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Aleut language

Not to be confused with Alutiiq language.
Aleut
Unangam Tunuu
Уна́ӈам тунуу́ or унаӈан умсуу
Pronunciation[uˈnaŋam tuˈnuː]
Native toAlaska (Aleutian, Pribilof Islands, Alaskan Peninsula west of Stepovak Bay), Kamchatka Krai (Commander Islands)
Ethnicity7,234 Aleut
Native speakers
<80 (2022)[1]
in Alaska; extinct in Russia 2021
Eskaleut
  • Aleut
Early form
Latin (Alaska)
Cyrillic (Alaska, Russia)
Official status
Official language in
 Alaska[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-2ale
ISO 639-3ale
Glottologaleu1260
ELPAleut
Aleut is spoken on the Aleutian Islands
Aleut is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
PersonUnangax̂
PeopleUnangan (east)
Unangas (west)
LanguageUnangam Tunuu
CountryUnangam Tanangin

Aleut (/ˈæliuːt/ AL-ee-oot) or Unangam Tunuu[3] is the language spoken by the Aleut living in the Aleutian Islands, Pribilof Islands, Commander Islands, and the Alaska Peninsula (in Aleut Alaxsxa, the origin of the state name Alaska).[4] Aleut is the sole language in the Aleut branch of the Eskimo–Aleut language family. The Aleut language consists of three dialects, including Unalaska (Eastern Aleut), Atka/Atkan (Atka Aleut), and Attu/Attuan (Western Aleut, now extinct).[4]

Exhibit on the Aleut language at the Museum of the Aleutians

Various sources estimate there are fewer than 100 to 150 remaining active Aleut speakers.[5][6][7] Because of this, Eastern and Atkan Aleut are classified as "critically endangered and extinct"[8] and have an Expanded Graded Intergenerational Disruption Scale (EGIDS) rating of 7.[9] The task of revitalizing Aleut has largely been left to local government and community organizations. The overwhelming majority of schools in the historically Aleut-speaking regions lack any language/culture courses in their curriculum, and those that do fail to produce fluent or even proficient speakers.[10]

  1. ^ "How Many Speakers are There of Each Alaska Native Language?".
  2. ^ "Alaska State Legislature".
  3. ^ Bergsland 1994
  4. ^ a b Bergsland 1997
  5. ^ "Unangam Tunuu (The Aleut Language) Preservation". Aleutian Pribilof Islands Association. Archived from the original on February 24, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2013.
  6. ^ "Aleut". Alaska Native Language Center. Archived from the original on 2018-01-23. Retrieved 2013-03-16.
  7. ^ "Alaska Native Languages: Population and Speaker Statistics". Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  8. ^ "UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger". UNESCO. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Aleut". Ethnologue. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  10. ^ "Sealaska Heritage Institute: Alaska Native Language Programs, January 2012". The Alaska State Legislature. Retrieved 23 January 2018.

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