These languages are spoken by indigenous peoples of North America in the valley of the Colorado River in California, and in western Arizona in the United States; and in the north of the states of Sonora and Baja California in Mexico.<\/p>\n
The speakers of Yuman-Cochimi languages are members of the Yuman-Cochim\u00ed “First Nations” in North America.<\/p>\n
Total number of speakers (estimated):<\/p>\n
Approximately 2800 according to UNESCO<\/p>\n
The Yuman-Cochimi language family currently consists of 10 languages.<\/p>\n
Yuman Sub-family<\/p>\n
California Delta Branch<\/p>\n
California Yuman (alternate name: Diegue\u00f1o<\/em>)<\/p>\n ‘Iipay <\/strong>(alternate names: Northern Diegue\u00f1o; Ipai<\/em>): 6 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Kumeyaay<\/strong> (alternate names: Central Eastern Diegue\u00f1o<\/em>): 40 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Tiipay<\/strong> (alternate names: Southern Diegue\u00f1o; tipai<\/em>): 184 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Delta yuman<\/p>\n Delta Yuman <\/strong>(alternate name: Cocopa<\/em>): 206 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Colorado River Branch<\/p>\n Maricopa<\/strong> : 100 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Mojave<\/strong> (alternate name: Mohave<\/em>): 100 according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Yuma<\/strong> (alternate names: Kwstan; Kwstaan; Quechan<\/em>): 150 to 200 people according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Pai Branch<\/p>\n Upland Yuman <\/strong>(alternate name: North pai<\/em>) : 1650 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Paipai Akwa’ala<\/strong>: 226 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Kiliwa:<\/strong> 56 speakers according to UNESCO<\/p>\n Cochimi<\/span><\/p>\n Cochimi<\/strong>: Extinct<\/p>\n The term “Hokan\u201d describes a hypothetical set of language families that would include the Palaihnihan languages, but also Yuman-Cochimi languages and some isolated languages of the western United States (primarily from California and north-western Mexico). The lack of data on many of these languages makes the exact delineation of this proposed family difficult to establish. Mithun (1999) notes that the “Hokan” group is “not yet considered to be a valid language family” (p 304). We follow Mithun\u2019s classification here, and therefore present the Palaihnihan language family independently.<\/p>\n Yes, Cochin is an extinct language, and ‘lipay is very close to extinction as it is spoken by only a handful of very elderly speakers. All Yuman-Cochim\u00ed languages are considered as “critically endangered” by UNESCO (level 4 on a scale of 5) or “seriously endangered” (level 3). That is to say they are threatened with extinction in the decades to come. Only the Northern Pai dialect group is slightly less threatened immediately, but the younger generations no longer learn the different dialects and for most English is their first language.<\/p>\nComments on the classification of Yuman-Cochimi languages:<\/h5>\n
Are Yuman-Cochimi languages in danger?<\/h5>\n
Sources:<\/h5>\n