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Yavapai Language
[edit]Yavapai Language is spoken in Arizona. It is a part of the Yuman language family, and it is closely related (but not mutually intelligible) to Apache and Havasupai languages. In 1990, there were 163 native speakers of Yavapai[1] There are around 150 native speakers today, with over 1000 Yavapai people.[2]
Syntax
[edit]Yavapai is a subject-verb-object language. [3]
/-k/ and /-m/ Problem
[edit]According to Martha Kendall, the morphemes /k/ and /m/ are "semantically contrastable," but are pronounced the same. She writes that homophony is present in Yavapai, and /k/ and /m/ are similar in phonological situations, but are syntactically different. [4]
Phonology
[edit]Consonants
[edit]Yavapai has a small amount of consonant morphemes. [5]
| Bilabial | Labiodental | Dental | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Plosive | p | tY t | kY k kW | qw q | ʔ | |||
| Nasal | m | n nY | ||||||
| Fricatives | v | θ | s | h hW | ||||
| Approximant | ɹ | j | ||||||
| Lateral Approximant | l |
W- Voiced labial-velar approximant
Vowels
[edit]Through research, Yavapai is said to have three vowel lengths. These vowels lengths have separate syntactic and semantical meanings. When tested, the lengths are approximately ranging from 100 to 150 ms. [6]
Sample Words
[edit]Some sample words given in Yavapai translation:[7]
| English | Yavapai |
|---|---|
| Hello | M'hahjik'gah |
| Home | Wah yoh woh |
| Land | Mahđa |
| Rivers | Aha gah hel'lah |
| Fire | Oo |
| Grand Caynon | Mahđ K’illa |
| Thank you | Honnii guhm |
Preservation Efforts
[edit]There have been recordings of Yavapai (as well as other Yuman languages) done in 1974, relating to phonology, syntax, and grammar. This was meant to understand the three topics better and to hear them.[8]
There is an effort to revitalize the language. There is a Yavapai language program for adults to learn the language and pass on to future generations.[9]
There have been attempts to save the language in Yavapai community.[10]
Bibliography
[edit]- ^ Broadwell, George. "1990 Census Figures for Speakers of American Indian Languages". International Journal of American Linguistics.
- ^ "Havasupai-Walapai-Yavapai". Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017-03-09.
- ^ Kendall, Martha. "Relative Clause Formation and Topicalization in Yavapai". International Journal of American Linguistics.
- ^ Kendall, Martha (1975). "The /-k/, /-m/ Problem in Yavapai Syntax". International Journal of American Linguistics. 41: 1–9. doi:10.1086/465333. S2CID 144188658.
- ^ Mierau, Eric (1963-01-01). "Concerning Yavapai-Apache Bilingualism". International Journal of American Linguistics. 29 (1): 1–3. doi:10.1086/464706. ISSN 0020-7071. S2CID 144439528.
- ^ Thomas, Kimberly D. (1990-11-01). "Vowel length and pitch in Yavapai". The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 88 (S1): S53. doi:10.1121/1.2029048. ISSN 0001-4966.
- ^ "Yavapai Apache Language".
- ^ Kendall, Martha Oaks (Burnett); Sine, Harold (2017-03-09). "Yavapai linguistic material". Retrieved 2017-03-09.
- ^ House, Deborah. "Yavapai Language Programs". Stabilizing Indigenous Languages.
- ^ "Museum honors Yavapai elder for language work - USATODAY.com". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2017-03-09.