Native to United States Writing system Latin | Native speakers 200 (2010) | |
Region coastal Alaska (Alaska Peninsula to Prince William Sound) Ethnicity 3,500 Alutiiq people (2010) Language family Eskimo–Aleut
Eskimo
Yupik
Alutiiq | ||
The Alutiiq language (also called Sugpiak, Sugpiaq, Sugcestun, Suk, Supik, Pacific Gulf Yupik, Gulf Yupik, Koniag-Chugach) is a close relative to the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language spoken in the western and southwestern Alaska, but is considered a distinct language. It has two major dialects:
The ethnonyms of the Sugpiaq-Alutiiq are a predicament. “Aleut,” “Alutiiq,” “Sugpiaq,” “Russian,” “Pacific Eskimo,” “Unegkuhmiut,” and “Chugach Eskimo” are among the terms that have been used to identify this group of Native people living on the Lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.
About 400 of the Alutiiq population of 3,000 still speak the Alutiiq language. Alutiiq communities are currently in the process of revitalizing their language. In 2010 the high school in Kodiak responded to requests from students and agreed to teach the Alutiiq language. The Kodiak dialect of the language was spoken by only about 50 persons, all of them elderly, and the dialect was in danger of being lost entirely. As of 2014, Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage is offering classes using the "Where Are Your Keys?" technique.
Vocabulary comparison
The comparison of number terms in the two dialects:
The comparison of month names in the two dialects: