Chukchansi dialect facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Chukchansi |
|
|---|---|
| Region | San Joaquin Valley, California |
| Ethnicity | Chukchansi |
| Native speakers | 8 (2011) |
| Language family |
Yok-Utian ?
|
| Linguist List | yok-chk |
Chukchansi is a unique language spoken by the Chukchansi people in the San Joaquin Valley of California. It is a dialect of the Foothill and Valley Yokuts languages. In 2011, only eight people spoke Chukchansi as their first language.
Contents
Keeping the Chukchansi Language Alive
Many people are working hard to save and teach the Chukchansi language. It's important to them because language helps keep their culture and traditions strong.
Helping the Language Grow
In May 2012, Fresno State University received a big grant of $1 million. This money came from the Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians, thanks to their Chukchansi Gold Resort & Casino.
The grant helps create a Chukchansi dictionary and grammar books. It also supports students and programs that collect old stories and texts in the language. The goal is to create lessons to teach Chukchansi so more people can learn it and use it every day. This grant helps speed up the work that university teachers were already doing to document and teach the language.
Tools for Learning
Recordings of the Chukchansi language were made by Sydney Lamb between 1953 and 1957. These recordings are very helpful for studying the language.
Another tool used to help document Chukchansi is called the Phraselator. This is a special handheld device. When someone speaks English into it, the device can say the translation in Chukchansi. In 2007, these devices were quite expensive, so they couldn't be given to everyone.
Chukchansi Classes
Since 2008, Chukchansi language classes have been taught at the elementary school in Coarsegold, CA. By 2012, classes were available for both children and adults who wanted to learn. Even a local business, the Native American Coffee Company, planned to translate the names of its coffee drinks into Chukchansi.
Why Language Matters
Learning and preserving the Chukchansi language is very important to the Chukchansi people. Tribal Chairman Reggie Lewis said it helps "preserve, protect, and revitalize our cultural identity and traditions." One tribal member explained that their language is at the very heart of who they are. She was happy to see that even people who are not Native American were coming to learn the language.
See also
In Spanish: Chukchansi para niños
