Alsean languages

Infobox Language family
name=Alsean
altname=Yakonan
region=Oregon
familycolor=American
fam1=Oregon Coast Penutian ?
child1="Alsea"
child2="Yaquina"


map_caption=Pre-contact distribution of Alsean languages

The Alsean (also Yakonan) language family consists of two closely related languages that were spoken along the central Oregon coast.

Family division

Two languages:

# Alsea "(†)"
# Yaquina (also known as Yakwina, Yakona) "(†)"

Both of these languages are now extinct.

The name "Alsea" is derived from the Coosan name for them, "alsí" or "alsí·", and Marys River Kalapuyan name for them, "alsí·ya". Alsea was last recorded in 1942 from the last speaker, John Albert, by J. P. Harrington.

The name "Yaquina" is derived from the Alsean name for the Yaquina Bay and the Yaquina River region, "yuqú·na". Yaquina was last recorded in 1884 by James Owen Dorsey.

Many consider Alsea and Yaquina to be dialects of one language. Others consider them to be two different languages (that are very closely related).

There may be a distant relationship between the Alsean languages, Siuslaw, and the Coosan languages. They may also be related the Wintuan languages. Linguistic research is being carried out to determine if any of these relationships are valid—this research also is a part of a larger Penutian super-family hypothesis.

ounds

Consonants

Alsean languages have 34 consonants:

* The status of IPA|/hʷ/ is uncertain.
* is actually between alveolar and post-alveolar.

Vowels

Alsean languages have both oral and nasal vowels.

Bibliography

* Campbell, Lyle. (1997). "American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America". New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
* Mithun, Marianne. (1999). "The languages of Native North America". Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.