Deg Xinag language


Deg Xinag is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Deg Hitʼan peoples of the GASH region. The GASH region consists of the villages of Grayling, Anvik, Shageluk, and Holy Cross along the lower Yukon River in Interior Alaska. The language is severely endangered; out of an ethnic population of approximately 250 people, only 2 people still speak the language.
The language was referred to as Ingalik by Osgood. While this term sometimes still appears in the literature, it is today considered pejorative. The word "Ingalik" is from the Yupʼik Eskimo language: Ingqiliq, meaning "Indian".
Engithidong Xugixudhoy , a collection of traditional folk tales in Deg Xinag by the elder Belle Deacon, was published in 1987 by the Alaska Native Language Center. A literacy manual with accompanying audiotapes was published in 1993.

Dialects

There are two main dialects: Yukon and Kuskokwim. The Yukon dialect is the traditional language of the villages of the Lower Yukon River. As of 2009, there are no longer any speakers living in Anvik and Holy Cross. The other dialect is the traditional language of the settlements of Middle Kuskokwim.

Phonology

Consonants

Here is the list of consonant sounds in Deg Xinag, including their pronunciation in IPA and their representations in Deg Xinag orthography in brackets:
In final position, consonant sounds are voiced as.

Vowels

Vowels in Deg Xinag are.
FrontCentralBack
Close
Close-mid
Mid
Open

Vocabulary

  • qʼuntʼogh – airplane
  • ggagg – animal
  • ggagg chux – bear
  • sraqay – children
  • dran – day
  • xikʼugiłʼanh – doctor, nurse
  • łegg – fish
  • łek – dog
  • sileg – my dog
  • vileg – her dog
  • tso tlʼogh iy – mammoth
  • dinaʼ kʼidz – doll
  • xidondiditey – door
  • nganʼ ditʼanh – earthquake
  • sitoʼ – my father
  • vitoʼ – her father
  • yix – house
  • tinh – snow
  • dangan – iron, metal
  • deloy – mountain
  • vanhgiq – Indian ice cream
  • choghlugguy ; niq'asrt'ay – fox
  • vinixiłyiq – in the morning
  • Ade' ndadz dengit'a – Hello, how are you?
  • giłiq – one
  • teqa – two
  • togg – three
  • denhchʼe – four
  • niłqʼosnal giłiggi viqʼidz iy – eleven