Alsean languages

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Pre-contact distribution of Alsean languages
Pre-contact distribution of Alsean languages

The Alsean (also Yakonan) language family consists of two closely related languages that were spoken along the central Oregon coast.

Contents

[edit] Family division

Two languages:

  1. Alsea (†)
  2. Yaquina (also known as Yakwina, Yakona) (†)

Both of these languages are now extinct.

The name Alsea is derived from the Coosan name for them, alsí or alsí·, and Marys River Kalapuyan name for them, alsí·ya. Alsea was last recorded in 1942 from the last speaker, John Albert, by J. P. Harrington.

The name Yaquina is derived from the Alsean name for the Yaquina Bay and the Yaquina River region, yuqú·na. Yaquina was last recorded in 1884 by James Owen Dorsey.

Many consider Alsea and Yaquina to be dialects of one language. Others consider them to be two different languages (that are very closely related).

There may be a distant relationship between the Alsean languages, Siuslaw, and the Coosan languages. They may also be related the Wintuan languages. Linguistic research is being carried out to determine if any of these relationships are valid—this research also is a part of a larger Penutian super-family hypothesis.

[edit] Sounds

[edit] Consonants

Alsean languages have 34 consonants:

  Bilabial Alveolar Post-
alveolar		 Velar Uvular Glottal
central lateral plain labial plain labial plain labial
Stop plain p t     k kʷ q qʷ    
glottalized p’ t’     k’ k’ʷ q’ q’ʷ ʔ  
Affricate plain   ʦ                
glottalized   ʦ’ tɬ’              
Nasal plain m n                
glottalized m’ n’                
Fricative     s ɬ ʃ x xʷ χ χʷ h (hʷ)
Approximant plain     l j   w        
glottalized     l’ j’   w’        
  • The status of /hʷ/ is uncertain.
  • /s/ is actually between alveolar and post-alveolar.

[edit] Vowels

 Please help improve this section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.


Alsean languages have both oral and nasal vowels.

[edit] Bibliography

  • Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
  • Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.