Klamath-Modoc_language

Klamath language

Klamath language

Extinct Plateau Penutian language of US

Klamath (/ˈklæməθ/),[3] also Klamath–Modoc (/ˈklæməθ ˈmoʊdɒk/) and historically Lutuamian (/ˌluːtuˈæmiən/), is a Native American language spoken around Klamath Lake in what is now southern Oregon and northern California. It is the traditional language of the Klamath and Modoc peoples, each of whom spoke a dialect of the language. By 1998, only one native speaker remained,[4][5] and by 2003, this last fluent Klamath speaker who was living in Chiloquin, Oregon, was 92 years old.[6] As of 2006 there were no fluent native speakers of either the Klamath or Modoc dialects;[7] however, as of 2019, revitalization efforts are underway with the goal of creating new speakers.[8]

Quick Facts Native to, Region ...

Klamath is a member of the Plateau Penutian language family, which is in turn a branch of the proposed Penutian language family. Like other proposed Penutian languages, Plateau Penutian languages are rich in ablaut, much like Indo-European and Afro-Asiatic languages. Further evidence for this classification includes some consonant correspondences between Klamath and other alleged Penutian languages. For example, the Proto-Yokuts retroflexes */ʈ ʈʼ/ correspond to Klamath /tʃ tʃʼ/, and the Proto-Yokuts dentals */t̪ t̪ʰ t̪ʼ/ correspond to the Klamath alveolars /t tʰ tʼ/.

Phonology

Vowels

More information Front, Back ...

Consonants

More information Bilabial, Alveolar ...
More information Spelling, Phoneme ...

Plosives in Klamath, aside from /ʔ/, come in triplets of unaspirated, aspirated, and ejective sounds.[10] Sonorant triplets are voiced, voiceless, and glottalized sounds.[11]

Most consonants can be geminated. The fricative /s/ is an exception, and there is evidence suggesting this is a consequence of a recent sound change.[12] Albert Samuel Gatschet recorded geminated /sː/ in the late 19th century, but this sound was consistently recorded as degeminated /s/ by M. A. R. Barker in the 1960s. Sometime after Gatschet recorded the language and before Barker did the same, */sː/ may have degeminated into /s/.

Syntax

Klamath word order is conditioned by pragmatics. There is no clearly defined verb phrase or noun phrase. Alignment is nominative–accusative, with nominal case marking also distinguishing adjectives from nouns. Many verbs obligatorily classify an absolutive case. There are directive and applicative constructions.[13]

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Klamath at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. [2]
    Lane, Valeree. "Chiloquin man helps Klamath Tribal members embrace first language". Herald and News. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  3. [3]
    Laurie Bauer, 2007, The Linguistics Student’s Handbook, Edinburgh
  4. [4]
    Chen 1998.
  5. [5]
    Mauldin 1998.
  6. [6]
    Haynes, Erin F. "Obstacles facing tribal language programs in Warm Springs, Klamath, and Grand Ronde" (PDF). Coyote Papers. 8: 87–102. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-07-09. Retrieved 2012-08-30.
  7. [7]
    Golla 2011.
  8. [8]
    Dupris 2019.
  9. [9]
    "Language - Klamath Tribes". klamathtribes.org. The Klamath Tribes. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  10. [10]
    Blevins 2004, p. 279.
  11. [11]
    Blevins 2004, pp. 279–80.
  12. [12]
    Blevins 2004.
  13. [13]
    Rude 1988.

Online texts

Wiktionary has a word list at Appendix:Klamath word list
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This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Klamath-Modoc_language, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.