whose structure frames comparisons with Byington’s grammar.
A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language: A Dictionary of the Choctaw Language is a major Choctaw-English and English-Choctaw dictionary compiled by Cyrus Byington. Its entries preserve vocabulary and linguistic information gathered through Byington’s work.
Elliot Mission: Elliot Mission was a Protestant mission among the Choctaw in Mississippi, established in the early nineteenth century. Byington’s mission work among Choctaw communities was associated with this mission.
Frederick L. O. Roehrig: Frederick L. O. Roehrig was a linguist who edited and prepared Byington’s Choctaw works for publication. Roehrig’s editorial work helped turn Byington’s accumulated materials into published reference books.
Choctaw people: The Choctaw are an Indigenous people whose historic homeland lies in the southeastern United States. Byington’s linguistic work took place within Choctaw communities and depended on their language and knowledge.
Choctaw Bible: The Choctaw Bible is a translation of Christian scripture into the Choctaw language. Byington translated biblical material into Choctaw as part of his missionary and linguistic work.