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Klamath language
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Klamath (/ˈklæməθ/),[3] also Klamath–Modoc (/ˈklæməθ ˈmoʊdɒk/) and historically

Lutuamian (/ˌluːtuˈæmiən/), is a Native American language spoken around Klamath
Lake in what is now southern Oregon and northern California. It is the traditional
language of the Klamath and Modoc peoples, each of whom spoke a dialect of the
language. By 1998, only one native speaker remained,[4] and by 2003, this last
fluent Klamath speaker who was living in Chiloquin, Oregon, was 92 years old.[5] As
of 2006 there were no fluent native speakers of either the Klamath or Modoc
dialects;[6] however, as of 2019, revitalization efforts are underway with the goal
of creating new speakers.[7]
Klamath
Klamath-Modoc, Lutuamian
Maqlaqsyals
Native to
United States
Region
Southern Oregon and northern California
Ethnicity
170 Klamath and Modoc (2000 census)[1]
Extinct
2003, with the death of Neva Eggsman[2][1]
Language family

Penutian?

Plateau Penutian
Klamath

Language codes
ISO 639-3
kla
Glottolog
klam1254
ELP
Klamath-Modoc
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you
may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For
an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.

Klamath is a member of the Plateau Penutian language family, which is in turn a

branch of the proposed Penutian language family. Like other proposed Penutian
languages, Plateau Penutian languages are rich in ablaut, much like Indo-European
and Afro-Asiatic languages. Further evidence for this classification includes some
consonant correspondences between Klamath and other alleged Penutian languages. For
example, the Proto-Yokuts retroflexes */ʈ ʈʼ/ correspond to Klamath /tʃ tʃʼ/, and
the Proto-Yokuts dentals */t̪ t̪ʰ t̪ʼ/ correspond to the Klamath alveolars /t tʰ tʼ/.
PhonologyEdit
VowelsEdit
Front Back
short long short long
Close i ~ ɪ iː
Open-mid æ ~ ɛ æː ɔ ~ u oː
Open ə ~ ɑ ɑː
ConsonantsEdit
Bilabial Alveolar Palato-
alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
plain lateral
Plosive unaspirated p t tʃ k q ʔ
aspirated pʰ tʰ tʃʰ kʰ qʰ
ejective pʼ tʼ tʃʼ kʼ qʼ
Fricative s h
Sonorant voiced m n l j w
voiceless m̥ n̥ l̥ ȷ̊ w̥
glottalized mʼ nʼ lʼ jʼ wʼ
Klamath alphabet [8]
Spelling a aa b c cʼ d e ee g ɢ h i
ii j k kʼ l L lʼ m M mʼ n N nʼ
o oo p pʼ q qʼ s s? t t’ w W w’
y Y yʼ ?
Phoneme ə ɑː p tʃʰ tʃʼ t ɛ æː k q h ɪ
iː tʃ kʰ kʼ l l̥ lˀ m m̥ mˀ n n̥ nˀ
ɔ oː pʰ pʼ qʰ qʼ s sˀ tʰ t’ w w̥ wˀ
j ȷ̊ jˀ ʔ

Obstruents in Klamath, except for /s/, /h/ and /ʔ/, all come in triplets of
unaspirated, aspirated, and ejective sounds.[9] Sonorant triplets are voiced,
voiceless, and "laryngealized" sounds.[10]

Most consonants can be geminated. The fricative /s/ is an exception, and there is
evidence suggesting this is a consequence of a recent sound change.[11] Albert
Samuel Gatschet recorded geminated /sː/ in the late 19th century, but this sound
was consistently recorded as degeminated /s/ by M. A. R. Barker in the 1960s.
Sometime after Gatschet recorded the language and before Barker did the same, */sː/
may have degeminated into /s/.
SyntaxEdit

Klamath word order is conditioned by pragmatics. There is no clearly defined verb

phrase or noun phrase. Alignment is nominative–accusative, with nominal case
marking also distinguishing adjectives from nouns. Many verbs obligatorily classify
an absolutive case. There are directive and applicative constructions.[12]
See also
Notes
References
External linksEdit
Wiktionary has a word list at Appendix:Klamath word list

The Klamath Tribes Language Project

Languages of Oregon: Klamath
Klamath-Modoc language, native-languages.org
Modoc language overview at the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages
Klamath language, California Language Archive
OLAC resources in and about the Klamath-Modoc language
Klamath Bibliography

Last edited 3 months ago by Citation bot

Related articles

Penutian languages
 Proposed language family
Plateau Penutian languages

Subgroup within the hypothetical Penutian language family

Modoc traditional narratives

Wikipedia

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