Dogrib language

Not to be confused with Dogri language.

Dogrib
Tlicho
Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì
Native toCanada
RegionNorthwest Territories
EthnicityTłı̨chǫ
Native speakers
1,735, 90% of ethnic population (2016 census)[1]
Dialects
  • Wıı̀lıı̀deh Yatıı̀
Latin
Official status
Official language in
Northwest Territories[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-2dgr
ISO 639-3dgr
Glottologdogr1252
ELPDogrib
Dogrib is classified as Not Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
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.
Tłı̨chǫ
"dog-flank"
PersonTłı̨chǫ Done
PeopleTłı̨chǫ Done Do
LanguageTłı̨chǫ Yatıì
CountryTłı̨chǫ Ndé, Denendeh

The Tlicho language, also known as Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì (IPA: [tɬʰĩtʃʰõ jatʰîː]) or the Dogrib language, is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib people) First Nations of the Canadian Northwest Territories. According to Statistics Canada in 2011, there were 2,080 people who speak Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì.[3] As of 2016, 1,735 people speak the language.[4]

Tłıchǫ Yatıì is spoken by the Tłıchǫ, a Dene First Nations people that reside in the Northwest Territories of Canada. Tłı̨chǫ lands lie east of Mackenzie River (Deh Cho) between Great Slave Lake (Tıdeè) and Great Bear Lake (Sahtu) in the Northwest Territories. There are four primary communities that speak the language: Gamèti (formerly Rae Lakes), Behchokǫ̀ (formerly Rae-Edzo), Wekweètì (formerly Snare Lakes) and Whatì (formerly Lac La Martre). From a population number of about 800 during the mid-19th century to about 1,700 by the 1970s, the population has grown to about 2,080 as recorded by the 2011 Census. However, Tłıchǫ Yatıì has seen a decrease in mother tongue speakers, hence placing it under the list of endangered languages.[5][6]

The Tłıchǫ region covers the northern shore of Great Slave Lake (Tıdeè), reaching up to Great Bear Lake (Sahtu). Behchokǫ̀, is the largest community in Tłıchǫ territory. According to the Endangered Languages Project, approximately 1,350 people speak the language while at home. Speakers are commonly fluent in English.[6]

  1. ^ "Language Highlight Tables, 2016 Census - Aboriginal mother tongue, Aboriginal language spoken most often at home and Other Aboriginal language(s) spoken regularly at home for the population excluding institutional residents of Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 Census – 100% Data". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Government of Canada, Statistics. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
  2. ^ "Official Languages of the Northwest Territories" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. (map)
  3. ^ "Census in Brief Aboriginal Languages in Canada, Language, 2011 Census of Population" (PDF). Government of Canada. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Aboriginal mother tongue, Aboriginal language spoken most often at home and Other Aboriginal language(s) spoken regularly at home for the population excluding institutional residents of Canada, provinces and territories, 2016 Census – 100% Data". Statistics Canada. 2 August 2017.
  5. ^ "Dogrib: History". Milwaukee Public Museum. 5 January 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  6. ^ a b "Did you know Dogrib is endangered?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 10 February 2017.