Tsoyaha
Yuchi
Language isolate
Yuchi (also Euchee; ISO 639-3: yuc) is a language isolate associated with Yuchi communities in the southeastern United States and now centered in Oklahoma. Yuchi people were forced west from ancestral homelands during nineteenth-century removals, and English-language schooling and assimilation caused severe language shift. The last generation of elderly first-language speakers has dwindled, but a fixed claim such as “fewer than five speakers” is quickly outdated: the community-led Yuchi Language Project works with remaining elders and reports that some young parents are again raising children with Yuchi as a first language. The language has elaborate person and noun-class distinctions, including forms sensitive to social identity, and men’s and women’s speech differ in certain pronouns and other forms. Community materials use a practical Latin-based writing system, while teaching emphasizes oral fluency, recordings, immersion, and intergenerational use; Yuchi has no official status.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Yuchi
Sources
- Linn (2001) — A grammar of Euchee (Yuchi)
- Wagner (1934) — Yuchi
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Language isolate
| Meaning | Yuchi | Proto-Mongolic | Khinalug | Daur | Chibcha | Wichita | Andi |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | tse /tse/ | *usun /usun/ | хьу /xu/ | oso /oso/ | sié /sje/ | kicʔa /kitsʔa/ | лъен /ɬen/ |
| Fire | ʼyati /ʔjati/ | *gal /ɡal/ | чӏаь /tʃʼæ/ | gali /ɡali/ | gata /ɡata/ | heːcʔa /heːtsʔa/ | цӏай /tsʼaj/ |
| Sun | tso /tso/ | *naran /naran/ | ынкь /ɨnqʼ/ | nara /nara/ | súa /sua/ | saːkhirʔa /saːkʰiɾʔa/ | миллӏи /milːi/ |
| Moon | shafa /ʃafa/ | *sara /sara/ | вацӏ /vatsʼ/ | sarūla /saruːla/ | chía /tʃia/ | waːh /waːh/ | борцӏцӏо /bortsʼːo/ |
| Star | weʼyv /weʔjʌ̃/ | *hodun /hodun/ | пхунцӏ /pχuntsʼ/ | odə /odə/ | fagua /faɣwa/ | hiːkwirikʔa /hiːkʷiɾikʔa/ | цӏцӏа /tsʼːa/ |
| Night | pado /pado/ | *söni /søni/ | сан /san/ | suni /suni/ | za /tsa/ | ckhaːrʔa /tskʰaːɾʔa/ | релъо /reɬo/ |
| Snow | sta /sta/ | *časun /tʃasun/ | ккыза /kːɨza/ | čas /tʃas/ | hichu /hitʃu/ | hiraːʔa /hiɾaːʔa/ | анзи /anzi/ |
| Mother | ditsehæ /ditsehæ/ | *eke /eke/ | даьдаь /dædæ/ | ewe: /eweː/ | guaia /ɡwaia/ | eciyeːh /etsijeːh/ | ила /ila/ |
| Father | dzetʼe /dzetʼe/ | *ečige /etʃiɡe/ | бый /bɨj/ | ečige /etʃiɡe/ | paba /paba/ | taːtah /taːtah/ | има /ima/ |
| I | di /di/ | *bi /bi/ | зы /zɨ/ | bi /bi/ | hycha /hɨtʃa/ | nacʔih /natsʔih/ | ден /dẽ/ |
| You | tse /tse/ | *či /tʃi/ | вы /vɨ/ | sí /si/ | mue /mue/ | nasʔih /nasʔih/ | мин /min/ |
| We | ʼõdi / nõdi /ʔõdi / nõdi/ | *bida / *ba /bida / ba/ | кин / йир /kʰin / jir/ | bide / ba: /bide / baː/ | chie /tʃie/ | — /—/ | илӏил /itɬʼil/ |
| Name | tiʼe /tiʔe/ | *nere /nere/ | цӏу /tsʼu/ | nera /nera/ | hyca /hɨka/ | hissaːrʔa /hissaːɾʔa/ | цӏер /tsʼeːr/ |
| Eye | gochi /ɡotʃʰi/ | *nidün /nidyn/ | пил /pʰil/ | nid /nid/ | upqua /upkʷa/ | kirikʔa /kiɾikʔa/ | гьаркӏо /harkʼo/ |
| Tooth | kẽ /kẽ/ | *sidün /sidyn/ | цулоз /tsuloz/ | sídə /sidə/ | sica /sika/ | aːkʔa /aːkʔa/ | сол /sol/ |
| Tongue | kʼẽka /kʼẽka/ | *kelen /kelen/ | мицӏ /mitsʼ/ | keli /keli/ | pqua /pkʷa/ | hacʼa /hatsʔa/ | мицӏцӏи /mitsʼːi/ |
| Hand | weʼothæ /weʔotʰæ/ | *gar /ɡar/ | кул /kʰul/ | gari /ɡari/ | yta /ɨta/ | iskʔa /iskʔa/ | рекьа /rekʼa/ |
| Foot | wedithæ /weditʰæ/ | *köl /køl/ | анк /ankʰ/ | kuli /kuli/ | quihicha /kihitʃa/ | asʔa /asʔa/ | чукӏа /tʃukʼa/ |
| Heart | wethæ /wetʰæ/ | *ǰirüken /dʒiryken/ | унг /uŋɡ/ | ǯurəgə /dʒurəɡə/ | puyquy /pujkɨ/ | sikicʔa /sikitsʔa/ | рокӏо /rokʼo/ |
| Bone | weshʼe /weʃʼe/ | *yasun /jasun/ | инкӏ /inkʼ/ | yas /jas/ | quyne /kɨne/ | kiːsʔa /kiːsʔa/ | рокьи /rotɬʼi/ |
| Blood | wi /wi/ | *čisun /tʃisun/ | пӏи /pʼi/ | čos /tʃos/ | hyba /hɨba/ | waːckicʔa /waːtskitsʔa/ | гьин /hin/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | ʼya /ʔja/ | *modun /modun/ | вишаь /viʃæ/ | mo:də /moːdə/ | quye /kɨe/ | tiyaːhkw /tijaːhkʷ/ | рикьва /riqʷːa/ |
| Dog | dzene /dzene/ | *nokai /nokai/ | пхра /pχra/ | nogə /noɡə/ | to /to/ | kiciyeːh /kitsijeːh/ | хвай /χʷaj/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Fish | shu /ʃu/ | *ǰigasu /dʒiɡasu/ | балыгъ /balɨʁ/ | ǯagusa /dʒaɡusa/ | gua /ɡua/ | kaːcʔa /kaːtsʔa/ | хвами /χwami/ |
| House | yufa /jufa/ | *ger /ɡer/ | цӏва /tsʼwa/ | geri /ɡeri/ | gué /ɡwe/ | akhaːrʔa /akʰaːɾʔa/ | хъоро /qʼoro/ |
| Eat | gothlæ /ɡoɬæ/ | *ide- /ide/ | кьандаь /qʼandæ/ | idə- /idə/ | quychua /kɨtʃwa/ | kaʔac /kaʔats/ | икъвин /iqʷːin/ |
| Drink | pʼe /pʼe/ | *uu- /uu/ | цуври /tsuvri/ | o: /oː/ | biohotysuca /bjohotɨsuka/ | kikʔa /kikʔa/ | игьин /ihin/ |
| One | hitʼe /hitʼe/ | *nigen /nigen/ | са /sa/ | nəka /nəka/ | ata /ata/ | chiʔass /tsʰiʔass/ | цеб /tseb/ |
| Two | nõwe /nõwe/ | *koyar /kojar/ | кӏу /kʼu/ | hoira /hoira/ | boza /boza/ | wic /wits/ | чӏеди /tʃʼedi/ |
| Three | nǫkæ /nõkæ/ | *gurban /ɡurban/ | пшва /pʃʷa/ | guarwe /ɡuarwe/ | mica /mika/ | taw /taw/ | лъобгу /ɬobɡu/ |
| Five | chʼwahe /tʃʼwahe/ | *tabun /tabun/ | пхьу /pxu/ | ta:w /taːw/ | hyzca /hɨzka/ | — | иншдугу /inʃːduɡu/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | sæle /sæle/ | *sajin /sajin/ | ксан /ksan/ | sain /sain/ | choin /tʃoin/ | acs /atss/ | шув /ʃuv/ |
| Red | tshyathla /tsʰjaɬa/ | *hulaɣan /hulaɣan/ | ццыма /tsɨma/ | ulān /ulaːn/ | hychen mague /hɨtʃen maɡwe/ | kwhaːc /kʷʰaːts/ | гьири /hiri/ |
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