View source for Serrano language

{{Short description|Uto-Aztecan language of southern California}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Serrano
| nativename       = {{lang|ser|Maarrênga'twich}}
| states           = [[United States]]
| region           = Southern [[California]]
| ethnicity        = [[Serrano people]]
| extinct          = 2002, with the death of Dorothy Ramon
| revived          = 6 (2009–2013)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/data/tables/2013/demo/2009-2013-lang-tables.html|title=Detailed Languages Spoken at Home and Ability to Speak English|publisher= US Census Bureau|website=www.census.gov|language=en-US|access-date=2017-11-17}}</ref>
| familycolor      = Uto-Aztecan
| fam1             = [[Uto-Aztecan languages|Uto-Aztecan]]
| fam2             = [[Northern Uto-Aztecan languages|Northern Uto-Aztecan]]
| fam3             = [[Takic languages|Takic]]
| fam4             = [[Serran languages|Serran]]
| map              = Serran_languages_map.svg
| mapcaption       = Historical extent of Serran languages
| iso3             = ser
| glotto           = serr1255
| glottorefname    = Serrano
| dia1             = Serrano
| dia2             = Vanyume
| altname          = Serrano–Vanyume
| map2             = Lang Status 01-EX.svg
| mapcaption2      = {{center|Serrano is classified as Extinct by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''.<ref>{{cite report |title=Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger |publisher=UNESCO |edition=3rd |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000187026 |date=2010 |page=11}}</ref>}}
}}

'''Serrano''' (Serrano: {{lang|ser|Maarrênga'twich}}) is a language in the [[Serran languages|Serran]] branch of the [[Uto-Aztecan]] family spoken by the [[Serrano people|Serrano]] people of [[Southern California]]. The language is closely related to [[Tongva language|Tongva]], [[Tataviam language|Tataviam]], [[Kitanemuk language|Kitanemuk]] and [[Vanyume]], which may be a dialect of Serrano. Serrano has free word order with the only rule being that verbs usually come last.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples|last=Pritzker|first=Barry|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2000}}</ref>

== Speakers ==
According to [[Ethnologue]], there was 1 speaker in 1994.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ser|title=Serrano}}</ref> The last fully fluent speaker was Dorothy Ramon, who died in 2002.<ref name="sbsun">{{Cite news
 |last        = Edwards
 |first       = Andrew
 |title       = Saving the Serrano tongue
 |work        = San Bernardino County Sun
 |access-date  = 2013-05-08
 |date        = 2006-12-05
 |url         = http://www.sbsun.com/ci_4780412
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130130004041/http://www.sbsun.com/ci_4780412
 |archive-date = 2013-01-30
}}</ref> During the last years of Dorothy Ramon's life, she worked with linguist Eric Elliot. Together they wrote a book named ''Wayta' Yawa' (Always Believe)''. This book was written in Serrano and in English which talks about the Serrano culture and the life of Dorothy Ramon, which in turn saved the Serrano language from complete extinction. After Dorothy Ramon's death, the language is now considered dormant, as revitalization efforts have allowed the language to survive in some form.<ref name=":0" />

Traditionally referring to themselves as Maarrênga'yam meaning "people of Maarra" (Maarra' is considered to be modern day [[Twentynine Palms, California|Twentynine Palms]]) or Yuhaviatam meaning "people of the pines", the Serrano people originally occupied the area near the [[Mojave River]] and [[San Bernardino, California|San Bernardino]] Mountains of Southern California. In 1891 the United States established the [[San Manuel Reservation]] for the Serrano people where many of its last speakers lived. In 1967, Researcher Kenneth Cushman Hill noted that about 6 people still spoke the now dormant language.<ref name=":1">Hill, Kenneth Cushman. "A Grammar of the Serrano Language". ''University of California''. 1967.</ref> As of today,{{when?|date=June 2025}} the nephew of Dorothy Ramon is seen as the last person who is able to speak the language at a fluent level.{{cn|date=June 2025}}

== Language revitalization ==
The language was at a time considered to be extinct but there are attempts at reviving it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ilearn.limuproject.org/iLearn-Course-Portal|title=iLearn Course Portal - iLearn|website=ilearn.limuproject.org}}</ref>  Both at the [[San Manuel Band of Mission Indians]], and [[Morongo Band of Mission Indians]] [[Indian reservation|reservations]]<ref name = "olson"/> there are efforts now underway to teach the language and the history and culture of the Serrano people. Language teacher Pauline Murillo helped develop an interactive CD ROM for learning Serrano.<ref name = "olson">{{Cite news
| last = David Olson
| title = Pauline Murillo, 76, San Manuel tribal elder
| work = PE.com - Press-Enterprise
| access-date = 2012-08-10
| date = 2011-01-26
| url = http://www.pe.com/local-news/topics/topics-tribes-headlines/20110126-pauline-murillo-76-san-manuel-tribal-elder.ece
}}</ref> As of 2013, apps and games have been developed, and the San Manuel Band's Serrano Language Revitalization Project (SLRP) seeks to develop further multimedia resources for language learners.<ref>{{cite web
 |title       = San Manuel Band of Serrano Mission Indians: Education
 |access-date  = 2013-05-08
 |url         = http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov/education.php.html
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130415001630/http://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov/education.php.html
 |archive-date = 2013-04-15
}}</ref> In May 2013, [[Cal State San Bernardino]] announced it would offer Serrano language classes to its students.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news
| last = David Olson
| title = CAL STATE: University offers Serrano language class
| work = Press-Enterprise
| access-date = 2013-06-05
| date = 2013-05-31
| url = http://www.pe.com/local-news/local-news-headlines/20130531-cal-state-university-offers-serrano-language-class.ece
}}</ref>

The Limu project offers online courses in Maarrênga' (Morongo Band "Serrano" dialect) and Yuhaviat (San Manuel Band "Serrano" dialect).<ref>{{cite web
| title = iLearn Course Portal - iLearn. Serrano Dialects Maarrenga' (Morongo Band "Serrano" dialect); Yuhaviat (Santos Manuel Band "Serrano" dialect)
| work = The Limu Project
| access-date = 2013-05-08
| url = http://ilearn.limuproject.org/iLearn-Course-Portal
}}</ref>

The Serrano language was traditionally a spoken language; an alphabet was not used until the 1990s. A new alphabet, with 47 letters, including the [[glottal stops|glottal stop]], was developed starting in 2005.<ref name = "sbsun"/>

The [http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1518 Endangered Languages Project] lists Serrano as in the "Awakening" stage, meaning that the language has lost its native and fluent speakers and can be considered "extinct" but has revitalization projects underway to preserve knowledge of the language and the Serrano people.

University of California, Los Angeles provides a recording of a Serrano speaker reading a word list here.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/1518/samples/5531|title=Endangered Languages Project - Serrano - ser_word-list_1980_01|website=www.endangeredlanguages.com}}</ref>

==Phonology==
The charts of consonants and vowels below are used in the Serrano language:<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.dorothyramon.org/|title=Dorothy Ramon Learning Center Inc.}}</ref>

In 1967, the language of Serrano was charted as having 33 consonants and 9 vowels in its phonetic form.<ref name=":1" />

===Consonants===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|- 
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" | [[bilabial consonant|Bilabial]]
! rowspan="2" | [[alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
! rowspan="2" | [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! colspan="2" | [[velar consonant|Velar]]
! colspan="2" | [[uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! colspan="2" | [[glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>[[labialisation|lab.]]</small>
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>[[Labialization|lab.]]</small>
!<small>plain</small>
!<small>[[Labialization|lab.]]</small>
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| {{IPA link|m}}
| {{IPA link|n}}
| {{IPA link|ɳ}}
| {{IPA link|ɲ}}
| {{IPA link|ŋ}}
| {{IPA link|ŋʷ}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Plosive]]
! <small>[[voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA link|p}}
| {{IPA link|t}}
| {{IPA link|ʈ}}
|
| {{IPA link|k}}
| {{IPA link|kʷ}}
| {{IPA link|q}}
| {{IPA link|qʷ}}
| {{IPA link|ʔ}}
|
|-
! <small>[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPA link|b}}
| {{IPA link|d}}
|
| {{IPA link|d͡ʒ}}
| {{IPA link|ɡ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|-
!<small>[[affricate]]</small>
|
|
| {{IPA link|t͡ʂ}}
| {{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative]]
!<small>[[voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
| {{IPA link|ɸ}}
| {{IPA link|s}}
| {{IPA link|ʂ}}
| {{IPA link|ʃ}}
| {{IPA link|x}}
| {{IPA link|xʷ}}
| {{IPA link|χ}}
| {{IPA link|χʷ}}
| {{IPA link|h}}
| {{IPA link|hʷ}}
|-
!<small>[[Voiced consonant|voiced]]</small>
| {{IPA link|β}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
|
| {{IPA link|ɾ}}~{{IPA link|r}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
|
| {{IPA link|l}}
|
| {{IPA link|ʎ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" | [[Sonorant]]
|
|
|
| {{IPA link|j}}
|
| {{IPA link|w}}
|
|
|
|
|}

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" |[[Front vowel|Front]]
! colspan="2" |[[Central vowel|Central]]
! colspan="2" |[[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
!<small>oral</small> || <small>[[R-colored vowel|rhotic]]</small>
!<small>oral</small> || <small>[[R-colored vowel|rhotic]]</small>
|-
![[Close vowel|High]]
|{{IPA link|i}}
|{{IPA link|ɨ}}
|{{IPA link|ɨ˞}}
|{{IPA link|u}}
|
|-
![[Mid vowel|Mid]]
|{{IPA link|e}}
|
|
|{{IPA link|o}}
|{{IPA link|o˞}}
|-
![[Open vowel|Low]]
|
|{{IPA link|a}}
|{{IPA link|a˞}}
|
|
|}
Vowels /ɨ/, /a/, /o/, can be [[Rhoticized vowel|rhoticized]] as /ɨ˞/, /a˞/, /o˞/.

==Morphology==
Serrano is an [[agglutinative]] language, where words use suffix complexes for a variety of purposes with several [[morpheme]]s strung together.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{Cite journal
 |volume      = 24
 |issue       =  1
 |last        = Smith
 |first       = Marcus and Ixchel Keller
 |title       = Speaking Serrano: Revitalizing a Native Language
 |journal     = News from Native California
 |access-date  = 2013-05-08
 |date        = 2010
 |url         = http://www.heydaybooks.com/news/issues/v24n1toc.html
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20130202212244/http://www.heydaybooks.com/news/issues/v24n1toc.html
 |archive-date = 2013-02-02
}}
*Pritzker, Barry. "A Native American Encyclopedia: History, Culture, and Peoples. ''Oxford University Press''. 2000.
*{{cite work |last=Hill |first=Kenneth Cushman |title=A Grammar of the Serrano Language |publisher=University of California |place=Los Angeles |year=1967 |url=https://linguistics.ucla.edu/images/stories/Hill.1967.pdf}}.

==External links==
*{{cite web
| title = iLearn Course Portal - iLearn. Serrano Dialects Maarrenga' (Morongo Band "Serrano" dialect); Yuhaviat (Santos Manuel Band "Serrano" dialect)
| work = The Limu Project
| access-date = 2013-05-08
| url = http://ilearn.limuproject.org/iLearn-Course-Portal
}}
*[https://dorothyramon.org/ Dorothy Ramón Learning Center], Banning, California
*[https://www.sanmanuel-nsn.gov/ San Manuel Band of Mission Indians]
*[https://morongonation.org/ Morongo Band of Mission Indians]
*[https://cla.berkeley.edu/languages/serrano.html Serrano language] overview at the [[Survey of California and Other Indian Languages]]
*[http://www.language-archives.org/language/ser OLAC resources in and about the Serrano language]

{{Clear}}
{{Uto-Aztecan languages}}
{{Languages of California}}
{{Populations of Native California Groups}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serrano, Language}}
[[Category:Serrano people]]
[[Category:Agglutinative languages|Takic]]
[[Category:Takic languages]]
[[Category:Native American language revitalization]]