Central Kalapuya language facts for kids

Central Kalapuyan was a language spoken by the Kalapuya people. They lived in the central and southern parts of the Willamette Valley in Oregon, United States. This language is no longer spoken today. The last known speaker passed away around 1954.

Central Kalapuyan was part of the Kalapuyan language family. It was closely related to Northern Kalapuya. That language was spoken in the Tualatin and Yamhill valleys.

Dialects of Central Kalapuyan

The Central Kalapuyan language had several different ways of speaking it. These are called dialects. Each dialect was used by a different group of Kalapuya people. They lived in specific areas of the Willamette Valley.

• Ahantchuyuk dialect: Spoken in the northeastern Willamette Valley. It was used along the Pudding and Molalla rivers.
• Santiam dialect: Spoken in the central Willamette Valley. This was along the lower Santiam River.
• Luckiamute dialect: Used in the central Willamette Valley. It was spoken along the Luckiamute River.
• Chepenafa dialect: Also in the central Willamette Valley. This dialect was spoken along Marys River.
• Chemapho dialect: Another central Willamette Valley dialect. It was used along Muddy Creek.
• Chelamela dialect: Spoken in the southwestern Willamette Valley. This was along the Long Tom River.
• Tsankupi dialect: Used in the southeastern Willamette Valley. It was spoken along the Calapooia River.
• Winefelly-Mohawk dialects: Spoken in the southeastern Willamette Valley. These were used along the McKenzie, Mohawk, and Coast Fork Willamette rivers.

Sounds of the Language

Linguists study the sounds that make up a language. These sounds are called phonology. For Central Kalapuyan, especially the Santiam dialect, researchers like Jacobs (1945) and Banks (2007) studied its sounds.

Consonants

Central Kalapuyan had many different consonant sounds. These included sounds made with the lips, tongue, and throat. Some sounds were like 'p' or 't'. Others were more unique. Linguists also looked at how these sounds changed when spoken.

Vowels

The language also had several vowel sounds. These are the open sounds we make, like 'a', 'e', 'i', 'o', 'u'. Santiam Kalapuya had vowels like 'i', 'u', 'a', and others. It also had combinations of vowels, called diphthongs. These were sounds like 'ai' (as in "sky") and 'au' (as in "house").