Tachi Yokuts facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tachi |
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Tachi Yokuts song recorded by A. L. Kroeber
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| Native speakers | "a few" (2007) |
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Yok-Utian ?
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Tachi is a special language that is almost gone. It is a dialect of Southern Valley Yokuts. People used to speak Tachi north of Tulare Lake in the Central Valley of California.
A famous expert named A. L. Kroeber thought that Tachi was once one of the most common Yokutsan dialects. This means many people spoke it. As of 2019, only a few people from the Santa Rosa Rancheria can still speak Tachi.
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Understanding Tachi Grammar
The Tachi language usually puts words in a certain order. It often follows a "subject-verb-object" pattern. This is like saying "The boy eats apples." Sometimes, it might start with the verb instead.
Tachi uses something called "dative case." This helps show who receives something. For example, it might show who an action is done to. However, Tachi does not use a "possessed case." This means it doesn't have a special way to show who something belongs to, like saying "my book."
Who Speaks Tachi Today?
Number of Tachi Speakers
In 1988, about 30 people were able to speak Tachi. Some of these people learned Tachi as their very first language. This means they grew up speaking it.
Efforts to Save Tachi
In 1987, the Santa Rosa Rancheria started a special program. It was called "Tachi as a Second Language." This program was part of the tribe's Head Start language program. The main goal was to help young children learn and hear more Tachi. They wanted to make sure the language did not disappear.
Images for kids
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Information on Tachi published by A. L. Kroeber
