Cahuilla language

Cahuilla
Ivilyuat
Pronunciation[ʔivɪʎʊʔat]
Native toUnited States
RegionSouthern California
Ethnicity3,000—5,000 Cahuilla[1]
Native speakers
None[2] (2024)
Dialects
  • Desert
  • Mountain
  • Pass
Latin, NAPA
Language codes
ISO 639-3chl
Glottologcahu1264
ELPCahuilla
Cahuilla is classified as Critically 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.
Personʔívil̃uqalet
Peopleʔívil̃uqaletem
Languageʔívil̃uʔat
Countryʔívil̃uqaletem Meytémak

Cahuilla /kəˈwə/, or Ivilyuat (Ɂívil̃uɂat or Ivil̃uɂat IPA: [ʔivɪʎʊʔat]), is an endangered Uto-Aztecan language, spoken by the various tribes of the Cahuilla Nation, living in the Coachella Valley, San Gorgonio Pass and San Jacinto Mountains region of southern California.[3] The Cahuilla demonyms include Ɂívil̃uwenetem or Iviatam–speakers of Ivilyuat (Iviɂa)–or táxliswet meaning "person."[4][5] A 1990 census revealed 35 speakers in an ethnic population of 800. With such a decline, Ivilyuat is classified as "critically endangered" by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger as most speakers are middle-aged or older with limited transmission rates to children.

Three dialects are known to exist: Desert, Mountain and Pass,[6] as well as some other sub-dialects.[7]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference ucr-teach was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ https://www.ethnologue.com/language/chl/
  3. ^ "Cahuilla." Ethnologue Report for the Language Code: chl. (retrieved 13 December 2009)
  4. ^ "Cahuilla Indian Language (Iviatim)." Native Languages of the Americas. 2009 (retrieved 13 December 2009)
  5. ^ Sieler, Hansjakob; Hioki, Kojiro (1979). Cahuilla Dictionary. Morango Indian Reservation, Banning, California: Malki Museum Press.
  6. ^ Shipley, William F. (1978). "Native Languages of California". In R.F. Heizer (ed.). Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 8, California. Washington DC: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 80–90.
  7. ^ "Cahuilla". Limu Project. Archived from the original on 18 September 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2016.