Denaakkʼe
Koyukon
Na-Dené (Athabaskan, Northern, Central Alaska)
Koyukon (Denaakkʼe, "people's words") is the largest Northern Athabaskan language of central interior Alaska, spoken along the Yukon, Koyukuk, and Tanana rivers. The Koyukon people are traditional fisher-hunters who developed an extraordinarily detailed indigenous knowledge of the boreal ecosystem — documented in Richard K. Nelson's anthropological classic "Make Prayers to the Raven" (1983). Tonal with three registers, complex prefix-based verb morphology with classifier stems. Severely endangered; Alaska Native Language Center programs work toward revitalization.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Koyukon
Water
too
/toː/
Fire
konh
/konh/
Sun
so
/so/
Moon
oolts'enh
/ooltsʼenh/
Mother
enaa
/enaː/
Father
etaa
/etaː/
Eat
ghen
/ɣen/
Drink
don
/don/
Love
k'oonejee
/kʼooneʒeː/
Heart
heł
/heɬ/
Tree
k'eyh
/kʼejh/
House
kkun
/kːun/
Dog
łeek
/ɬeːk/
Cat
dotonh
/dotonh/
Hand
ela
/ela/
Eye
nełtonh
/neɬtonh/
Hello
enaa basee'
/enaː baseːʔ/
Thank you
baasee'
/baːseːʔ/
One
łeek'eyh
/ɬeːkʼejh/
Good
nezoonh
/nezoːnh/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Na-Dené (Athabaskan, Northern, Central Alaska) languages
| Meaning | Koyukon | Chipewyan | Carrier | Menominee | Western Apache | Western Neo-Aramaic | Jiamao |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | too /toː/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | nepāew /nəpaːew/ | tu /tu/ | ܡܘܝܐ /mojːa/ | noːm /noːm/ |
| Fire | konh /konh/ | kʼón /kʼón/ | kwen /kʷen/ | eskotēw /eskoteːw/ | kǫʼ /kṍʔ/ | ܐܫܬܐ /iʃtaː/ | hoːi /hoːi/ |
| Sun | so /so/ | sa /sa/ | sa /sa/ | kēsoq /keːsoʔ/ | shándaʼá /ʃándaːʔá/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | mau /mau/ |
| Moon | oolts'enh /ooltsʼenh/ | hadelyi /haðeli/ | sa-tlhaeh /sa tɬaeh/ | tepāhkēsoq /tepaːhkeːsoʔ/ | tłʼéʼsanaaʼái /tɬʔeʔsanaːʔai/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | naː /naː/ |
| Mother | enaa /enaː/ | ená /ena/ | oo /oː/ | nekīah /nekiːah/ | shimá /ʃima/ | ܐܡܐ /emaː/ | miə /miə/ |
| Father | etaa /etaː/ | etá /eta/ | abe /abe/ | nōhnāeh /noːhnaːeh/ | shitaa /ʃitaː/ | ܒܒܐ /babːaː/ | paː /paː/ |
| Eat | ghen /ɣen/ | ɂıłtsu /ʔiɬtsu/ | ʼoonjuh /ʔoːndʒuh/ | mīcew /miːtʃew/ | yiyąʼ /jijãʔ/ | ܐܟܠ /iʔχel/ | kɛːn /kɛːn/ |
| Drink | don /don/ | ɂıdla /ʔidla/ | dunjuh /dundʒuh/ | menew /menew/ | yidlą /jidlãˀ/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃetaː/ | ɲom /ɲom/ |
| Love | k'oonejee /kʼooneʒeː/ | hı́́la /hila/ | sjut /sdʒut/ | kesāenemāew /kesaːenemaːew/ | ayóigóʼíí /ʔajoiɣoʔiː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubaː/ | kʰaː /kʰaː/ |
| Heart | heł /heɬ/ | eθey /eθej/ | ʼunjid /ʔundʒid/ | otēh /oteːh/ | bíjéí /bidʒeː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebaː/ | kə /kə/ |
| Tree | k'eyh /kʼejh/ | tθʼen /tθʼen/ | dechen /detʃen/ | metekoh /metekoh/ | tsin /tsin/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /elona/ | mai /mai/ |
| House | kkun /kːun/ | kǫ́é /kɔ̃e/ | yoh /joh/ | wīkewam /wiːkewam/ | kį /kĩ/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθa/ | vɛn /vɛn/ |
| Dog | łeek /ɬeːk/ | łı́ /ɬi/ | łi /ɬi/ | anēm /aneːm/ | łį́į́ʼ /ɬĩːʔ/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | mɛ /mɛ/ |
| Cat | dotonh /dotonh/ | nábaye /nabaje/ | gus /ɡus/ | — /—/ | mósí /mosi/ | ܩܛܘܢܐ /qatˤuna/ | miau /miau/ |
| Hand | ela /ela/ | ela /ela/ | la /la/ | onehkeh /onehkeh/ | shílaʼ /ʃilaʔ/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iða/ | baː /baː/ |
| Eye | nełtonh /neɬtonh/ | índa /inda/ | ʼunaq /ʔunaq/ | oskēsek /oskeːsek/ | nadáá /nadaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ta /ta/ |
| Hello | enaa basee' /enaː baseːʔ/ | edlanetʼè /eðlanetʼe/ | ʼahdoozaee /ʔahdoːzaː/ | posoh /posoh/ | dahgotʼe /dahɡotʔe/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomaː/ | niː /niː/ |
| Thank you | baasee' /baːseːʔ/ | mahsi cho /mahsi tʃo/ | snachailya /snatʃailja/ | wāēwāēnen /wɛːwɛːnen/ | ahéheʼe /ʔaheːheʔe/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | χaːi /χaːi/ |
| One | łeek'eyh /ɬeːkʼejh/ | ɂıłąɣe /ʔiɬɔ̃ɣe/ | ʼulhah /ʔuɬah/ | nekot /nekot/ | dááłeʼ /daːɬeʔ/ | ܚܕ /xeð/ | tsuː /tsuː/ |
| Good | nezoonh /nezoːnh/ | nezų /nezũ/ | nezuʼ /nezuʔ/ | menwāewen /menwaːewen/ | nzhǫǫ /nʒõː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβa/ | pʰaː /pʰaː/ |
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