Western Apache language

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Western Apache
Ndee biyati' / Nnee biyati'
Spoken in: United States 
Region: Primarily south-east Arizona
Total speakers: ~14,000
Language family: Na-Dene
 Athabaskan
  Southern
   Southwestern
    Western Apache
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: nai
ISO/FDIS 639-3: apw

The Western Apache language is a Southern Athabaskan language spoken by the Western Apache peoples living primarily in east central Arizona. Goodwin (1938) claims that Western Apache can be divided into five dialect groupings:

  • Cibecue,
  • Northern Tonto,
  • Southern Tonto,
  • San Carlos
  • White Mountain

Other researchers do not find any linguistic evidence for five groups, but rather three main varieties with several subgroupings:

Western Apache is most closely related to other Southern Athabaskan languages like Navajo, Chiricahua Apache, Mescalero Apache, Lipan Apache, Plains Apache, and Jicarilla Apache.

[edit] References & Recommend Reading

For the references, see the subarticle: Western Apache/Bibliography.

[edit] External links