Patwin language
Patwin is a critically endangered Wintuan language of Northern California. As of 2021, there was one documented first language speaker of Patwin. As of 2010, Patwin language classes were taught at the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation tribal school.
Patwin has two or three dialects: "River Patwin was traditionally spoken along the Sacramento River in Colusa County... Hill Patwin, was spoken in the plains and foothills to the west."
Southern Patwin became extinct shortly after contact. It is very poorly attested, and may be a separate Southern Wintuan language.
As of 2012, the Tewe Kewe Cultural Center of the Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation has "a California Indian Library Collection and an extensive Patwin language and history research section."
Phonemes
Consonants
Patwin has 25 consonant phonemes. In the table below, the IPA form of each consonant are given. This is followed by the form commonly used in Lawyer 's grammar, if this is different from the IPA form.- /ʔ/ is a marginal phoneme, occurring exclusively at morpheme boundaries. Its distribution is not entirely predictable, however.
- Glottalized and aspirated consonants occur only syllable-initially.
- Some or all of the "alveolar" consonants would be more accurately described as being retracted alveolar consonants.
Vowels
- Patwin vowels have a simple length distinction.
- All vowels are voiced and oral.
Orthography
| a | a· | b | č | č’ | d | e | e· | h | i | i· | k | kʰ | k’ | l | ɬ | ƛ | ƛ’ | m | n | o | o· | p | pʰ | p’ | r | s | t | tʰ | t’ | u | u· | w | y | ʔ |