Plains Miwok
Native toUnited States
EthnicityPlains and Sierra Miwok
Extinct1 speaker in 1962;[1] last speaker died late 1990s[2]
Yok-Utian
Language codes
ISO 639-3pmw
Glottologplai1259
ELPPlains Miwok

Plains Miwok, also known as Valley Miwok, was one of the Miwok languages spoken in central California by the Plains Miwok people. It was spoken in the deltas of the San Joaquin and Cosumnes Rivers. Plains Miwok was once one of the most populous Miwok languages. All of the population has shifted to English.

Phonology

Consonants
Bilabial Alveolar Post-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Glottal
Plosive plain p t k ʔ ⟨'⟩
voiced b[a] d[a] ɡ[a]
Affricate tʃ ⟨c⟩
Nasal m n ŋ
Fricative s h
Tap ɾ ⟨r⟩[a]
Approximant w l j ⟨j⟩
  1. ^ a b c d Phonemes taken from Spanish loan words.

Allophones of /b tʃ ɡ n s/ include [β ts ɣ ŋ ʂ].[3]

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i ɨ ⟨y⟩ u
Mid e ə o
Open a

References

  1. ^ H. Landar in Sebeok (1977)
  2. ^ Plains Miwok at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  3. ^ Callaghan, Catherine A. (1984). Plains Miwok Dictionary. University of California Press.

External links


Languages of California
Miwok indigenous peoples of California
Categories