Yéil ḵa G̱uwakaan -- Ḵeixwnéi X̱ʼéidáx̱ (Tlingit Language)

Yéil ḵa G̱uwakaan -- Ḵeixwnéi X̱ʼéidáx̱. Raven and Deer, told by Nora Marks Dauenhauer in Tlingit, and recorded in her tea room on February 5, 2013.
Transcription & translation by Ḵaagwáaskʼ Ishmael Hope, Ḵeixwnéi Nora Marks Dauenhauer, and X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell.

[@dented_riddles9967]

Not my language but this makes me happy. Like we're all in the same boat keeping our languages alive and running. And Native languages just sound so cool....

[@rzeka]

"oh okay"

[@Pitpoots]

Being a 25 year old Tlingit woman I am still in awe about the language!!😮 so repetitive sounding yet graceful, I learned to speak back in 1st grade and the surrounding grades

[@EliteWheatProdctionZ]

This is super interesting as an outsider, thank you Xunei for keeping these dialogues alive!

[@DrRiq]

Fun fact: TInglit is one of the few languages that has no labials, ie. no p, b, f, v, m. You can literally speak in it without moving your lips :)

[@DrRiq]

It would be an easier language for people who have trouble using their lips to speak, for example

[@gabrielwysong6321]

I was under the impression that that was relatively common in North America.

[@galilei7748]

@@gabrielwysong6321 I think that's the case with languages in the Northwest North America, but not North America as a whole.

[@darthapple87]

The inland, like Teslin area dialect does have M sounds, not sure about the rest. For example in the inland dialect they say "masóos" for cow (we say wasóos along the SE Alaskan coast).

[@rocctheconlanger5239]

I mean it does have m, but no other labials

[@mrarmaggedon31415926]

klingon was only partially based on tlingit. Mark okrand based it, in large part, on the na-dene family in general of which tlingit is just one branch

[@likethemagician]

***** It is definitely Na-Dene, which is actually defined as the Athabaskan family plus Tlingit and Eyak. However, it is quite different from Athabaskan at many points, yes.

[@ioszeged7274]

bless for subtitle translation 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@Reginaldred907]

Gunal'chéesh. I enjoyed reading the written linget while hearing her speak. Good story, I laughed too.

[@lukejstclair3849]

gunal chees, Nora Marks Dauenhauer, I remember the Tlingit class at Juneau High School, I remember as a child you would take us to picnic, my name is GUNN DA HIXX One Who Controls Anger

[@DancingRaven]

Lovely story, I couldn't help but notice the mixture of Yupik and English scattered throughout her talk story, Raven and Deer.

[@portinari76]

I couldn't but notice that there's no English translation of what she is saying :( The Language is beautiful, but Grossary and Right Away is pretty much everything I understand.

[@UASANLS]

I donʼt think there is any Yupʼik in this.

[@TheNativeEngine]

Sounds like my grandma speaking Navajo!

[@penand_paper6661]

You're not wrong. The two languages are related, albeit _very, very, VERY_ distantly.

[@chibiromano5631]

@@penand_paper6661 I also hear Nahautl.. that infamous tl isn't found in Otomi or any other Native Mexican langauges other than Nahautl. Its also not found in the other Uto Aztecan langauges of Utah,CO. It's sometimes found in the Dene languages and also in Tlingt. 4:06 sounds like Xocoltl .4:16 - Tlatinquetl , many similar suffixes in -oyocan, -aweetli. In addition Nahuatl also has loanwoards from the Northern languages. Michiuagami (Michigan State)- Large water in Ojibwe Michhuahcān (Michocan-State)- Large Lake with Fish in Nahautl. siʔaɫ (Seattle) - __ Salishan Ceatl (Seh- Ahtl*click)- Two Waters(Rivers) Point is .. eachother than we think. Yeah there are differences but at one time, maybe 1000 BC, there was a similar point of origin for Tlingt,Navajo and Aztec(and others).

[@penand_paper6661]

@@chibiromano5631 Interesting. The sound is actually quite common in the Pacific NW.

[@imnotabotthough2389]

I truly want to learn Tlingit. Just so hard to pronounce and speak correctly.

[@Oddgirl]

I've found it is helpful to hear many different speakers. Some will be easier for you to understand than others.

[@UASANLS]

There are often free online classes, and every semester there are beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes at University of Alaska Southeast.

[@chibiromano5631]

I also hear Nahautl.. that infamous tl isn't found in Otomi or any other Native Mexican langauges other than Nahautl. Its also not found in the other Uto Aztecan langauges of Utah,CO. It's sometimes found in the Dene languages and also in Tlingt. 406 @ sounds like Xocolt._ fruit 413 @ sounds like tlacon ay - Dart motion 421 sounds like Coyocan/cuilican - Group of Coyote/ Antlers 457 Teotihua --- The place (hua) of the Sun/Moon (teotli). many similar suffixes in -oyocan, -aweetli. In addition Nahuatl also has loanwoards from the Northern languages. Michiuagami (Michigan State)- Large water in Ojibwe Michhuahcān (Michocan-State)- Large Lake with Fish in Nahautl. siʔaɫ (Seattle) - __ Salishan Ceatl (Seh- Ahtl*click)- Two Waters(Rivers)

[@Koyokochotl]

A'ho. Ni Mitz- tlazohtla I love how similar Tlingit and Nahualt are. There must be a phyletic correspondence there between the languages. Indigenous people of this land share a similar tongue in one way or another. Through dance, music or spirituality. Guwakaan sounds like Teotihuacan 👋🏽

[@williamhowerton744]

Nahuatl sounds nothing like this.

[@Koyokochotl]

@@williamhowerton744 They are completely different languages lol pointing out similarities of phonology isn't a crime

[@chibiromano5631]

@@williamhowerton744 How do you know? Do you speak both? Both use the - TE rock preposition, like Teatl. Teyotl. In fact, 406 @ sounds like Xocolt._ fruit 413 @ sounds like tlacon ay - Dart motion 421 sounds like Coyocan/cuilican - Group of Coyote/ Antlers 457 Teotihua --- The place (hua) of the Sun/Moon (teotli). many similar suffixes in -oyocan, -aweetli. You do know that the Nahuatl were originally from Utah and Idaho? They also contain haplogroup D1 which is found in Tlingit. Saying Nahuatl and Tlingit don't sound similar or are not related.. would be like saying Portugese and Romanian aren't related and don't sound similar.

[@chibiromano5631]

@@williamhowerton744 another one for you att0m waffen fanboy, Nahuatl also has other loanwoards from the Northern languages. Michiuagami (Michigan State)- Large water in Ojibwe Michhuahcān (Michocan-State)- Large Lake with Fish in Nahautl. siʔaɫ (Seattle) - __ Salishan Ceatl (Seh- Ahtl)- one Water(Rivers)

[@ryohn5468]

I like listening to these Athapaskan languages. Tenana is one spoken in Alaska near Fairbanks region.

[@makarandkinikar7786]

Athabaskan*

[@katiemcvay2181]

Is there someone or somewhere I can learn 🥺 I’m half Tlingit and I’m anxious to learn more than Ixsíxán 😩

[@UASANLS]

There are often free classes during the summer, and there are online and local classes every semester at University of Alaska Southeast.

[@LingitNinjaKhaasAanK]

Haa dachxhánk' du tuwaa sigoo "Ax̱ kutl'i". Ax̱ éet x̱'eiwatán "Ax̱ keidlí, ax̱ kuṯl'i" :D

[@UASANLS]

😂

[@permhaaland]

Kutl! I learnt a new word!

[@entropyregen7438]

My mom was adopted out of the Tlingit tribe when she was four and I want to learn my lost language as I struggled to learn English even though it’s my only language. I read a study that genetically I could have learned Tlingit easier because it’s in my genetics.

[@anawkwardsweetpotato4728]

Best of luck reconnecting yourself to your roots! 💕 You can do it!

[@AureliusR]

There's no truth to language and genetics but you can learn any language if you are persistent and have people to speak with!

[@UASANLS]

Connect with us at University of Alaska Southeast if you would like to learn Lingít. Weʼd love to have you learning with us!

[@InVinoVeritas540]

Awesome

[@cosmologically]

Please do not compare our language to Klingon...

[@likethemagician]

Klingon grammar is extremely different. It mostly has suffixes, while Tlingit is mostly prefixing on the verb. Plus the word order is object-verb-subject whereas Tlingit is subject-object-verb when all three are in the phrase. The only thing they have in common is the tl sound and uvular consonants.

[@likethemagician]

Tlingit is a much more fascinatingly complex language anyway, mainly because it wasn't made up by just one guy but developed by an entire culture evolving words and grammar to meet their needs over thousands of years, generation upon generation.

[@UASANLS]

Doug Henning Tlingit is object-subject-verb.

[@likethemagician]

X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell Oh. I thought it was free word order with a tendency to revert to SOV when there are no pronouns. WP says that and I thought I read it in Crippen somewhere. But, heck, you would know! Is the fronting of the object a genuine requirement or a matter of focus?

[@likethemagician]

X̱ʼunei Lance Twitchell I think this is what I was thinking of. Seth Cable says in this link that Tlingit has free word order with SOV the most frequent, quoting Dryer in “Tlingit: An Object-Initial Language?” from the Canadian Journal of Linguistics (1985) and showing a diagram from Leer's "The Schetic Categories of the Tlingit Verb" (1991). But it says any combination of O, S, and V is well-formed in principle, though the prefixes for verbs immediately following ergatives change. Does this accord with your findings working with elders, not to mention your own Tlingit speech or that of your students? Or are most sentences OSV? I'd imagine focus on the discourse topic plays a strong role in determining the word order. people.umass.edu/scable/PNWSeminar/handouts/Config/Tlingit-Covert-Scramble.pdf

[@andrewl9191]

The word "Yéil" is Raven, correct? If this is pronounced different, like "yale," is that bad? Or offensive? It sounds like it's got a sound that isn't really in English. If it were given as a name in the English language, or like in an English speaking play, would that be offensive?

[@liamaaniable]

It wouldn’t be correct pronunciation.

[@andrewlaverghetta715]

@@liamaaniablethank you!

[@saber2802]

I know a bit of a Athabascan language, it sounds soo... different.

[@stlouisramsfan03]

Zone Tan Which? I am a fluent speaker of Navajo.

[@RonnieWisdom]

stlouisramsfan03 Are you from the Navajo Nation?

[@stlouisramsfan03]

Ronnie Wisdom Well, I live very close to it, so, yes, I guess.

[@RonnieWisdom]

stlouisramsfan03 that’s awesome, I live on the Navajo Nation and speak Navajo as well

[@Pawtiko]

I was not aware Zone Tan was so interested in linguistics. I suppose you'd have to be in order to understand Lemmy.

[@lukejosephstclair5935]

Xunei, Lance, one of my brothers had the same name,Xunei, what does it mean?

[@UASANLS]

It is the name of a thing that Raven sent out of a whale as a decoy, or sometimes interpreted as another name for Raven.

[@seasidewildbirdrescuetampa9372]

Not something you can learn in a year

[@Hey_its_Koda]

This tribe related to navajo language.

[@raymondsumdum3380]

No we are a language of our own

[@gabrielwysong6321]

Charles Pete: The Tlingit language is a member of the Na-Dené language family of North America. The Athabaskan languages are a sub-branch, and Navajo is a member of the Athabaskan languages. That being said, it is crazy how different Tlingit and Eyak are from the rest of the family!

[@chibiromano5631]

@@raymondsumdum3380 Also releated to the Aztec , nahuatl language sounds similar. They also used a Macuahuitl, which isn't found to be used by other Uto Aztecans as well as central mexican tribes like otomi. I believe it was introduced to the Tlingt and Mayans by Polynesian traders (Leiomano) but it looks like Tlingt may have actually made theirs of copper.

[@williamhowerton744]

Keep on seeing comments comparing nahuatl to this language. Nahuatl is a breeze compared to this. Nahuatl is also more harmonious and soothing compared to this.

[@chibiromano5631]

thats classical nahautl not actual nahuatl.

[@williamhowerton744]

@@chibiromano5631 huh?

[@groboclone]

this is the huchghhhh-iest language

[@bettr2buttr813]

It sounds like a beautiful dialect of Klingon

[@YogSosoth]

So Klingon was based on this language?

[@Oddgirl]

Klingon pulls from several languages. A few are Indigenous American languages, and the most recent Klingons really sound like they're speaking some pidgin form of Tlingit with a Cree accent. I think their language coach is probably used to the Cree accent as it's very common in movies, even when speaking Lakota.

[@mattcolumbia7948]

Is this the world's first dirty joke?