| Shastan | |
|---|---|
| Sastean | |
| Geographic distribution | Northern California |
| Extinct | 1963, with the death of Sergeant Sambo[1] |
| Linguistic classification | Hokan ?
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | shas1238 |
 Pre-contact distribution of Shastan languages | |
The Shastan (or Sastean) languages are an extinct language family which consists of four languages, spoken in present-day northern California and southern Oregon:
- Shastan
- Konomihu †
- New River Shasta †
- Okwanuchu †
- Shasta (also known as Shastika) †
Konomihu appears to have been the most divergent Shastan language. Okwanuchu may have been a dialect of Shasta proper, which is known to have had a number of dialects.
The entire Shastan family is now extinct. Shasta was the last language that was spoken. Three elderly speakers were reported in the 1980s.
Shastan has often been considered to be in the hypothetical Hokan stock.
- ^ Smith, David. "Siskiyou County woman hopes to revive Shasta Indian language". Siskiyou Daily News. Retrieved 2024-08-31.