Atsugewi language

Atsugewi
Atsugé
Native toUnited States
RegionCalifornia
EthnicityAtsugewi people
Extinct1988, with the death of Medie Webster
Hokan ?
Language codes
ISO 639-3atw
Glottologatsu1245
ELPAtsugewi
Atsugewi is classified as Extinct by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
[1]

Atsugewi is a recently extinct Palaihnihan language of northeastern California spoken by the Atsugewi people of Hat Creek and Dixie Valley. In 1962, there were four fluent speakers out of an ethnic group of 200, all elderly, and the last of them died in 1988. The last fluent native speaker was Medie Webster; as of 1988, other tribal members knew some expressions in the language.[2] For a summary of the documentation of Atsugewi see Golla (2011: 98–99).

Atsugewi is related to Achumawi. They have long been considered as part of the hypothetical Hokan stock, and it has been supposed that within that stock they comprise the Palaihnihan family.

The name properly is Atsugé, to which the -wi of the Achumawi or Pit River language was erroneously suffixed.

  1. ^ Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (Report) (3rd ed.). UNESCO. 2010. p. 11.
  2. ^ Hillinger, Charles (1988-08-23). "Indian Woman Is Last Word on Language of the Atsugewi". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2012-10-28.