Yukaghir, Northern
PrintA language of Russian Federation
370 (2010 census). Census includes Southern Yukaghir [yux]. Ethnic population: 230–1,100 (1995 M. Krauss).
Sakha Republic, lower Kolyma county, Andryushkino and Kolymskoye.
8b (Nearly extinct).
Distinct from Southern Yukaghir (Kolyma) [yux]. May be distantly related to Altaic or Uralic.
SOV; postpositions; genitives, articles, adjectives, numerals, relatives before noun heads; question word not initial or final; 2 prefixes, 6 suffixes; word order focus preverbal, subjects and topics tend to be initial; affixes indicate case of noun phrases; person and number of subject indicated by obligatory verb phrases; split-intransitivity: intransitive subjects encoded as transitive when nonfocus; focus marked the same way for intransitive subjects and direct objects, and only those, otherwise accusative; resultative; reflexive; reciprocal; causative; comparative; CV, CVCCVV; nontonal
In Andryushkino there may be a few younger speakers (2007). Home. Older adults. Neutral or mildly positive attitudes. No sense of shared ethnic identity between the two Yukaghir varieties [yux] and [ykg]. Also use Chukchi [ckt], Russian [rus], or Yakut [sah]. Reindeer herdsmen and others also use Even [eve].
In 19th century their territory shrank due to merging clans, military clashes, assimilation with the Even, and later, collectivization. From 1950s–1980s the state sent children to boarding school. Ethnic autonym: Odul. Christian, traditional religion.