Holikachuk (own name: ) is a recently extinct
Athabaskan
Athabaskan ( ; also spelled ''Athabascan'', ''Athapaskan'' or ''Athapascan'', and also known as Dene) is a large branch of the Na-Dene language family of North America, located in western North America in three areal language groups: Northern, ...
language formerly spoken at the village of
Holikachuk () on the
Innoko River in central
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 ...
. In 1962, residents of Holikachuk relocated to
Grayling on the lower
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. From its source in British Columbia, it flows through Canada's territory of Yukon (itself named after the river). The lower half of the river continues westward through the U.S ...
. Holikachuk is intermediate between the
Deg Xinag
Deg Xinag (Deg Hitan) is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Deg Hitʼan peoples of the GASH region. The GASH region consists of the villages of Grayling, Anvik, Shageluk, and Holy Cross along the lower Yukon River in Interior Alask ...
and
Koyukon languages, linguistically closer to Koyukon but socially much closer to Deg Xinag, which has influenced it. Though it was recognized by scholars as a distinct language as early as the 1840s, it was only definitively identified in the 1970s. Of about 180 Holikachuk people, only about 5 spoke the language in 2007. In March 2012, the last living fluent speaker of Holikachuk died in Alaska.
[ICTMN Staff. "Alaska Native Language Loses Last Fluent Speaker." Indian Country Today Media Network. 18 Apr. 2012. Web. 19 Apr. 2012]
James Kari compiled a short dictionary of Holikachuk in 1978, but Holikachuk remains one of the least documented Alaska Native languages.
[Kari, James. 1978]
Holikachuk Noun Dictionary (Preliminary)
Fairbanks: Alaska Native Language Center
ERIC ED172528
/ref>
Phonology
Consonants
Vowels
Orthography
Lexicon
Some Holikachuk words:wim
Wim is a Dutch masculine given name or a shortened form of Willem and may refer to:
* Wim Anderiesen (1903–1944), Dutch footballer
* Wim Aantjes (1923–2015), Dutch politician
* Wim Arras (born 1964), Flemish Belgian cyclist
* Wim Blockman ...
)
* scales
* fish eggs
* Indian ice cream
References
External links
Holikachuk Athabascan
Alaska Native Language Center. Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
{{Languages of Alaska
Northern Athabaskan languages
Indigenous languages of Alaska
Indigenous languages of the North American Subarctic
Languages extinct in the 2010s
2012 disestablishments in Alaska
Extinct languages of North America
Official languages of Alaska
2023 disestablishments in Alaska