Jicarilla language
| Jicarilla | |
|---|---|
| Abáachi mizaa | |
| Native to | US |
| Region | New Mexico |
| Ethnicity | 3,100 Jicarilla Apache (2007) |
|
Native speakers
|
300 (2007) |
|
Dené–Yeniseian?
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | jica1244 |
Jicarilla (Jicarilla Apache: Abáachi mizaa) is an Eastern Southern Athabaskan language spoken by the Jicarilla Apache.
680 people reported their language as Jicarilla on the 2000 census. However, Golla (2007) reported that there were about 300 first-language speakers and an equal or greater number of semi-speakers (out of a total ethnic population of 3,100); the census figures therefore presumably include both fluent and semi-speakers. In 2003, the Jicarilla Apache Nation became the first Tribe in New Mexico to certify community members to teach a Native American language. Revitalization efforts (as of 2012) have included compilation of a dictionary, classes, and seasonal camps for youth.
Jicarilla has 34 consonants:
The consonant /t ʰ/, occurring in most other Athabaskan languages, only occurs alone in a few forms in Jicarilla and has mostly merged with /k ʰ/. This consequently has made most of the aspirated stops in Jicarilla velar.
The consonant /n/ can appear as a syllable and bear a high or low tone, but not a falling tone. High-toned /ń/ actually represents an underlying syllable, /nÍ/. There are four possible contours for Vowel-/n/ and /n/-/n/ combinations: Low-high, High-low, High-high, and Low-low. The contours are illustrated in the following table:
(Modified from Tuttle & Sandoval 2002, p. 109)
/n/ may occur between /t/, /ʔ/, or /n/ and any stem-initial consonant, but when /n/ occurs alone before a stem-initial consonant, it forms a syllable of its own. When preceded by another prefix consonant, /n/ may or may not be judged to form a syllable by native speakers of Jicarilla.
Jicarilla has 16 vowels:
All vowels may be
The long high front oral vowel is phonetically higher than its nasal and short counterparts ([iː] vs. [ɪ, ɪ̃, ɪ̃ː]). The short back vowel is higher than its long and nasal counterparts ([ʊ] vs. [oː, õ, õː]). The short low vowel is higher than its long and nasal counterparts ([ə] vs. [aː, ã, ãː]).
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