| Yavapai | |
|---|---|
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Arizona |
| Ethnicity | 1,420Yavapai people (2004)[1] |
Native speakers | 245 (2015 census)[2] |
Yuman
| |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | yuf Havasupai‑Walapai‑Yavapai |
| Glottolog | hava1248 Havasupai‑Walapai‑Yavapaiyava1252 Yavapai |
Yavapai is anUpland Yuman language, spoken byYavapai people in central and westernArizona. There are four dialects: Kwevkepaya, Wipukpaya, Tolkepaya, and Yavepe. Linguistic studies of the Kwevkepaya (Southern), Tolkepaya (Western), Wipukepa (Verde Valley), and Yavepe (Prescott) dialects have been published.[3]
Yavapai was once spoken across much of north-central and western Arizona, but is now mostly spoken on the Yavapai reservations atFort McDowell, theVerde Valley andPrescott.
The rate of mutual comprehension betweenYavapai andHavasupai–Hualapai is similar to that betweenMohave andMaricopa.[4][page needed]
Warren Gazzam, a Tolkapaya speaker, reported that "you know they (Hualapais) speak the same language as we do, some words or accents are a little different".[5]
Due to extensive cultural interchange, many Yavapai were once bilingual inApache, and some Apache were bilingual in Yavapai.[6]
Yavapai consonant phonemes are shown below.[7]
| Bilabial | Dental | Alveolar | Palato- alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Uvular | Glottal | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| nor. | lab. | nor. | lab. | nor. | lab. | |||||||
| Plosive/ Affricate | plain | p | t | tʃ | kʲ | k | kʷ | q | qʷ | ʔ | ||
| aspirated | pʰ | tʰ | tʃʰ | kʰ | kʰʷ | |||||||
| Fricative | β | θ | s | (ʃ) | h | hʷ | ||||||
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | |||||||||
| Trill | r | |||||||||||
| Lateral | l | (ʎ) | ||||||||||
| Semivowel | j | w | ||||||||||
Vowels occur short, mid and long in stressed syllables. The contrast is reduced to two lengths in unstressed syllables.
| Front | Central | Back | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close | iiˑiː | uuˑuː | |
| Mid | eeˑeː | ooˑoː | |
| Open | (æ) | aaˑaː |
There are two tones on stressed syllables, high level and falling, which are neutralized to mid on unstressed syllables.
Unlike in Havasupai and Hualapai, postaspirated stops cannot appear in word-initial position.[8]
Yavapai is a subject-verb-object language.[9]
Some sample words given in Yavapai translation:[10]
| English | Yavapai | |
|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | IPA transcription | |
| Hello | Mham jik'gah | |
| Home | Wah yoh woh | |
| Land | Mat[citation needed] | |
| Rivers | Aha gah hel’lah | |
| Fire | Oo | /oʔo/ |
| Grand Canyon | Mahđ K'illa orWika'ilaha | |
| Thank you | Honnii guhm | |
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.[11]
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.[12]
There have been attempts to save the language in the Yavapai community.[13]
Poetry and stories have been published in Yavapai on several occasions. Yavapai poems are featured inGigyayk Vo'jka,[what language is this?] the anthology of poetry in Yuman languages edited byHualapai linguistLucille Watahomigie. Yavapai stories also appear inSpirit Mountain: An Anthology of Yuman Story and Song. Both works are accompanied by English translations, and the poems in Gigyayk Vo'jka also feature a morphological analysis.
Alan Shaterian has published a dictionary of Northeastern Yavapai.Pamela Munro is working[when?] on a dictionary and grammar for Tolkepaya.[14]
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