View source for Yuki–Wappo languages

{{Short description|Family of Native American languages}}
{{Infobox language family
  |name=Yuki–Wappo
  |altname=Yukian
  |region=[[California]]
  |familycolor=American
|family      = One of the world's primary [[language family|language families]]
  |glotto=yuki1242
|extinct=1990, with the death of [[Laura Somersal]] (Wappo)
|glottorefname=Yuki–Wappo
  |child1=''[[Yuki language|Yuki]]''
  |child2=''[[Wappo language|Wappo]]''
  |map=Yuki-Wappo langs.png
  |mapcaption=Pre-contact distribution of Yuki–Wappo languages
}}

The '''Yuki–Wappo''' or '''Yukian''' languages are a small [[language family]] of western [[California]] consisting of two distantly related languages, both now [[extinct languages|extinct]].

The Yukian languages may be, along with [[Chumashan languages|Chumashan]] and perhaps languages of southern Baja such as [[Waikuri language|Waikuri]], one of the oldest language families established in California, before the arrival of speakers of [[Penutian]], [[Uto-Aztecan]], and perhaps even [[Hokan languages|Hokan]] languages. All three are spoken in areas with long-established populations of a distinct physical type.<ref>Golla, Victor. (2011). ''California Indian Languages''. Berkeley: University of California Press. {{ISBN|978-0-5202-6667-4}}</ref>

==Family division==
The family consists of

{{tree list}}
* '''Yuki–Wappo'''
** '''[[Yuki language|Yuki]]'''
** '''[[Wappo language|Wappo]]'''
{{tree list/end}}

Yuki consisted of three dialects:  Yuki, Coast Yuki, and Huchnom. Wappo consisted of four dialects spoken in the [[Napa Valley]], with a fifth dialect spoken in an enclave on [[Clear Lake (California)|Clear Lake]].

Wappo and Yuki are quite divergent grammatically and lexically (Goddard 1996: 83), which has led to contested theories about their relationship.  Additionally, the Wappo and Yuki people were quite distinct culturally and even in physical type (Goddard 1996: 83).  The Yuki–Wappo languages appear to belong to the very earliest strata of languages in California, even predating [[Hokan languages|Hokan]] (Goddard 1996: 84). Yuki is associated with the [[Mendocino Complex (archaeology)|Mendocino Complex]] around [[Clear Lake (California)|Clear Lake]] (3000 <small>BCE</small>), while Wappo of the [[Napa Valley]] is associated with the [[St. Helena Aspect]] of the [[Augustine Pattern]]. Proto-Yukian peoples may be of the [[Post Pattern]] (9000 <small>BCE</small>).

Some evidence suggests the two languages separated around 2000–1000 {{sm|bce}}. Wappo speakers may have separated from Yuki due to migrations of [[Pomoan]] peoples.  Alternatively, the Yuki and Wappo may have entered Northern California as distinct communities that settled in different areas, or Wappo speakers may have migrated south from the Yuki–Wappo heartland in the upper reaches of the Eel River.

The Wappo migration to [[Alexander Valley]] in the 19th century was due to a war with the [[Southern Pomo]].

==Genetic relations==
The relationship between Yuki and Wappo was contested by Jesse Sawyer who believes that the similarities are due to [[linguistic borrowing]] and shared [[areal features]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Sawyer |first=Jesse O. |title=The non-genetic relationship of Wappo and Yuki |date=1980-12-31 |work=American Indian and Indoeuropean Studies |pages=209–220 |editor-last=Klar |editor-first=Kathryn |url=https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110808681.209/html |access-date=2024-09-02 |publisher=DE GRUYTER MOUTON |doi=10.1515/9783110808681.209 |isbn=978-90-279-7876-9 |editor2-last=Langdon |editor2-first=Margaret |editor3-last=Silver |editor3-first=Shirley|url-access=subscription }}</ref> However, William Elmendorf has presented some persuasive evidence in favor of the relationship, noting that they are as close as two branches of Indo-European. Campbell (1997) considers Elmendorf's evidence to be conclusive. Mithun (1999) reports that the relationship remains open to question, Golla (2011) that it is securely demonstrated.

Yuki–Wappo has been linked to a number of hypothetical relationships:

* under [[Penutian]] including a connection to [[Yokutsan]] and also to a ''California Penutian'' sub-group
* under [[Hokan languages|Hokan]] (including under [[Edward Sapir]]'s ''Hokan–Siouan'')
* connected to [[Siouan]]
* in [[Morris Swadesh]]'s ''Hokogian'' family with Hokan, [[Muskogean]], and other [[Gulf languages]], grouped together with [[Coahuiltecan languages|Coahuiltecan]] and [[Chitimacha]] (and not with Hokan, pace Sapir)

To date, none of these proposals have been successfully demonstrated.

==Bibliography==
{{sister project |project=wiktionary |text=[[Wiktionary]] has a list of reconstructed forms at '''''[[Wiktionary:Appendix:Proto-Yukian reconstructions|Appendix:Proto-Yukian reconstructions]]'''''}}
* Campbell, Lyle. (1997). ''American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America''. New York: Oxford University Press. {{ISBN|0-19-509427-1}}.
* Goddard, Ives (Ed.). (1996). ''Languages''. Handbook of North American Indians (W. C. Sturtevant, General Ed.) (Vol. 17). Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution. {{ISBN|0-16-048774-9}}.
* Golla, Victor. (2011). ''California Indian Languages''. Berkeley: University of California Press. {{ISBN|978-0-5202-6667-4}}
* Heizer, Robert F. (Ed.). (1978). ''California''. Handbook of North American Indians (W. C. Sturtevant, General Ed.) (Vol. 8). Washington, D. C.: Smithsonian Institution.
* Mithun, Marianne. (1999). ''The languages of Native North America''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. {{ISBN|0-521-23228-7}} (hbk); {{ISBN|0-521-29875-X}}.

== References ==

<references />

{{Language families}}
{{North American languages}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yuki-Wappo languages}}
[[Category:Yuki–Wappo languages| ]]
[[Category:Language families]]
[[Category:Penutian languages]]
[[Category:Indigenous languages of California]]