Tagish language
Encyclopedia
Tagish is an endangered
Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Tagish people in the Yukon
Territory in Canada
. It is almost extinct
as there are only two fluent speakers left.
Tagish is closely related to Kaska
and Tahltan
. Although listed as distinct languages, the three might better be considered varieties of the same language.
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Tagish people in the Yukon
Yukon
Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada's three federal territories. It was named after the Yukon River. The word Yukon means "Great River" in Gwich’in....
Territory in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is almost extinct
Extinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
as there are only two fluent speakers left.
Tagish is closely related to Kaska
Kaska language
Kaska is a Northern Athabaskan language spoken by the Kaska people in the southeastern Yukon territory and northern British Columbia in Canada.-References:***...
and Tahltan
Tahltan
Tahltan refers to a Northern Athabaskan people who live in northern British Columbia around Telegraph Creek, Dease Lake, and Iskut.-Social Organization:...
. Although listed as distinct languages, the three might better be considered varieties of the same language.
External links
- Ethnologue
- Yukon Native Language Centre's introduction to the Tagish Language
- Audio files of common words and expressions