Numic languages

Former spread of the native languages of North America

The Numic languages or Numic are / is the northernmost branch of the Uto-Aztec language family . They comprise seven individual languages (or dialect continua) spoken by North American Indians in the Great Basin , Colorado River Basin and the southern Great Plains . The name "Numic" is derived from the word for "man, people" used in these languages. In five of these languages this is / nɨmɨ / , in the Kawaiisu language / nɨwɨ / and in the Colorado language / nɨwɨ / , / nɨŋwɨ / or / nuu / .

Although the individual languages all come from the same language family, they are not as closely related to one another as the name suggests, since they belong to different branches of the Numic languages, and are closer to neighboring languages of the respective Numic branch. The majority of Numic languages are now considered to be endangered languages , since today most members of the family learn American English and less and less their own language as their mother tongue , and therefore it threatens to become extinct within a few generations.

Internal classification

The Numic languages comprise three regional branches:

I. Central Numic, Central Numic Languages, Central Numic Branch

Comanche or Numinu ( Nʉmʉ Tekwapʉ̲ ; pronunciation: [ˈnɨmɨ ˈtekʷapɨ̥] - "language of the people, ie the Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ) "; possibly several regional dialects / subdialects; population: over 15,000, speakers: 100 (Golla 2007).)
Timbisha (Tümpisa) , Panamint or Koso (also: "Tümpisa Panamint Shoshone"; Nümü nangkawih / Sosoni nangkawih - "language of the people / the Shoshone"; a dialect continuum of the Timbisha Shoshone with three regional varieties or dialects ; population: approx. 120 , Speaker: 20.)
- Western / Western Timbisha
  - a. Owens Lake, Lone Pine
  - b. Coso Range, Saline Valley, Panamint Valley
- Central Timbisha (Death Valley)
- Eastern Timbisha
  - a. Grapevine Canyon
  - b. Beatty
  - c. Lida
Shoshoni , Shoshone or Shoshoni-Gosiute ( Newe Ta̲i̲kwappe , Neme Ta̲i̲kwappeh - "language of the people" or Sosoni 'Ta̲i̲kwappe - "language of the Shoshone "; a dialect continuum with four regional dialects; population: approx. 12,300, speakers: 1,000 and another 1,000 half-speakers )
- Western / Western Shoshoni (in Nevada and in the Nevada-Idaho border area of the Western Shoshone (Newe) )
  - a. Gosiute / Goshute (also: "Gosiute / Goshute dialect" in western Utah and eastern Nevada, since the Gosiute (Gutsipiuti or Kuttuhsippeh) are mostly considered a separate ethnic group today)
  - b. Duck Valley
  - c. Big Smoky Valley
- Northern / Northern Shoshoni (in southern Idaho and northern Utah the Northern Shoshone (Neme or Nemme sosoni'ihnee'e) )
  - a. Lemhi Valley
  - b. Fort Hall
- Eastern Shoshoni (also: "Wind River Shoshoni", in Wyoming the Eastern Shoshone (Newe) )

II. Southern Numic, Southern Numic Languages, Southern Numic Branch

Kawaiisu ( Nɨwɨ'abigidɨ, Nɨwɨ'abigipɨ , pronunciation: [nɨwɨʔabiɣidɨ], [nɨwɨʔabiɣipɨ] or Nüwü'abigidü - "language of the Kawaiisu (Nɨwɨ or Nüwü) "; population: 150, speakers: 5)
Colorado River Numic , Ute – Southern Paiute , Ute-Chemehuevi or Southern Paiute or Ute (a dialect continuum with three regional dialects; population (total): 6,230, of which Ute: 4,800 and Southern Paiute (including Chemehuevi): 1,430 (according to Golla 2007.), speakers: 1,640)
- Chemehuevi dialect ( Ampagapü - "language" of the Chemehuevi (Nüwüwü) in California divided into subdialects of the main geographic groups; population: 400, speakers: 13 (according to Hinton 1994))
  - Northern / Northern Chemehuevi (the Tantiitsiwi ("the Northern") or Northern Chemehuevi )
  - Desert / Wüsten Chemehuevi (the Tiiraniwiwi / Teeranewe ("desert people") or Wüsten Chemehuevi )
  - Southern / Südliches Chemehuevi (the Tantivaitsiwi ("the Southern") or Southern Chemehuevi )
- Southern / Southern Paiute dialect (the Southern Paiute (Nuwuvi) in Utah and Nevada; population: approx. 1,430, speakers: approx. 730)
- Ute dialect ( Núu-'apaghapi - "language of the people" of the Ute (Nuciu or Noochew) in Colorado and Central Utah with two regional subdialects; population: approx. 4,800, speakers: approx. 900)
  - Northern / Northern Ute (the Pahvant, Moanunts, Timpanogos (Utah Indians), Sanpits, Cumumba (Weber Utes), Seuvarits, Sabuagana, Uinta-at (Yoowetum), Yampa and Parianuche (White River Utes) bands; population: approx. 2,000 , Speakers: approx. 300)
  - Southern / Südliches Ute (the Muache, Capote, Tabeguache (Uncompahgre) and Weeminuche bands; population: approx. 2,800, speakers: approx. 600)

III. Western Numic, Western Numic Languages, Western Numic Branch

Mono or Nim (with two regional dialects and several subdialects; population: approx. 2,300, speakers: approx. 50)
- Western / Western Mono or Monachi / Monache (the Western Mono (Nyyhmy or Nim) , better known as "Mono / Monache" or "Mono Lake Paiute"; population: approx. 1,300, speakers: 20 and approx. 100 half-speakers)
  - San Joaquin River Mono (upper reaches of the San Joaquin River, North Fork and Auberry)
  - Kings River Mono (upper reaches of the Kings River, Sycamore Valley, Dunlap)
  - Kaweah River Mono (upper reaches of the Kaweah River)
- Eastern / Eastern Mono or Owens Valley Paiute ( Nüümü Yadoha - "language of the people" of the Eastern Mono (Numa) , better known as "Owens Valley Paiute"; population: approx. 1,000, speakers: under 30)
  - Northern Owens Valley Mono
    - a. Benton
    - b. Bishop
  - Fish Lake Valley Mono
  - Southern Owens Valley Mono
    - a. Big Pine
    - b. Fish Springs
    - c. Independence
    - d. Lone Pine
Northern Paiute , Numu or Paviotso ( Numa Yadua - "language of the people", dialect continuum with two regional dialects and several subdialects; population: approx. 6000, speakers: approx. 700 + approx. 400 half-speakers)
- Northern Northern Paiute (often divided into three (or two) regional dialects: "Northern / Northern Nevada dialect", "Oregon dialect" and "Bannock dialect" of the Northern Paiute (Numa or Numu) living there, historically mostly considered "Paviotso" were known)
  - a. Bannock (also: "Bannock dialect", since the Bannock (Banake Numu or Panaiti) - actually a splinter group of the Northern Paiute in Oregon - are now regarded as a separate ethnic group)
  - b. Warm Springs
  - c. Harney Valley
  - d. Surprise Valley
  - e. Honey Lake
  - f. McDermitt
  - G. Pyramid Lake
- Southern Northern Paiute (also: "Southern / Südlicher Nevada dialect" of the Northern Paiute living there, who historically were also mostly known as "Paviotso")
  - a. Paradise Valley
  - b. Stillwater
  - c. Yerington
  - d. Mono Lake

Remarks

The Comanche (Nʉmʉ Tekwapʉ) and the dialect of the Eastern Shoshone are so close that some linguists consider the Comanche (Nʉmʉ Tekwapʉ) as another dialect of the Shoshoni (Newe Ta̲i̲kwappe / Neme Ta̲i̲kwappeh); however, due to a sound shift in the Comanche (Nʉmʉ Tekwapʉ) , both are not mutually understandable . Once the Comanche (Nʉmʉ Tekwapʉ) formed next to the Spanish the traffic and commercial language of the strains on the Southern Plains and the Southwest.

The Hopi language , which today has the most speakers of all the uto-aztec languages in the United States, does not belong to the numic languages, but forms a separate branch in the uto-aztec language family.

Web links

Individual evidence

↑ Today the language is increasingly referred to as "Shoshon i " and to distinguish the tribal group as "Shoshon e "
Jump up ↑ Angelina Eduardovna Serratos: Topics in Chemehuevi Morphosyntax: Lexical Categories, Predication and Causation, University of Arizona 2008
↑ Endangered Languages Project - Ute - Metadata of Language
↑ Due to mixed marriages between Western Shoshone, Southern Paiute and Ute bands, the Pahvant and Moanunts are now regarded as Ute-Paiute bands and the Timpanogos, Sanpits and Cumumba either as Ute-Western Shoshone bands or just the Western Shoshone, their descendants identify themselves as "Shoshone" and are now officially recognized as a tribe at the federal level as the "Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation"
^ Descent and Diffusion in Language Diversification: A Study in Western Numic Dialectology
↑ Today there are also four (or only three) regional dialects - "Southern / Southern Nevada Dialect" , "Bannock Dialect" and "Northern / Northern Nevada Dialect" and "Oregon Dialect" (these are sometimes called a dialect considered) - this classification is based more on regions and political organization (see Bannock) and not on linguistic grouping; therefore I chose this classification - from which it is also clear that the Bannock are linguistically (not politically) to be counted among the Northern Paiute

[1] Today the language is increasingly referred to as "Shoshon i " and to distinguish the tribal group as "Shoshon e "

[2] Jump up ↑ Angelina Eduardovna Serratos: Topics in Chemehuevi Morphosyntax: Lexical Categories, Predication and Causation, University of Arizona 2008

[3] Endangered Languages Project - Ute - Metadata of Language

[4] Due to mixed marriages between Western Shoshone, Southern Paiute and Ute bands, the Pahvant and Moanunts are now regarded as Ute-Paiute bands and the Timpanogos, Sanpits and Cumumba either as Ute-Western Shoshone bands or just the Western Shoshone, their descendants identify themselves as "Shoshone" and are now officially recognized as a tribe at the federal level as the "Northwestern Band of the Shoshone Nation"

[5] Descent and Diffusion in Language Diversification: A Study in Western Numic Dialectology

[6] Today there are also four (or only three) regional dialects - "Southern / Southern Nevada Dialect" , "Bannock Dialect" and "Northern / Northern Nevada Dialect" and "Oregon Dialect" (these are sometimes called a dialect considered) - this classification is based more on regions and political organization (see Bannock) and not on linguistic grouping; therefore I chose this classification - from which it is also clear that the Bannock are linguistically (not politically) to be counted among the Northern Paiute