Quechan language
| Quechan / Yuma | |
|---|---|
| Kwtsaan | |
| Spoken in | USA |
| Region | California, Arizona |
| Ethnicity | Quechan |
| Native speakers | 150 (1994) |
| Language family |
Yuman
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | yum |
Quechan, also known as Yuma, is the native language of the Quechan people of southeastern California and southwestern Arizona in the Lower Colorado River Valley and Sonoran Desert.
In 1980, it was estimated that there were fewer than 700 speakers of the language, including both the elderly and young.[1] Hinton (1994:32) put a conservative estimate of the number of speakers at 150, and a liberal estimate at 400-500.
Quechan belongs to the River branch of the Yuman language family, together with Mohave and Maricopa languages. Publications have documented Quechan grammar and texts.[2]
Assistance is available for speakers of the language who wish to vote in elections in Imperial County, California and Yuma County, Arizona, under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Kendall, Martha B. 1983. "Yuman languages". In Southwest, edited by Alfonso Ortiz, pp. 4-12. Handbook of North American Indians, William C. Sturtevant, general editor, Vol. 10. Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
- ^ Mithun, Marianne. 1999. The Languages of Native North America. Cambridge University Press.
[edit] References
- Hinton, Leanne. 1994. Flutes of Fire: Essays on California Indian Languages. Heyday Books, Berkeley, California.
- Rosetta Project entry for Quechan
- Ethnologue entry for Quechan
