Kerek language

Last updated

Kerek
aӈӄaлҕaкку
Native to Russia
Region Chukotka Autonomous Okrug
Ethnicity Kereks
Extinct 2005 [1]
4 (2020) [2]
Dialects
  • Maino-Pilgin
  • Khatyr
Language codes
ISO 639-3 krk
krk.html
Glottolog kere1280
ELP Kerek
Chukotko-Kamchatkan map.svg
Pre-contact distribution of Kerek (dark orange) and other Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages

Kerek ( ‹See Tfd› Russian: Керекский язык, romanized: Kereksky yazyk) is an extinct language in Russia of the northern branch of the Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages. On historical linguistic grounds it is most closely related to Koryak (both languages have a merger of the Proto-Chukotko-Kamchatkan phonemes /*ð/ and /*r/ with /*j/). The next closest relative is Chukchi (/*ð/ and /*r/ are merged, but not /*j/).

Contents

In 1997 there were still two speakers remaining, but by 2005 the language was considered extinct. [3] According to the 2010 census, [4] there were 10 people claiming Kerek as their native language, believed to only consist of partial speakers and non-speakers who claim the language as part of their ethnic heritage. In 2020, that number had decreased to 4. Over the 20th century many members of the Kerek ethnic group shifted to Chukchi, the language of the majority ethnic group in the area, but now most Chukchis and Kereks speak Russian.

Phonology

Vowels

Vowels of Kerek
Front Central Back
Close i u
Mid ə o
Open a

Vowels may be long.

Consonants

Consonants of Kerek
  Bilabial Dental Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
Plosive p t k q ʔ
Fricative ħ
Affricate
Nasal m n ŋ    
Lateral l
Semivowel w j

Consonants may also be long, [ l ] is palatalized intervocalically, and [ ] is pronounced as [ s ] by some.

Dialects

There were two dialects, the Maino-Pilgin and Khatyr dialects. [5]

Grammar

Kerek is an agglutinative language, meaning that the morphemes build on each other to have different meanings. [6]

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. Kerek at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. Том 5. «Национальный состав и владение языками». Таблица 7. Население наиболее многочисленных национальностей по родному языку
  3. Fortescue, Michael 2005. Comparative Chukotko-Kamchatkan Dictionary. Berlin / New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
  4. 2010 census
  5. "КЕРЕКСКИЙ ЯЗЫК • Большая российская энциклопедия - электронная версия". old.bigenc.ru. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
  6. "Endangered Languages of Siberia – The Kerek Language". lingsib.iea.ras.ru. Retrieved 10 February 2017.