Ipai language

Ipai, also known as 'Iipai or Northern Diegueño, is the Native American language spoken by the Kumeyaay people of central San Diego County, California. Professor Leanne Hinton suggested a conservative estimate of 25 surviving Ipai speakers.

Ipay
'Iipay aa
Native to	United States
Region	San Diego County, California
Ethnicity	Kumeyaay
Native speakers	6 (2007)[1]
Language family	Yuman Core Yuman Delta–California Ipay
Language codes
ISO 639-3	dih (as part of Diegueño)
Glottolog	ipai1240
Ipai is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Ipai belongs to the Yuman language family and to the Delta–California branch of that family. Ipai and its neighbors to the south, Kumeyaay and Tipai, were often considered to be dialects of a single Diegueño language, but the current consensus among linguists seem to be that at least three distinct languages are present within the dialect chain (e.g., Langdon 1990). Confusingly, Kumeyaay is commonly used as a designation both for the central language in this family and for the Ipai-Kumeyaay-Tipai people as a whole.

Published documentation for the Ipai language includes reference and teaching grammars, a dictionary, and several texts (cf. Mithun 1999:578).

There is no standardized orthography for Ipai, and focus is put on pronunciation instead of notes.

Documentation

A language revitalization effort for Santa Ysabel Iipaay Aa is underway. Classes are available through Kumeyaay Community College paired with Cuyamaca Community College.^[2] There is also a language immersion program.^[3]