Karkin language

The Karkin language (also called Los Carquines in Spanish) is one of eight Ohlone languages. It was extinct by the 1950s and was formerly spoken in north central California.^[2]

Karkin is an Ohlone/Costanoan language, in the Utian language family,^[3][4] which is a Yok-Utian language, in the Penutian language family.^[2]

It was historically spoken by the Karkin people, who lived in the Carquinez Strait region in the northeast portion of the San Francisco Bay estuary.^[5] Its only documentation is a single vocabulary obtained by linguist-missionary Felipe Arroyo de la Cuesta at Mission Dolores in 1821.^[6] Although meager, the records of Karkin show that it constituted a distinct branch of Costanoan, strikingly different from the neighboring Chochenyo Ohlone language and other Ohlone languages spoken farther south.^[7] Karkin has probably not been spoken since the 19th century.

All Costanoan languages became extinct, but some are being studied and revived.^[8]

Notes

References

• Beeler, Madison S. 1961. "Northern Costanoan." International Journal of American Linguistics 27: 191–197.
• Callaghan, Catherine A. 1997. "Evidence for Yok-Utian." International Journal of American Linguistics 63:18–64.
• Golla, Victor. 2007. "Linguistic Prehistory." California Prehistory: Colonization, Culture, and Complexity. Terry L. Jones and Kathryn A. Klar, eds., pp. 71–82. New York: Altamira Press. ISBN 978-0-7591-0872-1.
• Milliken, Randall T. 1995. A Time of Little Choice: The Disintegration of Tribal Culture in the San Francisco Bay Region, 1769–1810. Menlo Park, CA: Ballena Press.
• Milliken, Randall T. 2008. Native Americans at Mission San Jose. Banning, CA: Malki-Ballena Press. ISBN 978-0-87919-147-4.

Further reading

• Callaghan, C.A. 1988. "Karkin Revisited." International Journal of American Linguistics 54: 436–452.

External links

• Karkin language overview at the Survey of California and Other Indian Languages
• Costanoan/Ohlone Indian Language
• "OLAC resources in and about the Karkin language". Retrieved 2012-12-09. 

Ohlone (Costanoan) indigenous people of California
Groups	Awaswas Rumsen Chalon Chochenyo Karkin Mutsun Ramaytush Tamyen Verona Band of Alameda County Yelamu List of tribes and villages
Culture	Religion Traditional narratives Hunting and gathering Native American
Languages	Ohlone languages: Karkin Awaswas Chalon Chochenyo Mutsun Ramaytush Rumsen Tamyen

Languages of California
Indigenous	Algic Wiyot Yurok Athabascan Tolowa Hupa Mattole Kato Wailaki Chumashan Obispeño Island Chumash Purisimeño Ineseño Barbareño Ventureño Ohlone Karkin Chochenyo Ramaytush Tamyen Awaswas Mutsun Rumsen Chalon Hokan Chimariko Karuk Achomawi Atsugewi Northeastern Pomo Eastern Pomo Southeastern Pomo Northern Pomo Central Pomo Southern Pomo Kashaya Washo Mojave Kumeyaay Yana Yahi Penutian Klamath-Mudoc Yokuts Wintu Bay Miwok Coast Miwok Lake Miwok Plains Miwok Central Sierra Miwok Northern Sierra Miwok Southern Sierra Miwok Valley Maidu Northeast Maidu Northwest Maidu Nisenan Shastan Konomihu New River Shasta Okwanuchu Shasta Uto Aztecan Cahuilla Cupeño Kawaiisu Kitanemuk Luiseño-Juaneño Mono Northern Paiute Panamint Serrano Tataviam Tongva Ute Wintuan Nomlaki Patwin Southern Patwin Wintu Yokutsan Buena Vista Yokuts, Chukchansi, Gashowu Yokuts, Kings River Yokuts, Palewyami, Tule-Kaweah Yokuts, Valley Yokuts Yukian Yuki, Wappo Language isolates and Unclassified Esselen, Chimariko, Karuk, Salinan, Takelma Plains Sign Talk
Non-Indigenous	Indo-European American English California English Chicano English Spanish Armenian Punjabi Russian Asian Chinese Korean Tagalog Vietnamese Francosign American Sign Language
Italics indicate extinct languages