Koryak language

Koryak (/ˈkɔːriæk/ KOR-ee-ak) is a Chukotko-Kamchatkan language spoken by 1,665 people as of 2010^[1] in the easternmost extremity of Siberia, mainly in Koryak Okrug. It is mostly spoken by Koryaks. Its close relative, the Chukchi language, is spoken by about three times that number. The language together with Chukchi, Alyutor and Itelmen forms the Chukotko-Kamchatkan language family.^[2] Its native name in Koryak is нымылан nymylan, but variants of the Russian name "Koryak" are most commonly used in English and other languages.

Koryak
чавʼчывэн; чавʼчываелыел
Koryak language in Koryak with transliteration
Native to	Russia
Region	Koryak Okrug
Ethnicity	7,485 Koryaks
Native speakers	1665, 21% of ethnic population (2010 census)[1]
Language family	Chukotko-Kamchatkan Chukotkan Koryak
Dialects	Chavchuven Koryak
Language codes
ISO 639-3	kpy
Glottolog	kory1246
ELP	Koryak
Pre-contact distribution of Koryak (purple) and other Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages
Koryak is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

The Chukchi and Koryaks form a cultural unit with an economy based on reindeer herding and both have autonomy within the Russian Federation.

Phonology

Koryak vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	i		u
Mid	ɛ	ə	o
Open		a

Koryak consonants

		Labial	Alveolar	Palatal	Velar	Uvular	Pharyngeal
Plosive		p	t	c	k	q
Fricative	plain	β			ɣ		ʕ
	dental	v
Affricate				t͡ʃ
Nasal		m	n	ɲ	ŋ
Liquid			l	ʎ
Approximant		(w)		j

[w] may be an allophone of /β/.^[3]

Koryak alphabet

А а	Б б	В в	Вʼ вʼ	Г г	Гʼ гʼ	Д д	Е е
Ё ё	Ж ж	З з	И и	Й й	К к	Ӄ ӄ	Л л
М м	Н н	Ӈ ӈ	О о	П п	Р р	С с	Т т
У у	Ф ф	Х х	Ц ц	Ч ч	Ш ш	Щ щ	Ъ ъ
Ы ы	Ь ь	Э э	Ю ю	Я я

References

1. "Population of the Russian Federation by Languages (in Russian)" (PDF). Федеральная служба государственной статистики (Federal Bureau of Government Statistics, in Russian). 2010. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
2. Concise encyclopedia of languages of the world. Brown, E. K., Ogilvie, Sarah. (1st ed.). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier. 2009. pp. 239–241. ISBN 9780080877754. OCLC 318247422.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
3. Zhukova, 1972

Further reading

• Bogoras, Waldemar, and Franz Boas. Koryak Texts. Leyden: E.J. Brill, 1917.
• Comrie, Bernard. Inverse Verb Forms in Siberia Evidence from Chukchee, Koryak and Kamchadal. Amsterdam: Bibliotheek v.h. Inst. voor Algemene Taalwetenschap v.d. Univ. van Amsterdam], 1985.
• Zhukova, A. N., 1972. Grammatika Korjakskogo Jazyka: Fonetika, Morfologia. Moscow: Akademia Nauk SSSR. 327pp. (In kyrill. Schrift).
• Zhukova, A. N., and Tokusu Kurebito. Basic topical dictionary of the Koryak-Chukchi languages = Basovyĭ tematicheskiĭ slovarʹ kori︠a︡ksko-chukotskikh i︠a︡zykov. Tokyo, Japan: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia and Africa, Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 2004.
• Campbell, George L. and Gareth King. "Compendium of the World's Languages". 2013.ISBN 4-87297-896-X

External links

• Endangered Languages of Siberia - The Koryak language
• Жукова - Корякский язык