Konkow language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Konkow ᏣᎳᎩ Koyoongk'awi |
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|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | United States | |
| Region: | California | |
| Total speakers: | 3 to 6 | |
| Language family: | Maiduan Konkow |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | — | |
| ISO 639-3: | mjd | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
The Konkow language (also called Northwestern Maidu — or Koyoongk'awi, as it is called in the language itself) is a part of the Maiduan language group. Since the word koyoo means "meadow" in Konkow, it might also be reasonably called "Meadow Maidu." It is spoken in California and is a severely endangered language, as only two or three persons remain who speak it as a first language are still living. As part of an effort to regain official recognition of the Konkow as a tribe from the United States government, an effort to preserve the language amongst the remaining members of the tribal group has begun.
[edit] Dialects
Konkow had at least 9 dialects, designated today according to the locality in which each was spoken. These dialects were: Otaki; Mikchopdo; Cherokee; Eskeni; Pulga; Nemsu; Feather Falls; Challenge; and Bidwell Bar. In addition, there may have been many variations within each dialect group; thus, certainly there was no one Konkow language. By the turn of the 19th century there were only four of these dialects still being spoken.
[edit] Modern Konkow
In recent years a dialect which could be called "Modern Konkow" has come into limited use by some California native Americans with cultural and familial ties to the old Konkow tribe. This dialect is primarily based on the dialect as learned by Mary Jones, one of the last speakers of Old Konkow, who learned the dialect that was spoken in the vicinity of Cherokee, California.
[edit] References
Much of the information in this article was obtained from a video entitled "Koyoongk'awi with Mary Jones — 22 Lessons in the Koyoongk'awi Language," produced by the Maidu Heritage Foundation, and originally funded by a grant from the L.J. Skaggs and Mary C. Skaggs Foundation. It is available from the Konkow Wailaki Maidu Indian Cultural Preservation Association.
