Yahi dialect
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| Yahi | |
|---|---|
| Native to | USA |
| Region | California |
| Ethnicity | Yahi people, a subgroup of the Yana |
| Extinct | 1916, with the death of Ishi |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | yahi1243 |
| ELP | Lua error in Module:Endangered_Languages_Project at line 21: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| File:PSM V86 D241 Location of the yahi and Nozi peoples in northern california.jpg Distribution of Yahi and Nozi (Northern and Central Yana)[1] peoples | |
Yahi was a dialect of the extinct Yana language that was spoken in the upper Sacramento Valley area, roughly in the area between Mill Creek and Deer Creek. It is one of the southern dialects of Yana, which is a language isolate, though with possible connections to Hokan. Yana is known as having been the language of Ishi, the last surviving Yana Indian, who worked with anthropologists to make a record of the language and culture.
History
[edit | edit source]The last documented speaker of Yahi was a man called Ishi who caused a scientific stir when he made contact with the outside world in 1911, long after the Yahi had been assumed to be extinct. Together with the language, he died in 1916.[2]
Vocabulary
[edit | edit source]Yahi distinguishes male and female forms with male forms, frequently marked with the suffix -na, generally longer than female forms. Some examples are:[3]
| Male Form | Female Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| diwai-ja | diwai-tch | see me! |
| t'en'na | t'et | grizzly bear |
| yana | yah | person |
Examples
[edit | edit source]Some language samples from Kroeber, T[4]
| Yahi | English |
|---|---|
| ähä | yes |
| k'u'i | no |
| kuwi | shaman |
| mudjaúpa | chief |
| sake mahale | menstruating woman |
| saltu | white person |
| siwini | yellow pine |
| wataurisi | bastard |
Pronouns
[edit | edit source]| Yahi | English |
|---|---|
| ai'numa | you (formal) |
auna - fire
Numerals
[edit | edit source]Some numerals from Sapir et al.,[5]
| Numeral | Yahi |
|---|---|
| 1 | baigu |
| 2 | uxmic'igu |
| 3 | bulmic'igu |
| 4 | daumigu |
| 5 | xaaʒan |
| 6 | baiwawi |
| 7 | |
| 8 | |
| 9 | |
| 10 | xaaʒanwilsamc'gu |
| 20 | |
| 40 | |
| 60 | |
| 80 |
Samples
[edit | edit source]| Yahi | English |
|---|---|
| achi djeyauna? | what is his name? |
| ine me yahi? | are you an Indian? |
| wo-wi | my house |
See also
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Kroeber, T. Ishi in two worlds Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984
- ^ Sapir, E., Swadesh. M., Haas, M. Yana Dictionary University of California Press, 1960
