Deg Xinag language

Deg Xinag
Deg Hitʼan
Native toUnited States
RegionAlaska (lower Yukon River, Anvik River, Innoko River)
Ethnicity280 Deg Hitʼan (2007)[1]
Native speakers
2 (2020)[2]
Latin (Northern Athabaskan alphabet)
Official status
Official language in
 Alaska[3]
Language codes
ISO 639-3ing
Glottologdege1248
ELPDeg Xinag

Deg Xinag (Deg Hitʼan) 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;[4] out of an ethnic population of approximately 250 people, only 2 people still speak the language.[2]

The language was referred to as Ingalik by Osgood (1936). 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 (Their Stories of Long Ago), a collection of traditional folk tales in Deg Xinag by the elder Belle Deacon, was published in 1987 by the Alaska Native Language Center.[5] A literacy manual with accompanying audiotapes was published in 1993.

  1. ^ Deg Xinag language at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ a b The Alaska Native Language Preservation & Advisory Council’s (2020-01-01). "2020 Biennial Report to the Governor and Legislature" (PDF).
  3. ^ Chappell, Bill (21 April 2014). "Alaska OKs Bill Making Native Languages Official". NPR.
  4. ^ "Did you know Deg Xinag is severely endangered?". Endangered Languages. Retrieved 2019-10-18.
  5. ^ Deacon, Belle & James Kari. 1987. Engithidong Xugixudhoy (Their Stories of Long Ago.). Alaska Native Language Archive.[1]

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