Documentation:RelLex/Yakutat Language
Yakutat Language
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Language Name
Eyak.
Alternate Language Names
Igya'aq.
Region
Alaska, United States.
Who
Johan Hampus Furuhjelm/Hjalmar Furuhjelm.
Others Involved
George Gibbs (Consultant and Author of Tribes of Western Washington and Northwestern Oregon); Governors of the Russian Colonies in America, Governor Wowodsky (Contributors); Peter A. Lanyon-Orgill (Editor for Captain Cook's South Sea Island Vocabularies); W.H. Dall (Author of Tribes of the Extreme Northwest); U.S. Department of the Interior (Publisher of Dall's and Gibb's works).
Publishing Information
Alaska Native Language Archive estimates that this word list was published in approximately 1861. Some of the notes have been added later.
How People are Cited
The first page of the dictionary cites the author as well as George Gibbs. The Governors of the Russian Colonies in America and Governor Wowodsky are cited on page 46 of the PDF under a summary of the letter they are mentioned in. W.H. Dall and the Department of the Interior are cited on page 81 of the PDF. Finally, Peter A. Lanyon-Orgill is cited on page 100 of the PDF. No speakers are cited.
How Information is Cited
It is not clear where the information discussed is coming from. The information that is included is handwritten or faded, and sometimes hard to decipher.
Where is Information Coming from
Information about details of the dictionary seem to be included in the letters exchanged between Gibbs and Furuhjelm. However, we are unable to decipher whether they are the original source of information for the dictionary.
Tools and Framework used
This word list is a scan of handwritten notes, letters and documents, and is available as a digital book.
Access
The digital copy of this word list is open access through the Alaska Native Language Archive.
Included Languages and Directionality
English to Eyak.
Dialects Included
Eyak is mentioned as "Yakutat (Tlingit)" various times throughout the PDF. There is mention of "vocabulary of an Indian language spoken around Ft. Ross, Calif." (pg. 75 of the PDF). Other than these remarks, we are unable to determine if any dialects are specified for this word list.
Type of Dictionary
This resource is a compilation of handwritten and typed notes in the form of a bilingual, mono-directional wordlist.
How are Entries Organised
The word list is titled Comparative Vocabulary and is organized topically; the last name of the author is included in the header of each page. Entries do not have headings to organize the themes, but they are grouped together based on what theme they belong to. The same wordlist is typed right below it with handwritten notes from the author and the consultant.
Other Features
| Feature | Included | More Information |
|---|---|---|
| Guide to use and understand | ❌ | |
| Audio | ❌ | |
| Images | ❌ | |
| Example phrases | ❌ | |
| Speakers marked | ❌ | |
| Dialects marked | ❌ |
Other Notes
This resource is a collection of handwritten notes and quite difficult to read. There are various scans of letters between Gibbs and Furuhjelm included in the resource, with a small typed summary for some of the letters, in order to understand their context.
There are other scanned documents from other authors providing information about the author of the wordlist and other individuals.
The first volume of North American Ethnology from the Department of the Interior is scanned and includes two wordlists, one comparing English to Yak'utat, Tah'-ku-kwan, Skat'-kwan, Stakhlu'-kwan and Sit'-ka-kwan; and another comparing Kygini, Stikakwan, Stakhiekwan, Yákūtat, Ūgaléntsi, Ahteni, Kenáitená, Tenin-kutch'in, Kutchákutch'in, Kaiyuhkhatána (Ulukuk), Kaiyuhkhatána (Northeastern) and Unakhatána.
External Links
Yakutat Language: https://www.uaf.edu/anla/record.php?identifier=EY861F1861