Negidal language
Encyclopedia
Negidal is a language of the Tungusic family
spoken in the Russian Far East
, mostly in Khabarovskij Kraj
, along the lower reaches of the Amur River. Negidal belongs to the Northern branch of Tungusic, together with Evenki and Even
. It is particularly close to Evenki, to the extent that it is occasionally referred to as a dialect of Evenki.
According to the Russian Census 2002, there were 567 Negidals
, 147 of which still spoke the language. Recent reports from the field reveal that the linguistic situation of Negidal is much worse than the official data claim it to be: according to Kalinina (2008), whose data stem from the fieldwork conducted in 2005-2007, there are only three full speakers left, and a handful of semi-speakers. Negidal is thus to be considered practically extinct.
There used to be two dialects: Upper dialect along the Amgun River
(village of Vladimirovka), still residually spoken, and the now extinct Lower dialect in its lower reaches(villages of Tyr and Beloglinka, the town of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur
). The Lower dialect was especially close to Evenki.
Tungusic languages
The Tungusic languages form a language family spoken in Eastern Siberia and Manchuria by Tungusic peoples. Many Tungusic languages are endangered, and the long-term future of the family is uncertain...
spoken in the Russian Far East
Russian Far East
Russian Far East is a term that refers to the Russian part of the Far East, i.e., extreme east parts of Russia, between Lake Baikal in Eastern Siberia and the Pacific Ocean...
, mostly in Khabarovskij Kraj
Khabarovsk Krai
Khabarovsk Krai is a federal subject of Russia , located in the Russian Far East. It lies mostly in the basin of the lower Amur River, but also occupies a vast mountainous area along the coastline of the Sea of Okhotsk, an arm of the Pacific Ocean. The administrative center of the krai is the...
, along the lower reaches of the Amur River. Negidal belongs to the Northern branch of Tungusic, together with Evenki and Even
Even language
The Even language is a Tungusic language spoken by the Evens in Siberia. It is spoken by widely scattered communities of reindeer herders from Kamchatka and the Sea of Okhotsk in the east to the River Lena in the west, and from the Arctic coast in the north to the River Aldan in the south...
. It is particularly close to Evenki, to the extent that it is occasionally referred to as a dialect of Evenki.
According to the Russian Census 2002, there were 567 Negidals
Negidals
Negidals are a people in the Khabarovsk Krai in Russia, who live along the Amgun River and Amur River...
, 147 of which still spoke the language. Recent reports from the field reveal that the linguistic situation of Negidal is much worse than the official data claim it to be: according to Kalinina (2008), whose data stem from the fieldwork conducted in 2005-2007, there are only three full speakers left, and a handful of semi-speakers. Negidal is thus to be considered practically extinct.
There used to be two dialects: Upper dialect along the Amgun River
Amgun River
Amgun River is a river in Khabarovsk Krai, Russia which flows northeast and joins the Amur River from the left near its mouth. The length of the river is 723 km. The area of its basin is 55,500 km². The Amgun is formed by the confluence of the Ayakit and Suduk Rivers. Its main tributary...
(village of Vladimirovka), still residually spoken, and the now extinct Lower dialect in its lower reaches(villages of Tyr and Beloglinka, the town of Nikolaevsk-on-Amur
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur
Nikolayevsk-on-Amur often romanized as Nikolayevsk-na-Amure, is a town and the administrative center of Nikolayevsky District of Khabarovsk Krai, Russia located on the Amur River close to its liman in the Pacific Ocean...
). The Lower dialect was especially close to Evenki.