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Ket

Yeniseian

FamilyYeniseian Speakers~150 (critically endangered) ScriptCyrillic CountriesRussia (Krasnoyarsk Krai) Official inNo (recognized minority) Vitalitycritically endangered ISO 639-3ket

Ket is the only surviving Yeniseian language, spoken by ~150 mostly elderly fluent speakers along the middle Yenisei River in Russia's Krasnoyarsk Krai — critically endangered. Edward Vajda's 2008 Dene-Yeniseian hypothesis links Yeniseian to Na-Dene languages of North America (Tlingit, Athabaskan), suggesting an ancient Beringian connection. Tonal (3 tones) and highly polysynthetic with circumfixal verbal morphology, its complex verb-driven alignment is better described as active than cleanly ergative-absolutive — unlike Chukchi, a classic ergative-absolutive Siberian language. Cyrillic-based orthography since the 1980s.

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Ket

Water

уьл

ulʲ

Fire

бок

bok

Sun

и

i

Moon

ӄип

qip

Star

ӄоʼ

qoʔ

Night

си

si

Rain

улесь

ulʲesʲ

Snow

тик

tik

Wind

бей

beːj

Earth

баʼӈ

baʔŋ

Stone

тыʼсь

tɨʔsʲ

Mountain

ӄаʼй

qaʔj

Sea

моря

mɔrʲa

Mother

ам

am

Father

об

oːp

Daughter

хуʼн

xʊʔn

I

ат

aʔt

You

у

uː

We

әтн

ɤtn

Name

и

iʔ

Person

кет

keʔt

Head

къе

kəjɛ

Eye

де

de

Ear

огдэ

oɡde

Nose

олын

olɨn

Mouth

ӄө

qo

Tooth

ит

jit

Tongue

эй

ej

Hand

тыр

tɯr

Foot

киʼсь

kʲiʔɕ

Heart

суӈ

suŋ

Bone

аʼт

aʔt

Blood

сюль

ɕuʎ

Poop

хоʼӄ

xoʔq

Love

синьси

sinʲsi

Tree

оксь

oksʲ

Dog

тип

tip

Cat

кошка

koʂka

Fish

ись

jiɕ

Bird

кеӈассель

kʲɛŋasːʲɛʎ

Butterfly

ӄумлей

qʊmʎɛj

Egg

эʼй

ɛʔj

Bear

ӄой

qoj

Horse

көнь

konʲ

House

куьсь

kusʲ

Milk

мамуль

mamuʎ

Honey

меʼт

mʲɛʔt

Salt

тъʼ

təʔ

Iron

е

e

Wheel

илтәп

iltəp

Book

книга

kɲiɡa

Eat

сьел

sʲel

Drink

уьлся

ulʲsʲa

Sleep

усень

ʊɕɛɲ

One

ӄусь

qusʲ

Two

ын

ɯːn

Three

доӈ

dɔŋ

Four

сик

sʲiːk

Five

ӄак

qaːk

Hundred

киʼ

kʲiʔ

Hello

торова

torova

Thank you

асьх

asʲx

Good

аӄта

aqta

New

киʼ

kʲiʔ

Red

сюлем

sjulem

White

тагым

taɡɨm

Black

тум

tum

Green

съʼнь

səʔnʲ

Blue

съʼнь

səʔnʲ

Cuckoo

ӄоӄпунь

qɔqˈpunʲ

Tea

сяʼй

sʲaʔj

Sugar

саар

saːr

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Yeniseian

Meaning KetYughNenetsTundra YukaghirErzyaBelarusianMiddle Irish
Water уьл /ulʲ/ хур /xur/ иˮ /iʔ/ лавйэ /lawje/ ведь /vʲedʲ/ вада /vaˈda/ usce /uske/
Fire бок /bok/ бок /bok/ ту /tu/ лачил /latʃil/ тол /tol/ агонь /aˈɣonʲ/ tene /tene/
Sun и /i/ ыга /ɨɣa/ хаер /xajer/ йэрпэйэ /jerpeje/ чи /tʃi/ сонца /ˈsontsa/ grían /ɡrian/
Moon ӄип /qip/ хып /xɨp/ ирий /irij/ киндьэ /kindʲe/ ков /kov/ месяц /ˈmʲesʲats/ ésca /eːska/
Star ӄоʼ /qoʔ/ алаӈ /alaŋ/ нумгы /ˈnumɡɨ/ паӻадьиидэкуу /paʁadʲiːdekuː/ теште /ˈtʲeʃtʲe/ зорка /ˈzorka/ rétla /ˈreːtla/
Night си /si/ си /si/ пи /pʲi/ чиӈичэл /tʃiŋitʃel/ ве /ve/ ноч /notʃ/ adaig /aðəɣʲ/
Rain улесь /ulʲesʲ/ — сарё /sarʲo/ тивэ /tiwe/ пиземе /pizʲemʲe/ дождж /doʂtʂ/ báitsech /ˈbaːtʲʃəx/
Snow тик /tik/ тик /tik/ сыра /sɨra/ эримэ /erime/ лов /lov/ снег /sʲnʲex/ snechta /sʲnʲextə/
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