| Also Known As: Yana language
Description:
Yana (also Yanan) is an extinct language isolate formerly spoken in north-central California between the Feather and Pit rivers in what is now Shasta and Tehama counties.
The language perished in 1916 with the death of Ishi, the last native speaker who spoke Yahi. Yana is fairly well-documented (mostly by Edward Sapir) compared to other extinct American languages.
The names Yana and Yahi are derived from the Yana words (in two dialects) meaning "people".
There are four known Yanan languages/dialects.
Yana is often associated with the hypothetical Hokan stock. Sapir suggested a grouping of Yana within a Northern Hokan sub-family with Karuk, Chimariko, Shastan, Palaihnihan, and Pomoan...... full article at Wikipedia |
