Wukchumni dialect
Yokuts language From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wukchumni or Wikchamni is an extinct dialect of Tule-Kaweah Yokuts that was historically spoken by the Wukchumni people of the east fork of the Kaweah River of California.
| Wukchumni | |
|---|---|
| Wikchamni | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | California |
| Ethnicity | Wukchumni |
| Extinct | September 25, 2021, with the death of Marie Wilcox[1] |
| Revival | L2: 3 fluent (2021)[1] |
Yok-Utian
| |
| Latin | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | wikc1234 |
As of 2014, Marie Wilcox (1933–2021) was the last remaining native speaker of the language. There are efforts at revitalization, and Wilcox completed a comprehensive Wukchumni dictionary;[2][3] at her death there were at least three fluent speakers.[1][4]
Status
In 2019, Wukchumni was categorized as 8a or "moribund" on the Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale.[5][6] It became extinct upon the death of its last native speaker, Marie Wilcox, in 2021.
Revitalization efforts
In the early 2000s, Marie Wilcox, aided by her daughter Jennifer Malone, began compiling a Wukchumni dictionary. The work was copyrighted in 2019, but has not been published.[7] Wilcox and Malone held classes teaching beginner and intermediate Wukchumni to interested tribal members;[8][9] Malone continues this teaching at Owens Valley Career Development Center.[1][7]
Efforts to revive Wukchumni have additionally been organized through the Master-Apprentice Language Learning Program.[6]
Possibility of more native speakers
Due to Wilcox's efforts, at least three people are fluent in the language.[1] Destiny Treglown, Marie Wilcox's great-granddaughter, is raising her child, Oliver, as a Wukchumni speaker. If he reaches fluency, he will become the first native speaker of the language in four generations.[10][11]
Phonology
The following tables are based on Gamble (1978).[12]
Consonants
Allophones of /ʃ, x/ include [ʒ̊, xʷ].
Vowels
A long vowel /eː/ can be lowered to [æː] when occurring before an /n/. The central vowels /ɨ/ and /ə/ are partially rounded.
All phonetic short vowel allophones include [ɪ], [ɛ], [ɨ̞], [ɜ], [ʌ], [o̞], [ʊ].
References
External links
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