Eyak is an extinct Na-Dené language that was historically spoken in southcentral Alaska, near the mouth of the Copper River.

Marie Smith Jones (May 14, 1918 â€“ January 21, 2008) of Cordova was the language's last native speaker, as well as the last full-blooded Eyak. Because of the dying-off of its native speakers, Eyak became a symbol in the fight against language extinction.

The spread of English and suppression of aboriginal languages are not the only reason for the decline of the Eyak language. The northward migration of the Tlingit people around Yakutat in precontact times encouraged the use of Tlingit rather than Eyak along much of the Pacific Coast of Alaska. Eyak was also under pressure from its neighbors to the west, the Alutiiq people of Prince William Sound, as well as some pressure from the people of the Copper River valley. Eyak and Tlingit culture began to merge along the Gulf Coast, and a number of Eyak speaking groups were absorbed by the Gulf Coast Tlingit populations. This resulted in the replacement of Eyak by Tlingit among most of the mixed groups after a few generations, as reported in Tlingit oral histories of the area.

The closest relatives of Eyak are the Athabaskan languages. The Eyak-Athabaskan cluster, together with Tlingit, forms the basic division of the Na-Dené language phylum.

Numerous Tlingit place names along the Gulf Coast are derived from names in Eyak; they have obscure or even nonsensical meanings in Tlingit, but oral tradition has maintained many Eyak etymologies. The existence of Eyak-derived Tlingit names along most of the coast towards southeast Alaska is strong evidence that the prehistoric range of Eyak was once far greater than it was at the time of European contact. This confirms both Tlingit and Eyak oral histories of migration throughout the region.

Consonants

{| class="wikitable"

Note: The /w/ is not very labial, and the /m/ is not a normal speech sound in Eyak.

Vowels

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Vowels followed by an "n" are nasalized.

External links

• Native Village of Eyak (official homepage of the Tribe)
• Alaska Native Language Center
• Wrangell's 1839 Comparative Word-List of Alaskan languages (includes Eyak)
• BBC News article about death of last native speaker, with her picture. (Article date January 24, 2008).
• Eyak Preservation Council
• From Stewards to Shareholders: Eyaks Face Extinction (interview).
• The Eyak Corporation (ANSCA Corporation)

Bibliography

• Krauss, Michael E., ed. 1982. In Honor of Eyak: The Art of Anna Nelson Harry. Fairbanks: Alaska Native Language Center. ISBN 0933769032
• Krauss, Michael E., and Jeff Leer. Athabaskan, Eyak, and Tlingit Sonorants. Alaska Native Language Center Research Papers No. 5. Alaska Native Language Center, University of Alaska, P.O. Box 757680, Fairbanks, AK 99775-7680, 1981. ISBN 0933769350
• New Yorker, June 6, 2005: "Last Words, A Language Dies" by Elizabeth Kolbert

References

1. http://www.adn.com/189/story/290580.html
2. BBC News | Americas | Last Alaska language speaker dies
3. " How Do You Learn a Dead Language?", Christine Cyr, Slate, Jan. 28, 2008
4. Marie Smith | Economist.com

		Bilabial
Alveolar
Postalveolar / palatal
	Velar
Uvular
	Glottal
Central
Lateral
Plain
Labial
Stops
	Unaspirated
d
g
gw
g̣
Aspirated
t
k
q
Ejective
t'
k'
q'
'
Affricate
	Unaspirated
dz
dl
j
Aspirated
ts
tl
ch
Ejective
ts'
tl'
ch'
Fricative
s
Å‚
sh
x
xw
x̣
h
Nasal
(m )
n
Approximant
l
y
w
	Tense/Long
Lax/Short
front
central
back
front
central
back
close
i.
u.
i
u
mid
e.
e /æ
a
open
a.
a