| Also Known As: Itelymem,Western Itelmen,Kamchatka,Kamchadal
Description:
Itelmen, formerly also known as Kamchadal, is a language belonging to the Chukotko-Kamchatkan family traditionally spoken in the Kamchatka Peninsula. Fewer than a hundred native speakers, mostly elderly, in a few settlements in the southwest of Koryak Autonomous Okrug, remained in 1993. The 2002 Census counted 3,180 ethnic Itelmen, virtually all of whom are now monolingual in Russian. However, there are attempts to revive the language, and it is being taught in a number of schools in the region.
Itelmen is not closely related to other Chukotko-Kamchatkan languages, and forms a distinct southern branch of the family. Some linguists have questioned whether it is related at all, treating it instead as a language isolate. It has some general morphological similarities with Chukchi and Koryak, which comprise the northern branch of Chukotko-Kamchatkan but also some striking contrasts, especially in the area of phonology. Originally there were three distinct dialects, or closely related languages, in western, eastern and southern Kamchatka, but only Western Itelmen remains.
Originally Itelmen was spoken throughout Kamchatka, and possibly also in the northern Kuril Islands. Vladimir..... full article at Wikipedia |
