Central Siberian Yupik language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Central Siberian Yupik |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siberian Yupik Yuit Юпик |
||||
| Native to | United States, Russian Federation | |||
| Region | Bering Strait region, St. Lawrence Island | |||
| Ethnicity | 2,828 Siberian Yupiks | |||
| Native speakers | 1,000 in United States, 97% of ethnic population (2010) 200 in Russia (2010), 12% of ethnic population |
|||
| Language family |
Eskimo–Aleut
|
|||
| Dialects |
St. Lawrence Island Yupik
|
|||
| Writing system | Latin, Cyrillic | |||
| Official status | ||||
| Official language in |  Alaska |
|||
|
||||
Central Siberian Yupik is a special language spoken by the Yupik people. It is one of four main Yupik languages that exist today. People also call it Siberian Yupik or Bering Strait Yupik. In Russia, it is sometimes known as "Chaplinski Yupik" or Yuk.
This language is spoken in two main places. One is Siberia, which is a large part of Russia. The other is St. Lawrence Island, which is part of the United States.
Contents
Why is Central Siberian Yupik Important?
Central Siberian Yupik is an endangered language. This means that fewer and fewer people are learning and speaking it. It is very important to protect languages like this so they do not disappear forever.
How Many People Speak This Language?
On St. Lawrence Island, there are about 1,200 people living there. But fewer than 1,000 of them still speak Central Siberian Yupik. This shows how important it is to help keep the language alive.
In Siberia, about 1,200 people are part of the Yupik ethnic group. However, only about 200 of them speak the language. This is a small number compared to the total population.
Another Yupik language in Siberia is Naukan Yupik. It has even fewer speakers, with only about 70 people using it.
What Are the Different Kinds of Central Siberian Yupik?
Central Siberian Yupik has two main ways of being spoken, called dialects. Think of dialects as slightly different versions of the same language.
Chaplino Yupik
One dialect is called Chaplino Yupik. This version is mostly spoken on the Chukchi Peninsula in Siberia. It is also used by some people on St. Lawrence Island.
St. Lawrence Island Yupik
The other dialect is called St. Lawrence Island Yupik. As the name suggests, this one is mainly spoken on St. Lawrence Island.
The good news is that the differences between these two dialects are quite small. This means that speakers of one dialect can usually understand speakers of the other without much trouble.
