View source for Upper Kuskokwim language

{{Short description|Athabaskan language}}
{{use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox language
|name=Upper Kuskokwim
|nativename=Dinakʼi
|states=United States
|region=[[Alaska]] (middle [[Yukon River]], [[Koyukuk River]])
|ethnicity=160 [[Upper Kuskokwim]] (2007)<ref name=e18>{{Ethnologue18|kuu}}</ref>
|speakers=<5
|date=2020
|ref=<ref> {{cite report |url=https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/Portals/4/pub/ANLPAC/ANLPAC%202020%20Report%20to%20the%20Governor%20and%20Legislature.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200330185515/https://www.commerce.alaska.gov/web/Portals/4/pub/ANLPAC/ANLPAC%202020%20Report%20to%20the%20Governor%20and%20Legislature.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 30, 2020 |author=The Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council |title=2020 Biennial Report to the Government and Legislature |date=2020-01-01 |website=alaska.gov}}</ref>
|familycolor=Dené-Yeniseian
|fam2=[[Na-Dené languages|Na-Dené]]
|fam3=[[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan]]
|fam4=[[Northern Athabaskan languages|Northern Athabaskan]]
|iso3= kuu
|glotto=uppe1438
|glottorefname=Upper Kuskokwim
|script=Latin (Northern Athabaskan alphabet)
| nation           = {{flag|Alaska}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2014/04/21/305688602/alaska-oks-bill-making-native-languages-official |title = Alaska OKs Bill Making Native Languages Official |department=The Two-Way |work=[[NPR]] |date=2014-04-21 |last=Chappell |first=Bill}}</ref> 
|map=Lang Status 20-CR.svg
|mapcaption={{center|{{small|Upper Kuskokwim is classified as Critically Endangered by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''}}}}
}}

The '''Upper Kuskokwim''' language (also called '''Kolchan''' or '''Goltsan''' or '''Dinak'i''') is an [[Athabaskan languages|Athabaskan]] language of the [[Na-Dené languages|Na-Dené]] language family. It is spoken by the [[Upper Kuskokwim people]] in the Upper [[Kuskokwim River]] villages of [[Nikolai, Alaska|Nikolai]], [[Telida, Alaska|Telida]], and [[McGrath, Alaska|McGrath]], [[Alaska]]. About 40 of a total of 160 Upper Kuskokwim people (Dichinanek’ Hwt’ana) still speak the language.

A practical [[orthography]] of the language was established by Raymond Collins, who in 1964 began linguistic work at Nikolai.

Since 1990s, the language has also been documented by a Russian linguist [[Andrej Kibrik]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ukpreservation.com/kibrik-papers/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210071649/http://ukpreservation.com/kibrik-papers/ |archive-date=2013-12-10 |title=Kibrik Papers}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uaf.edu/anla/collections/search/result.xml?contributor=848 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150423230753/http://www.uaf.edu/anla/collections/search/result.xml?contributor=848 |archive-date=2015-04-23 |title=List of resources with contributor: Kibrik, Andrej A. |website=Alaska Native Language Archive}}</ref>

== Phonology ==

=== Consonants ===

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" |
! rowspan="2" |[[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan="3" |[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br />alveolar]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Retroflex consonant|Retroflex]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]]
! rowspan="2" |[[Velar consonant|'''Velar''']]
! rowspan="2" |[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! <small>plain</small>
! <small>sibilant</small>
! <small>lateral</small>
|-
! rowspan="3" | [[Plosive]]/<br />[[Affricate]]
! <small>plain</small>
|
| {{IPAlink|t}} {{angbr|d}}
| {{IPAlink|ts}} {{angbr|dz}}
| {{IPAlink|tɬ}} {{angbr|dl}}
| {{IPAlink|tʃ}} {{angbr|j}}
| {{IPAlink|ʈʂ}} {{angbr|dr}}
| 
| {{IPAlink|k}} {{angbr|g}}
| {{IPAlink|ʔ}} {{angbr|ʼ}}
|-
! <small>aspirated</small>
|
| {{IPAlink|tʰ}} {{angbr|t}}
| {{IPAlink|tsʰ}} {{angbr|ts}}
| {{IPAlink|tɬʰ}} {{angbr|tł}}
| {{IPAlink|tʃʰ}} {{angbr|ch}}
| {{IPAlink|ʈʂʰ}} {{angbr|tr}}
| 
| {{IPAlink|kʰ}} {{angbr|k}}
| 
|-
! <small>ejective</small>
| 
| {{IPAlink|tʼ}} {{angbr|tʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|tsʼ}} {{angbr|tsʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|tɬʼ}} {{angbr|tłʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|tʃʼ}} {{angbr|chʼ}}
| {{IPAlink|ʈʂʼ}} {{angbr|trʼ}}
| 
| {{IPAlink|kʼ}} {{angbr|kʼ}}
| 
|-
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative]]
! <small>voiceless</small>
| 
| 
| {{IPAlink|s}} {{angbr|s}}
| {{IPAlink|ɬ}} {{angbr|ł}}
| {{IPAlink|ʃ}} {{angbr|sh}}
| {{IPAlink|ʂ}} {{angbr|sr}}
| 
| {{IPAlink|x}} {{angbr|h}}
|
|-
! <small>voiced</small>
|
| 
| {{IPAlink|z}} {{angbr|z}}
| {{IPAlink|ɮ}} {{angbr|l}}
| 
| {{IPAlink|ʐ}} {{angbr|zr}}
|
| {{IPAlink|ɣ}} {{angbr|gh}}
| 
|-
! rowspan="3" |[[Sonorant]]
! <small>voiceless</small>
|
| {{IPAlink|n̥}} {{angbr|ṉ}}
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|-
! <small>voiced</small>
| {{IPAlink|m}} {{angbr|m}}
| {{IPAlink|n}} {{angbr|n}}
|
|
|
|
| {{IPAlink|j}} {{angbr|y}}
|
|
|-
! <small>glottalized</small>
|
| {{IPAlink|nˀ}} {{angbr|n'}}
| 
| 
| 
| 
| {{IPAlink|jˀ}} {{angbr|y'}}
|
| 
|}

=== Vowels ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
! 
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{IPA link|i}} {{angbr|e}}
| {{IPA link|u}} {{angbr|u}}
|-
![[Near-close vowel|Near-close]]
| {{IPA link|ɪ}} {{angbr|i}}
| {{IPA link|ʊ}} {{angbr|w}}
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| {{IPA link|æ}} {{angbr|a}}
| {{IPA link|ɒ}} {{angbr|o}}
|}
/ɪ/ may range to either [ɪ] or mid as [ə].<ref name="Dictionary" />

== Morphology ==
=== Nouns ===
Nouns are divided into two classes: those which can be possessed, but do not have to be (such as clothing, animals and lake names) and those which are always possessed (such as body parts).

For the former group, some nouns that are possessed have a change in spelling and pronunciation when they are possessed. For example, the prefix "si-" indicates "my".<ref name="Dictionary">{{cite book |last1=Petruska |first1=Betty Esai |last2=Collins |first2=Raymond |title=Upper Kuskokwim Athabaskan Junior Dictionary |date=1979 |publisher=Alaska Native Language Archive |url=https://www.uaf.edu/anla/record.php?identifier=UK964CP1979 |access-date=18 December 2023}}</ref> 

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Possessive Noun Changes<ref name="Dictionary"/>
|-
! Upper Kuskokwim !! English
|-
| {{lang|kuu|tameł}} || fishnet
|-
| {{lang|kuu|sitamela'}} || my fishnet
|-
| {{lang|kuu|nitamela'}} || your fishnet
|-
| {{lang|kuu|mitamela'}} || his/her fishnet
|}

However, other nouns that may be possessed do not undergo any sound changes, and instead the possession is indicated either by the separate possessive word {{lang|kuu|sich'i}}, or by the prefix {{lang|kuu|si-}}. For example, {{lang|kuu|k'esh}} ([[birch tree]]) becomes {{lang|kuu|sich'i k'esh}} (my birch tree) and {{lang|kuu|tin}} (trail) becomes {{lang|kuu|sitin}} ({{gloss|my trail}}).<ref name="Dictionary"/>

Verbs can be changed into nouns with the suffix {{lang|kuu|-e}}. This also causes sound changes in some verbs.<ref name="Dictionary"/>

=== Adjectives ===
There are few adjectives that modify nouns in Upper Kuskokwim. Adjectives are added after nouns, e.g. {{lang|kuu|nilane '''gwṉ'''}} ({{gloss|'''dried''' meat}}).<ref name="Dictionary"/> 

{| class="wikitable"
! Upper Kuskokwim !! English
|-
| {{lang|kuu|chwh}} || big
|-
| {{lang|kuu|goya}} || small 
|-
| {{lang|kuu|gwṉ}} || dried 
|-
| {{lang|kuu|hwts'aka}} || narrow 
|}

== Syntax ==
Upper Kuskokwim uses [[Subject–object–verb word order|SOV]] word order. It is a partially [[inflectional]] and partially [[agglutinative]] language, and a [[pro-drop]] language.<ref name="Dictionary"/> 

{{interlinear|lang=kuu|number=1.
|Dina dineje izdlan. 
|man moose he/she-caught
|'The man caught a moose.'}}

{{interlinear|lang=kuu|number=2.
|Dineje izdlan. 
|moose he/she-caught 
|'He caught a moose.'}}

{{interlinear|lang=kuu|number=3.
|Yizdlan. 
|it-he/she-caught 
|'He caught it.'}}

==Bibliography==
* [http://www.uaf.edu/anlc/ Alaska Native Language Center]. Retrieved on 2007-03-14.
* {{cite book |last=Collins |first=Raymond |first2=Sally Jo |last2=Collins |date=January 2004 |location=McGrath, AK |title=Dichinanek' Hwt'ana: A History of the people of the Upper Kuskokwim who live in Nikolai and Telida, Alaska |id=UK964C2004 |url=https://www.uaf.edu/anla/record.php?identifier=UK964C2004}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Links==
* [http://ukpreservation.com/ Upper Kuskokwim Language and Culture Preservation] (website in development)
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160307061636/https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dinaki-upper-kuskokwim-dictionary/id733068863?mt=8 Dinak'i | Upper Kuskokwim Dictionary] iOS app

{{Athabaskan languages}}
{{Languages of Alaska}}

[[Category:Northern Athabaskan languages]]
[[Category:Indigenous languages of Alaska]]
[[Category:Indigenous languages of the North American Subarctic]]
[[Category:Endangered Athabaskan languages]]


{{indigenousAmerican-lang-stub}}
{{Alaska-stub}}