 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2009) |
| Ahtna | |
|---|---|
| Copper River, Mednovskiy | |
| Koht’aene Kenaege', Atnakenaege’ | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Alaska (Copper River region) |
| Ethnicity | 500 Ahtna (1995)[1] |
Native speakers | 15 (2020)[1] 30 (2011)[2] |
| Latin (Ahtna alphabet) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in |  Alaska[3] |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | aht |
| Glottolog | ahte1237 |
| ELP | Ahtna |
 Pre-contact distribution of Ahtna | |
 Ahtna is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
| Coordinates: 62°10′N 143°49′W / 62.167°N 143.817°W | |
Ahtna or Ahtena (/ˈɑːtnə/, from At Na "Copper River")[4] is the Na-Dené language of the Ahtna ethnic group of the Copper River area of Alaska. The language is also known as Copper River or Mednovskiy.
The Ahtna language consists of four different dialects: Upper, Central, Lower, and Western. Three of the four are still spoken today. Ahtna is closely related to Dena'ina.
The similar name Atnah occurs in the journals of Simon Fraser and other early European diarists in what is now British Columbia as a reference to the Tsilhqot'in people, another Northern Athapaskan group.[citation needed]
- ^ a b "2020 Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature" (PDF). The Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council. 2020-01-01.
- ^ Directional Reference, Discourse, and Landscape in Ahtna. Berez, Andrea L. (2011) "There are about thirty first-language speakers still alive today (all 60+ years of age)"
- ^ "Alaska OKs Bill Making Native Languages Official : The Two-Way : NPR". NPR.
- ^ Smelcer, John (1998). Ahtna Noun Dictionary and Pronunciation Guide 2nd Edition. United States of America: The Ahtna Heritage Foundation. ISBN 0-9656310-2-8.