The Alutiiq language (also called Sugpiak, Sugpiaq,
Sugcestun,
[Language in the USA](_blank)
Cambridge University Press, 1981 Suk,
Supik,
Pacific Gulf Yupik, Gulf Yupik,
Koniag-Chugach) is a close relative to the
Central Alaskan Yup'ik language
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known a ...
spoken in the western and southwestern
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, but is considered a distinct language.
The
ethnonym
An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...
s of the Sugpiaq-Alutiiq are a predicament. ''Aleut'', ''Alutiiq'', ''Sugpiaq'', ''Russian'', ''Pacific Eskimo'', ''Unegkuhmiut'', and ''Chugach Eskimo'' are among the terms that have been used to identify this group of Native people living on the Lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.
About 400 of the
Alutiiq population of 3,000 still speak the Alutiiq language. Alutiiq communities are currently in the process of revitalizing their language. In 2010 the high school in
Kodiak responded to requests from students and agreed to teach the Alutiiq language. The Kodiak dialect of the language was spoken by only about 50 persons, all of them elderly, and the dialect was in danger of being lost entirely. As of 2014,
Alaska Pacific University
Alaska Pacific University (APU) is a private university in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. It was established as Alaska Methodist University in 1957. Although it was renamed to Alaska Pacific University in 1978, it is still affiliated with the ...
in
Anchorage
Anchorage, officially the Municipality of Anchorage, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Alaska. With a population of 291,247 at the 2020 census, it contains nearly 40 percent of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolita ...
is offering classes using the "
Where Are Your Keys?" technique.
Dialects
It has two major dialects:
* Koniag Alutiiq: spoken on the upper part of the
Alaska Peninsula
The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ; Sugpiaq language, Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. T ...
and on
Kodiak Island; it was also spoken on
Afognak Island before that was deserted by the people in the wake of the 1964
Good Friday earthquake.
*
Chugach Alutiiq: spoken on the
Kenai Peninsula and in
Prince William Sound.
Phonology
Consonants
Consonants may be geminated (e.g. ''kk''; ). Two consecutive identical consonants are pronounced either separately or as a geminate depending on dialect.
More consonants are found in loanwords.
Vowels
All vowels except are considered full vowels and can be either short or long. does not lengthen and does not occur in vowel clusters but may tend to be devoiced as next to other consonants.
Orthography
* a -
* c -
* e -
* f -
* g -
* gw -
* hm -
* hn -
* hng -
* i -
* k -
* kw -
* l -
* ll -
* m -
* n -
* ng -
* p -
* q -
* r -
* ʀ -
* s -
* t -
* u -
* w -
* y -
After voiceless consonants, the voiceless nasals are written without h-.
Other letters
* aa -
* ai -
* au -
* ia -
* ii -
* iu -
* ua -
* ui -
* uu -
Vocabulary comparison
The comparison of number terms and month names in the two dialects:
References
Further reading
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*
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External links
alutiiqmuseum.org Alutiiq Word of the Weekalutiiqlanguage.org Learn the Alutiiq Languageasna.ca Alutiiq Orthodox language texts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alutiiq Language
Alutiiq
Agglutinative languages
Indigenous languages of Alaska
Yupik languages
Endangered Eskaleut languages
Official languages of Alaska