| Deg Xinag, Deg Hit’an | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | United States |
| Region | Alaska (lower Yukon River, Anvik River, Innoko River) |
| Native speakers | 19 (2000) |
| Language family |
Dené–Yeniseian
|
| Writing system | Latin (Northern Athabaskan alphabet) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ing |
The Deg Xinag language is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Deg Hit’an peoples in Shageluk and Anvik and at Holy Cross along the lower Yukon River in Alaska. The language is nearly extinct, as most people are shifting to English.
The language was referred to as Ingalik by Osgood (1936). While this term sometimes still appears in the literature, it is today considered pejorative. The word "Ingalik" from Yup'ik (Central Alaskan Yup'ik) Eskimo language: < Ingqiliq "Indian".
Engithidong Xugixudhoy (Their Stories of Long Ago), a collection of traditional folk tales in the Deg Xinag language by the elder Belle Deacon, was published in 1987 by the Alaska Native Language Center. A literacy manual with accompanying audiotapes was published in 1993.
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