Oregon Penutian languages

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Oregon Penutian is a hypothetical language family in the Penutian language phylum comprising languages spoken at one time by several groups of Native Americans in present-day western Oregon and western Washington in the United States. Various languages in the family are divided by dialects that are in most cases identical to the various identified tribal bands in the region.

The languages were spoken largely along both banks of the lower and middle Columbia River, in the Willamette Valley, in the Oregon Cascade Range, along the Oregon Coast, and in the valleys of the Umpqua and Rogue rivers. The area in which the languages were spoken includes the most populated areas of Oregon today.

Linguists are not in complete agreement over the classification of languages in this family. In classifications, the languages of the family are classified in several distinct families.

Languages in the Oregon Penutian family (with their identified dialects and area of speech in the 19th century) include:

  • Takelma
    • possibly the Cow Creek dialect spoken in southwestern Oregon along the South Umpqua River, Myrtle Creek, and Cow Creek.
    • Latgawa dialect, spoken in southwestern Oregon along the upper Rogue River
    • Lowland Takelma dialect, spoken in southwestern Oregon in the Rogue Valley
  • Coast Oregon group
    • Alsean
      • Yaquina language, spoken on the central Oregon coast around Yaquina Bay & along the Yaquina River (central Oregon coast)
      • Alsea language, spoken on the central Oregon coast around Alsea Bay and along the Alsea and Yachats rivers
    • Siuslaw
    • Coosan
      • possibly several Hanis dialects spoken along the southern Oregon cosat in the vicinity of Coos Bay and along the Coos River.
      • possibly one or two Miluk dialects spoken along the southern Oregon coast around South Slough of Coos Bay and along the lower Coquille River.

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Languages