Plains Miwok language

Last updated
Plains Miwok
Native to United States
Ethnicity Plains and Sierra Miwok
Extinct 1 speaker in 1962; [1] last speaker died late 1990s [2]
Yok-Utian
Language codes
ISO 639-3 pmw
Glottolog plai1259
ELP Plains Miwok

Plains Miwok, also known as Valley Miwok, was one of the Miwok languages spoken in central California by the Plains Miwok people. It was spoken in the deltas of the San Joaquin and Cosumnes Rivers. Plains Miwok was once one of the most populous Miwok languages. All of the population has shifted to English.

Contents

Phonology

Consonants
Bilabial Alveolar Post-
alveolar
Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive plain p t k ʔ '
voiced b [lower-alpha 1] d [lower-alpha 1] ɡ [lower-alpha 1]
Affricate c
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative s h
Tap ɾ r [lower-alpha 1]
Approximant w l j j
  1. 1 2 3 4 Phonemes taken from Spanish loan words.

Allophones of /b tʃ ɡ n s/ include [β ts ɣ ŋ ʂ]. [3]

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i ɨ y u
Mid e ə o
Open a

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References

  1. H. Landar in Sebeok (1977)
  2. Plains Miwok at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed Access logo transparent.svg
  3. Callaghan, Catherine A. (1984). Plains Miwok Dictionary. University of California Press.