In today's world, Coosan languages is a topic that has become relevant in different areas of society. Its impact extends from politics to people's daily lives, generating debate and reflection around its influence and consequences. Throughout history, Coosan languages has been the object of study and interest, which has led to a deep and varied analysis of its implications. In this article, we will explore different perspectives and approaches around Coosan languages, with the aim of understanding its importance and scope today. By reviewing different studies and research, as well as presenting expert opinions, we aim to provide a comprehensive and enriching vision of Coosan languages, which contributes to the knowledge and understanding of this topic that is so relevant today.
Coosan | |
---|---|
Kusan | |
Ethnicity | Coos people |
Geographic distribution | Oregon |
Linguistic classification | Coast Oregon Penutian?
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Subdivisions | |
Glottolog | coos1248 |
Pre-contact distribution of Coosan languages in Oregon |
The Coosan (also Coos or Kusan) language family consists of two languages spoken along the southern Oregon coast. Both languages are now extinct.
Melville Jacobs (1939) says that the languages are as close as Dutch and German. They share more than half of their vocabulary, though this is not always obvious, and grammatical differences cause the two languages to look quite different.
The origin of the name Coos is uncertain: one idea is that it is derived from a Hanis stem gus- meaning 'south' as in gusimídži·č 'southward'; another idea is that it is derived from a southwestern Oregon Athabaskan word ku·s meaning 'bay'.
Frachtenburg was the first major ethnolinguist to address the relatedness of these languages, saying that Hanis and Miluk were dialects of the same "Kusan" language. Melville Jacobs also said that they were two dialects of the same languages; though he did note that Mrs. Annie Miner Peterson said they were in fact distinct languages and that Miluk had two dialects. In 1916 Edward Sapir suggested that the Coosan languages are part of a larger Oregon Penutian genetic grouping. This analysis has been accepted by some.
However, more recent work has placed Hanis and Miluk as both separate languages and part of their own language family, with Douglas-Tavani doing a comparative reconstruction of Proto-Coosan's phonemes and vocabulary
Short | /i/ | /e/ | /a/ | /u/ | /ə/ |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Long | /iː/ | /eː/ | /aː/ | /uː/ |
/ai/ | /a*/ |
/e*/ | /o*/ |
Aspirated | /p/, /t/, /c/, /ĉ/, /k/, /kw/, /q/, /ʔ/ |
---|---|
Optionally Voiced | /b/, /d/, /ɜ/, /g/, /gw/, /ɢ/ |
Ejectives | /pʼ/, /tʼ/, /cʼ/, /kʼ/, /kwʼ/, /qʼ/ |
Labial | Coronal | Dorsal | Glottal | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
plain | lateral | affricate | plain | labial | |||||
Occlusive | voice | b | d | d | g | gʷ | |||
voiceless | p | t | ts | tʃ | k | kʷ | |||
ejective | pʼ | tʼ | tsʼ | tʃʼ | kʼ | kʷʼ | |||
Continuant | voice | m | n | l | j | ||||
voiceless | s | ɬ | ʃ | x | w | h |
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (April 2009) |