Chukchi

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A language of Russian Federation

ISO 639-3
ckt
Alternate Names
Chuchee, Chukcha, Chukchee, Chukot, Luoravetlan
Population

5,100 (2010 census). Ethnic population: 15,900 (2010 census).

Location

Siberia, Chukchi peninsula, Chukotskiy Avtonomnyy Okrug, Sakha (Yakutiya), and Kamchatka.

Language Maps
Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Classification
Chukotko-Kamchatkan, Northern, Chukot
Dialects

Uellanskij, Pevekskij, Enmylinskij, Nunligranskij, Xatyrskij, Chaun, Enurmin, Yanrakinot. Closely related to Alutor [alr], Kerek [krk] and Koryak [kpy]. Itelmen [itl] is more distantly related. Chukchi may be mutually intelligible with some varieties of Koryak (1988 B. Comrie). Literary dialect and gender dialects also exist. Gender differences largely phonological. Women’s dialect largely ignored in language development.

Typology

SOV/SVO; postpositions; no articles; case-marking (8 cases); verb affixes mark person, number, object; ergativity; 14 consonant and 6 vowel phonemes; non-tonal; vowel harmony.

Language Use

60% of the population. Few domains but extensive use in reindeer herding brigades. Very few children are speaking it (Salminen 2007). Positive attitudes. Also use Even [eve], Northern Yukaghir [ykg], Russian [rus], Yakut [sah]. Used as L2 by Northern Yukaghir [ykg].

Language Development
Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 2004.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Chukchi
Writing

Cyrillic script [Cyrl].

Other Comments

School at Anadyr. Chukchi in Magadan area are nomadic. Traditional religion.

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