Tule–Kaweah was a major dialect of the Yokuts language of California, or possibly a distinct but closely related language.[2]

Tule–Kaweah Yokuts
Native toUnited States
RegionSan Joaquin Valley, California
EthnicityYokuts people
Extinct25 September 2021, with the death of Marie Wilcox[1]
Yok-Utian ?
  • Yokuts
    • General Yokuts
      • Nim
        • Tule–Kaweah Yokuts
Dialects
Language codes
ISO 639-3(included in Yokuts [yok])
Glottologtule1245
Distribution of Tule–Kaweah Yokuts

Wukchumni, the last surviving dialect, had[when?] only one native or fluent speaker, Marie Wilcox (both native and fluent), who compiled a dictionary of the language.[3][4][5][6] “Marie's dictionary”, a short documentary by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee, is about her dictionary. She also recorded an oral version of the dictionary.[3] Together with her daughter Jennifer, Marie Wilcox taught weekly classes to interested members of their tribe. Marie Wilcox died on September 25, 2021, rendering Tule–Kaweah extinct.[1]

Dialects

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There were three dialects of Tule–Kaweah, †Wukchumni (Wikchamni),Yawdanchi (a.k.a. Nutaa), and †Bokninuwad.

References

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  1. ^ a b Seelye, Katharine Q. (6 October 2021). "Marie Wilcox, Who Saved Her Native Language from Extinction, Dies at 87". The New York Times.
  2. ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Tule–Kaweah Yokuts". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
  3. ^ a b ‘Who Speaks Wukchumni?’, New York Times, 19 Aug 2014.
  4. ^ Vaughan-Lee, Emmanuel (2014-08-18). "Who Speaks Wukchumni?". The New York Times.
  5. ^ Heller, Chris (2014-09-22). "Saving Wukchumni". The Atlantic.
  6. ^ “Marie's dictionary”, a short documentary by Emmanuel Vaughan-Lee.
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