Pomoan languages
Encyclopedia
Pomoan is a family of endangered language
s spoken in northern California
by the Pomo people
on the Pacific Coast
. According to the 2000 census, there are 255 speakers of the languages. Of these, 45 are between the ages of 5 and 17, including 15 with limited English proficiency.
John Wesley Powell
designated this group of languages as the Kulanapan family in 1891, and noted that its boundaries were the Pacific Ocean to the west, Yukian and Copehan territories to the east, the watershed of the Russian River
to the north, and Bodega Head
and present-day location of Santa Rosa, California
to the south.
, Mendocino, and Sonoma County in Northern California
in the United States
. Of the seven languages, six were spoken in a in a contiguous region among these three counties, while the seventh, only Northeastern Pomo
, was discontiguous, separated from the other Pomo languages by an intervening region of Wintun speakers.
in 1908 for their geographic locations. At the time of Barrett's classification, these languages were thought to be dialects of a single language. But, the diversity and non-intelligibility between Pomoan languages has shown them to be seven distinct languages. Barrett's naming convention often leads those unfamiliar with the languages to the misconception that the Pomoan languages are dialects of one single Pomo language.
The "Kulanapan Family" in John Wesley Powell
's 1891 classification of North American Languages included most of the communities now known to have spoken Pomoan languages. The term "Kulanapan" originated as the name of one Pomo band from the Clear Lake area, and was first applied to the whole Pomoan family by George Gibbs
in 1853.
Northern Pomo and Northeastern Pomo are now extinct
(Northern Pomo in 1994). The remaining Pomoan languages are spoken by rapidly diminishing handfuls of elderly speakers. Kashaya has the most speakers.
Pomoan has been included in all formulations of the controversial Hokan
language phylum.
Various genetic subgroupings of the family have been proposed, although the general outlines have remained fairly consistent. Mithun, records the following tree from Robert L. Oswalt. (Here major branches are in bold and dialects of individual languages are in italics, subgroupings in ):
Campbell 1997 reiterates this grouping, citing a 1978 article by Oswalt and Sally McLendon in the Handbook of American Indian Languages.
Endangered language
An endangered language is a language that is at risk of falling out of use. If it loses all its native speakers, it becomes a dead language. If eventually no one speaks the language at all it becomes an "extinct language"....
s spoken in northern California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
by the Pomo people
Pomo people
The Pomo people are an indigenous peoples of California. The historic Pomo territory in northern California was large, bordered by the Pacific Coast to the west, extending inland to Clear Lake, and mainly between Cleone and Duncans Point...
on the Pacific Coast
Pacific Coast
A country's Pacific coast is the part of its coast bordering the Pacific Ocean.-The Americas:Countries on the western side of the Americas have a Pacific coast as their western border.* Geography of Canada* Geography of Chile* Geography of Colombia...
. According to the 2000 census, there are 255 speakers of the languages. Of these, 45 are between the ages of 5 and 17, including 15 with limited English proficiency.
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
designated this group of languages as the Kulanapan family in 1891, and noted that its boundaries were the Pacific Ocean to the west, Yukian and Copehan territories to the east, the watershed of the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
to the north, and Bodega Head
Bodega Head
Bodega Head is a small promontory on the Pacific coast of northern California in the United States. It is located in Sonoma County at , approximately 40 mi northwest of San Francisco and approximately 20 mi west of Santa Rosa....
and present-day location of Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa is the county seat of Sonoma County, California, United States. The 2010 census reported a population of 167,815. Santa Rosa is the largest city in California's Wine Country and fifth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, after San Jose, San Francisco, Oakland, and Fremont and 26th...
to the south.
Geographical distribution
Historically, the Pomoan languages covered an area which corresponds to modern LakeLake County, California
Lake County is a county located in the north central portion of the U.S. state of California, north of the San Francisco Bay Area. It takes its name from Clear Lake, the dominant geographic feature in the county and the largest natural lake wholly within California...
, Mendocino, and Sonoma County in Northern California
Northern California
Northern California is the northern portion of the U.S. state of California. The San Francisco Bay Area , and Sacramento as well as its metropolitan area are the main population centers...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Of the seven languages, six were spoken in a in a contiguous region among these three counties, while the seventh, only Northeastern Pomo
Northeastern Pomo language
Northeastern Pomo, also known as Salt Pomo, is a Pomoan language of Northern California. There are no living fluent speakers. It was spoken along Story Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River.-External links:...
, was discontiguous, separated from the other Pomo languages by an intervening region of Wintun speakers.
Internal relationships of languages
Pomoan consists of 7 distinct languages, named by Samuel BarrettSamuel Barrett
Samuel Alfred Barrett was an anthropologist and linguist who studied Native American peoples. He began his career at UC Berkeley, and received the first doctorate in anthropology from that university's new anthropology program in 1908....
in 1908 for their geographic locations. At the time of Barrett's classification, these languages were thought to be dialects of a single language. But, the diversity and non-intelligibility between Pomoan languages has shown them to be seven distinct languages. Barrett's naming convention often leads those unfamiliar with the languages to the misconception that the Pomoan languages are dialects of one single Pomo language.
The "Kulanapan Family" in John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
's 1891 classification of North American Languages included most of the communities now known to have spoken Pomoan languages. The term "Kulanapan" originated as the name of one Pomo band from the Clear Lake area, and was first applied to the whole Pomoan family by George Gibbs
George Gibbs (geologist)
George Gibbs was an American geologist and ethnologist who contributed to the study of the languages of indigenous peoples in Washington Territory. Known for his expertise on Native American customs and languages, Gibbs participated in numerous treaty negotiations between the U.S...
in 1853.
Northern Pomo and Northeastern Pomo are now extinct
Extinct language
An extinct language is a language that no longer has any speakers., or that is no longer in current use. Extinct languages are sometimes contrasted with dead languages, which are still known and used in special contexts in written form, but not as ordinary spoken languages for everyday communication...
(Northern Pomo in 1994). The remaining Pomoan languages are spoken by rapidly diminishing handfuls of elderly speakers. Kashaya has the most speakers.
Pomoan has been included in all formulations of the controversial Hokan
Hokan languages
The Hokan language family is a hypothetical grouping of a dozen small language families spoken in California, Arizona and Mexico. In nearly a century since Edward Sapir first proposed the "Hokan" hypothesis, little additional evidence has been found that these families were related to each other...
language phylum.
Various genetic subgroupings of the family have been proposed, although the general outlines have remained fairly consistent. Mithun, records the following tree from Robert L. Oswalt. (Here major branches are in bold and dialects of individual languages are in italics, subgroupings in ):
- Southeastern PomoSoutheastern Pomo languageSoutheastern Pomo, also known as Lower Lake Pomo, is a Pomoan language of Northern California. It was spoken along the eastern coast of Clear Lake, in Northern California.-External links:...
Lower Lake, Sulphur Bank - Eastern PomoEastern Pomo languageEastern Pomo is a moribund Pomoan language, spoken around Clear Lake in Lake County, California by one of the several Pomo peoples. It is not mutually intelligible with the other Pomoan languages...
: Upper Lake, Big Valley - Northeastern PomoNortheastern Pomo languageNortheastern Pomo, also known as Salt Pomo, is a Pomoan language of Northern California. There are no living fluent speakers. It was spoken along Story Creek, a tributary of the Sacramento River.-External links:...
-
- Northern Pomo: Potter Valley, Guidiville, Pinoleville
-
- Central PomoCentral Pomo languageCentral Pomo is one of the seven Pomoan languages spoken in Northern California. It is currently an endangered language, with fewer than 10 speakers...
: Hopland = Shanel, Yokaya, Point Arena-Manchester - Southern PomoSouthern Pomo languageSouthern Pomo is one of seven mutually unintelligible Pomoan languages which were formerly spoken by the Pomo people in Northern California along the Russian River and Clear Lake. The Pomo languages have been grouped together with other so-called Hokan languages...
: West Creek, Salmonhole - KashayaKashaya languageKashaya is a name for a branch of Pomo people whose historical home is the Pacific Coastline of what is now Sonoma County, California, and also their severely endangered Pomoan language. The Pomoan languages have been classified as part of the Hokan language family, although this proposal is...
= Kashia = Southwestern Pomo
- Central Pomo
Campbell 1997 reiterates this grouping, citing a 1978 article by Oswalt and Sally McLendon in the Handbook of American Indian Languages.
External links
- Pomo (Yakaya, Yokaia, Shanel, Kábinapek) (Native Languages of the Americas)
- Kashaya (Kashia, Southwestern Pomo) (Native Languages of the Americas)
- Pomo/Kashaya Bibliography
- Ethnologue: Pomo
- Pomo People: Brief History