Yahi was a dialect of the extinct Yana language that was spoken in the upper Sacramento Valley area, roughly in the area between Mill Creek and Deer Creek. It is one of the southern dialects of Yana, which is a language isolate, though with possible connections to Hokan. Yana is known as having been the language of Ishi, the last surviving Yana Indian, who worked with anthropologists to make a record of the language and culture.
History The last documented speaker of Yahi was a man called Ishi who caused a scientific stir when he made contact with the outside world in 1911, long after the Yahi had been assumed to be extinct. Together with the language, he died in 1916.
Vocabulary Yahi distinguishes male and female forms with male forms, frequently marked with the suffix -na, generally longer than female forms. Some examples are: Male FormFemale FormMeaningdiwai-jadiwai-tchsee me!t'en'nat'etgrizzly bearyanayahperson
Examples Some language samples from Kroeber, TKroeber, T. Ishi in two worlds Berkeley: University of California Press, 1984 YahiEnglishähäyesk'u'inokuwishamanmudjaúpachiefsake mahalemenstruating womansaltuwhite personsiwiniyellow pinewataurisibastard
Pronouns YahiEnglishai'numayou (formal) auna - fire
Numerals Some numerals from Sapir et al.,Sapir, E., Swadesh. M., Haas, M. Yana Dictionary University of California Press, 1960 NumeralYahi1baigu2uxmic'igu3bulmic'igu4daumigu5xaaʒan6baiwawi78910xaaʒanwilsamc'gu20406080
Samples YahiEnglishachi djeyauna?what is his name?ine me yahi?are you an Indian?wo-wimy house
See also Yana traditional narratives
References
External links Ethnologue entry on the Yahi language