Denaakkʼe
Koyukon
Na-Dené (Athabaskan, Northern, Central Alaska)
Koyukon (Denaakkʼe, "people's words") is the largest Northern Athabaskan language of central interior Alaska, spoken along the Yukon, Koyukuk, and Tanana rivers. The Koyukon people are traditional fisher-hunters who developed an extraordinarily detailed indigenous knowledge of the boreal ecosystem — documented in Richard K. Nelson's anthropological classic "Make Prayers to the Raven" (1983). Tonal with three registers, complex prefix-based verb morphology with classifier stems. Severely endangered; Alaska Native Language Center programs work toward revitalization.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Koyukon
Sources
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Na-Dené (Athabaskan, Northern, Central Alaska)
| Meaning | Koyukon | Wichita | Hupa | Mycenaean Greek | Carrier | Proto-Mayan | Irula |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | too /toː/ | kicʔa /kitsʔa/ | taʼna:n /taʔnaːn/ | 𐀄𐀈 /hudɔːr/ | too /tu/ | *haʔ /haʔ/ | nīr /niːɾ/ |
| Fire | kkonʼ /kːonʔ/ | heːcʔa /heːtsʔa/ | xoŋʼ /xoŋʔ/ | 𐀢 /pyːr/ | kwun /kʷun/ | *qʼaaqʼ /qʼaaqʼ/ | tī /tiː/ |
| Sun | so /so/ | saːkhirʔa /saːkʰiɾʔa/ | wha /hʷa/ | 𐀀𐀸𐀪𐀍 /haːwelios/ | sa /sa/ | *qʼiinh /qʼiinh/ | čūriyen /tʃuːɾijen/ |
| Moon | dołtʼolee /doɬtʼoliː/ | waːh /waːh/ | hwa-ʼaŋʼ /hwaʔɑŋʔ/ | 𐀕 /mɛːn/ | ʼulhdzis oozaʼ /ʔuɬdzis oːzaʔ/ | *uːh /uːh/ | niḷā /niɭaː/ |
| Star | tłoonʼ /tɬoːnʔ/ | hiːkwirikʔa /hiːkʷiɾikʔa/ | tsingʼ /tsiŋʔ/ | 𐀀𐀳𐀫 /astɛːr/ | sum /sum/ | *eʼq /eʼq/ | naṭčattiram /naʈtʃatːiɾam/ |
| Night | łida /ɬida/ | ckhaːrʔa /tskʰaːɾʔa/ | xiłeʼ /xiɬeʔ/ | — /—/ | ʼulhdzis /ʔuɬdzis/ | *aqʼabʼ /aqʼaɓ/ | ravu /ravu/ |
| Rain | konh /konh/ | — | — | — | chan /tʃan/ | *nhabʼ /ŋaɓ/ | — |
| Snow | tseetl /tsʰiːtɬʰ/ | hiraːʔa /hiɾaːʔa/ | nundil /nʊndɪl/ | — | yus̲ /jus/ | — | — |
| Earth | ninʼ /nɪnʔ/ | — | ninʼ /nɪnʔ/ | — | yun /jun/ | *chʼohchʼ /tʃʼohtʃʼ/ | — |
| Stone | laʼona /laʔona/ | — | — | — | t̲s̲e /tse/ | *ʔaʔbʼaj /ʔaʔbʼaj/ | kal /kal/ |
| Mother | eenaa /iːnaː/ | eciyeːh /etsijeːh/ | -anʼ /-anʔ/ | 𐀔𐀳 /maːtɛːr/ | oo /oː/ | *naʔ /naʔ/ | ammā /amːaː/ |
| Father | eetaa /iːtaː/ | taːtah /taːtah/ | -taʼ /-taʔ/ | 𐀞𐀳 /patɛːr/ | abe /abe/ | *taat /taat/ | ayyā /ajːaː/ |
| I | see /siː/ | nacʔih /natsʔih/ | whe /hʷe/ | 𐀁𐀒 /eɡɔː/ | si /si/ | *in /in/ | nānu /naːnu/ |
| You | nee /niː/ | nasʔih /nasʔih/ | niŋ /nɪŋ/ | 𐀶 /tuː/ | nen /nen/ | *ʔat /ʔat/ | nī /niː/ |
| We | — /—/ | — /—/ | nehe /nehe/ | — /—/ | neni /neni/ | — /—/ | nāvu /naːvu/ |
| Name | oos /oːs/ | hissaːrʔa /hissaːɾʔa/ | -ooziʼ /oːzɪʔ/ | 𐀃𐀜𐀔 /onoma/ | uzi /uzi/ | *bʼih /bʼih/ | pēru /peːɾu/ |
| Person | dinaa /dinaː/ | ihaas /ihaas/ | kʼiwinyaʼa:n /kʲʼiwinjaʔaːn/ | 𐀀𐀵𐀫𐀦 /antʰrɔːkʷos/ | dune /dune/ | *winaq /winaq/ | — |
| Head | -tłeeʼ /tɬiːʔ/ | — | — | — | ut̲s̲i /utsi/ | — | — |
| Eye | -noghaʼ /noɣaʔ/ | kirikʔa /kiɾikʔa/ | -na:ʼ /-nɑːʔ/ | — /—/ | oona /oːna/ | *Haty /hatʲ/ | kaṇṇ /kaɳː/ |
| Tooth | aghoʼ /axoʔ/ | aːkʔa /aːkʔa/ | woʼ /woʔ/ | — /—/ | ughu /uɣu/ | *ʔeeh /ʔeːh/ | pallu /palːu/ |
| Tongue | łolaʼ /ɬolaʔ/ | hacʼa /hatsʔa/ | sastan /sastan/ | — /—/ | ecula /etsula/ | *aaqʼ /aːqʼ/ | nāku /naːku/ |
| Hand | -loʼ /loʔ/ | iskʔa /iskʔa/ | -laʼ /-laʔ/ | 𐀐𐀁 /kʰɛːr/ | la /la/ | *qʼabʼ /qʼabʼ/ | kayyu /kajːu/ |
| Foot | -kkaaʼ /kːaːʔ/ | asʔa /asʔa/ | -xeʼ /-xeʔ/ | 𐀡𐀆 /podei/ | ʼuke /ʔuke/ | *ʔooq /ʔoːq/ | kālu /kaːlu/ |
| Heart | -dzaayaʼ /tsæːjəʔ/ | sikicʔa /sikitsʔa/ | -piŋ /-piŋ/ | — /—/ | ʼunjid /ʔundʒid/ | — /—/ | idayam /idajam/ |
| Bone | tlʼin /tɬʼin/ | kiːsʔa /kiːsʔa/ | -tsʼinʼ /-tsʼinʔ/ | — /—/ | ootsʼun /oːtsʼun/ | *bʼaaq /ɓaːq/ | elumbu /elumbu/ |
| Blood | lakona /lakona/ | waːckicʔa /waːtskitsʔa/ | tse:lin /tseːlin/ | — /—/ | delel /delel/ | *kikʼ /kikʼ/ | netaru /netaru/ |
| Love | kʼoonejee /kʼooneʒeː/ | — /—/ | na-wh-ʼishtʼeʼn /nɑwʔɪʃtʼɛʔn/ | 𐀠𐀫 /pʰilos/ | sjut /sdʒut/ | — /—/ | kāhal /kaːhal/ |
| Tree | kʼeyh /kʼejh/ | tiyaːhkw /tijaːhkʷ/ | kin /kɪn/ | 𐀈𐀬 /doru/ | dechen /detʃen/ | *teʔ /teʔ/ | maram /maɾam/ |
| Dog | łeek /ɬeːk/ | kiciyeːh /kitsijeːh/ | łingʼ /ɬiŋʔ/ | 𐀓𐀺 /kuwɔːn/ | lhi /ɬi/ | *tzʼiʔ /tzʼiʔ/ | nāyi /naːji/ |
| Cat | dotonh /dotonh/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | gus /ɡus/ | — /—/ | pūne /puːne/ |
| Fish | tookkʼa /toːkʼa/ | kaːcʔa /kaːtsʔa/ | ło:qʼ /ɬoːqʼ/ | — /—/ | lho /ɬo/ | *kar /kar/ | mīn /miːn/ |
| Bear | sis /sis/ | — | sa:tsʼ /saːtsʼ/ | — | sus /sus/ | — | — |
| House | yah /jah/ | akhaːrʔa /akʰaːɾʔa/ | xontah /xontɑh/ | 𐀺𐀂𐀒 /woikos/ | yoh /joh/ | *nah /nah/ | vīḍu /viːɖu/ |
| Milk | tlʼooʼ /tɬʼoːʔ/ | — | — | — | lilet /lilet/ | — | pāl /paːl/ |
| Salt | sol /sol/ | — | łehqʼonchʼ /ɬehqʼontʃʼ/ | — | lisel /lisel/ | *ʔaʔtzʼaam /ʔaʔtsʼaːm/ | — |
| Eat | kʼahonh /kʼahonh/ | kaʔac /kaʔats/ | na-ya:n /nɑjɑːn/ | 𐀁𐀈𐀕𐀙 /edmenai/ | ʼoonjuh /ʔoːndʒuh/ | *waʔ /waʔ/ | činnu /tʃinːu/ |
| Drink | kʼisinoonh /kʼisinoːnh/ | kikʔa /kikʔa/ | na-ʼa:n /nɑʔɑːn/ | 𐀡𐀜 /piːnɔː/ | dunjuh /dundʒuh/ | *ʔukʼ /ʔukʼ/ | kuḍi /kuɖi/ |
| One | kʼeetakkʼee /kʼiːtakʼiː/ | chiʔass /tsʰiʔass/ | łaʼ /ɬaʔ/ | 𐀁 /hen/ | ʼulhah /ʔuɬah/ | *jun /jun/ | onnu /onːu/ |
| Two | niteekkʼee /nitiːkʼiː/ | wic /wits/ | nahx /naːx/ | 𐀉𐀺 /duwoː/ | nanki /nanki/ | *kaʼ /kaʼ/ | reṇḍu /reɳɖu/ |
| Three | tokkʼee /tokʼiː/ | taw /taw/ | ta:qʼ /taːqʼ/ | 𐀯𐀪 /tiri/ | ta /ta/ | *ʼoxibʼ /ʔoʃiɓ/ | mūnru /muːnɾu/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | tsʼehdiyaʼ /tsʼɛhdɪjaʔ/ | — /—/ | ʼahdoozaee /ʔahdoːzaː/ | — /—/ | vannakkam /vanːakːam/ |
| Thank you | baaseeʼ /baːseːʔ/ | — /—/ | na:nehs-ʼe:n /nɑːnɛhsʔɛːn/ | — /—/ | snachailya /snatʃailja/ | — /—/ | nanri /nanɾi/ |
| Good | nizoonh /nizoːnh/ | acs /atss/ | niwhoŋ /nɪwhoŋ/ | 𐀀𐀏𐀳 /aɡatʰos/ | nezuʼ /nezuʔ/ | *utz /utz/ | nalla /nalːa/ |
| Red | nełtseeyh /neɬtseːjh/ | kwhaːc /kʷʰaːts/ | łitsʼ /ɬitsʼ/ | 𐀁𐀬𐀲𐀨 /erutʰraː/ | delqʼun /delqʼun/ | *kaq /kaq/ | sikappu /sikappu/ |
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