The Alutiiq language (also called Sugpiak, Sugpiaq,List of Alutiiq (Sugpiaq) language resources
/ref> Sugcestun,Language in the USA
Cambridge University Press, 1981 Suk, Supik, Pacific Gulf Yupik, Gulf Yupik, Koniag-Chugach) is a close relative to the

Central Alaskan Yup'ik language Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...

spoken in the western and southwestern

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

, but is considered a distinct language. It has two major dialects: * Koniag Alutiiq: spoken on the upper part of the

Alaska Peninsula The Alaska Peninsula (also called Aleut Peninsula or Aleutian Peninsula, ale, Alasxix̂; Sugpiaq: ''Aluuwiq'', ''Al'uwiq'') is a peninsula extending about to the southwest from the mainland of Alaska and ending in the Aleutian Islands. The ...

and on

Kodiak Island Kodiak Island (Alutiiq: ''Qikertaq''), is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second larges ...

; it was also spoken on Afognak Island before that was deserted by the people in the wake of the 1964

Good Friday earthquake The 1964 Alaskan earthquake, also known as the Great Alaskan earthquake and Good Friday earthquake, occurred at 5:36 PM AKST on Good Friday, March 27.

. *

Chugach Chugach , Chugach Sugpiaq or Chugachigmiut is the name of an Alaska Native people in the region of the Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound on the southern coast of Alaska. The Chugach people are an Alutiiq ( Pacific Eskimo) people who spea ...

Alutiiq: spoken on the

Kenai Peninsula The Kenai Peninsula ( Dena'ina: ''Yaghenen'') is a large peninsula jutting from the coast of Southcentral Alaska. The name Kenai (, ) is derived from the word "Kenaitze" or "Kenaitze Indian Tribe", the name of the Native Athabascan Alaskan trib ...

and in

Prince William Sound Prince William Sound (Sugpiaq: ''Suungaaciq'') is a sound of the Gulf of Alaska on the south coast of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is located on the east side of the Kenai Peninsula. Its largest port is Valdez, at the southern terminus of the Tr ...

. The

ethnonym An ethnonym () is a name applied to a given ethnic group. Ethnonyms can be divided into two categories: exonyms (whose name of the ethnic group has been created by another group of people) and autonyms, or endonyms (whose name is created and used ...

s of the Sugpiaq-Alutiiq are a predicament. "Aleut," "Alutiiq," "Sugpiaq," "Russian," "Pacific Eskimo," "Unegkuhmiut," and "Chugach Eskimo" are among the terms that have been used to identify this group of Native people living on the Lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska. About 400 of the

Alutiiq The Alutiiq people (pronounced in English; from Promyshlenniki Russian Алеутъ, "Aleut"; plural often "Alutiit"), also called by their ancestral name ( or ; plural often "Sugpiat"), as well as Pacific Eskimo or Pacific Yupik, are a sout ...

population of 3,000 still speak the Alutiiq language. Alutiiq communities are currently in the process of revitalizing their language. In 2010 the high school in Kodiak responded to requests from students and agreed to teach the Alutiiq language. The Kodiak dialect of the language was spoken by only about 50 persons, all of them elderly, and the dialect was in danger of being lost entirely. As of 2014,

Alaska Pacific University Alaska Pacific University (APU) is a private university in Anchorage, Alaska. It was established as Alaska Methodist University in 1957. Although it was renamed to Alaska Pacific University in 1978, it is still affiliated with the United Methodi ...

Anchorage Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

is offering classes using the " Where Are Your Keys?" technique.

Phonology

Consonants

Consonants may be double and have geminated sounds (e.g. ''kk''; ː. More consonants /ɾ~r, lʲ, rʲ/ can only be found in loanwords.

Vowels

All vowels except for /ə/, are considered as full vowels, distinguished with vowel length. /ə/ does not lengthen, nor occurs into vowel clusters, but may tend to be devoiced as /ə̥/ next to other consonants.

Orthography

* a - �* c - ͡ʃ* e - �* f - * g - * gw - ʷ* hm - ̥* hn - ̥* hng - �̊* i - * k - * kw - ʷ* l - * ll - �* m - * n - * ng - �* p - * q - * r - �* ʀ - * s - * t - * u - * w - * y - After voiceless consonants, the voiceless nasals are written without h-.

Other letters

* aa - ː* ai - i* au - u* ia - a* ii - ː* iu - u* ua - a* ui - i* uu - ːref>

Vocabulary comparison

The comparison of number terms and month names in the two dialects:

References

* Bass, Willard P., Edward A. Tennant, and Carl Anahonak. ''Test of Oral Language Dominance Sugpiaq Aleut-English''. Albuquerque, N.M.: Southwest Research Association, 1973. * Counceller, April Gale Laktonen, Jeff Leer, and Nick Alokli. ''Kodiak Alutiiq Conversational Phrasebook With Audio CD''. Kodiak, Alaska: Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository, 2006. * Leer, Jeff, Carl Anahonak, Arthur Moonin, and Derenty Tabios. ''Nanwalegmiut paluwigmiut-llu nupugnerit = Conversational Alutiiq dictionary : Kenai Peninsula Alutiiq''. Fairbanks, AK: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2003. * Leer, Jeff, and Nina Zeedar. ''Classroom Grammar of Koniag Alutiiq, Kodiak Island Dialect''. Fairbanks, AK: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1990. * Leer, Jeff, Matrona Christiansen, Doris Lind, Thomas Phillips, Ralph Phillips (1996). ''A Short Dictionary of Alaska Peninsula Sugtestun & Alaska Peninsula Alutiiq Workbook''. Fairbanks, AK: Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. *

Pratt Museum The Pratt Museum is a regional natural history museum located in Homer, Alaska, with exhibits exploring life around Kachemak Bay in South Central Alaska. The museum's mission is to preserve "the stories of the Kachemak Bay region", through "coll ...

(Homer, Alaska). ''Qulianguat Kiputʹsluki = Bringing the Stories Back : Alutiiq Sugpiaq Remembrances of the Outer Coast of Kenai Peninsula, Alaska''. Homer, Alaska: Pratt Museum, 2003. * Russell, Priscilla N. ''English Bay and Port Graham Alutiiq Plantlore''. Homer, Alaska: Pratt Museum, Homer Society of Natural History, 1991. * Steffian, Amy F., and Florence Pestrikof. ''Alutiiq Word of the Week''. Kodiak, AK: Alutiiq Museum & Archaeological Repository, 1999. * John E. Smelcer,
Alutiiq Noun Dictionary
', 2010

External links

alutiiqmuseum.org Alutiiq Word of the Week

alutiiqlanguage.org Learn the Alutiiq Language

asna.ca Alutiiq Orthodox language texts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alutiiq Language Alutiiq Agglutinative languages Indigenous languages of Alaska Yupik languages Endangered Eskaleut languages Official languages of Alaska