Kaska language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Kaska |
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|---|---|
| Dene Zágéʼ | |
| Native to | Canada |
| Ethnicity | 1,435 Kaska (2016 census) |
| Native speakers | 240 (2016 census) |
| Language family |
Dené–Yeniseian?
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The Kaska language is a special language used by the Kaska Dena people. It comes from the larger family of Athabaskan languages. Kaska is traditionally an oral language, meaning it was passed down by speaking, not writing.
The Kaska Dena people live in a region that covers parts of the Northwest Territories, Yukon Territory, and British Columbia in Canada. Some of their communities include Fort Ware, Ross River, Watson Lake, Dease Lake, and Lower Post. The Kaska language has eight different ways of speaking, called dialects. These dialects sound similar and use similar words.
Sadly, the Kaska language has faced challenges. When the Alaska Highway was built in 1942, the town of Watson Lake grew. Later, the Canadian Residential School System also caused many Kaska children to lose their language. This created a gap, meaning fewer young people speak Kaska today.
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How Kaska Words Are Built
Kaska is a very interesting language because it is polysynthetic. This means that words can be very long and carry the meaning of a whole sentence! Instead of using many separate words, Kaska often adds small parts, called prefixes, to a main verb.
Imagine a verb as the main part of a word. Kaska adds up to nine prefixes before this verb. These prefixes change the meaning of the verb. They can tell you who is doing the action, who the action is happening to, or even how the action is happening.
For example, some prefixes tell you about the subject (who is doing it) or the object (who it's happening to). Other prefixes can show if an action is finished or still happening. Kaska does not use words like "he" or "she" to show gender. Instead, the meaning of gender is often understood from the story being told.
Talking About Time and Place
In Kaska, people usually show when something happens by using different forms of verbs. This is called aspect. It tells you if an action is complete or still going on. For example, one verb form might show an action that is not finished. Another form shows an action that is complete.
Kaska also uses special prefixes to talk about where things are. These prefixes can describe locations like:
- `kúh-` for a distant place that everyone knows.
- `de-` for a distant place that only the speaker knows.
- `júh-` or `jah-` for a nearby place.
- `degé-` means "up ahead" and can also mean "in the future."
How Kaska Sentences Work
When a Kaska sentence has two main nouns (like "boy" and "girl"), it usually follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) order. This means the person or thing doing the action comes first, then the person or thing the action is happening to, and finally the action itself.
For example:
- eskie ayudeni ganehtan
- This means "The boy saw/looked at the girl."
If there is only one main noun, the verb's prefixes help you know who is the subject and who is the object.
Kaska also uses special endings for parts of sentences that depend on another part. These parts often end with an -i or -í sound. They always come before the main part of the sentence.
For example:
- etsedzi gugā́nehtān
- This means "While he was eating he was watching us."
Saving the Kaska Language
As of 2011, there were only about 200 people who spoke Kaska fluently. Most of these speakers are Kaska Dena Elders. This means the language is considered "Severely Endangered" by UNESCO.
Even though Kaska is taught in schools in some communities like Good Hope Lake, Lower Post, Watson Lake, and Ross River, many Kaska Dena children are not learning to speak it fluently at home.
The Kaska Dena people know how important it is to keep their language alive. They are working hard to create written and spoken materials for Kaska. They also have special programs, like culture camps and training, to help more people learn and use the language.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma kaska para niños
