Page Type: languageGilyak | Ethnologue

NIV ISO 639-3

Gilyak

Nivxgu, Нивхгу диф‎ (Nivxgu dif) Autonym

A language of Russian Federation

ISO 639
niv
Alternate Names
Nivkh, Nivkhi
Autonym
Nivxgu, Нивхгу диф‎ (Nivxgu dif)
Population
200 (2010 census). A few hundred active users (Salminen 2007). Ethnic population: 4,650 (2010 census).
Location:
Sakhalin province: Nekrasovka and Nogliki villages, Chir-Unvd, Moskalvo, Rybnoe, Viakhtu, and other villages; Khabarovsk krai: Aleyevka village, Amur river area.
Language Status
8a (Moribund).
Classification
Language isolate
Dialects
Amur, East Sakhalin Gilyak, North Sakhalin Gilyak. Amur and East Sakhalin dialects have difficult inherent mutual intelligibility. North Sakhalin is between them linguistically.
Typology
SOV; postpositions; case-marking (8 cases); passives (active, hortative, reflexive, reciprocal); aspect; 31 consonant and 12 vowels; non-tonal; no adjectives.
Language Use
Seriously endangered (2000 A. Kubrik). Forced resettlement weakened use. Some scattered without regular contact with other speakers. No younger speakers in Amur region and very few on Sakhalin (Salminen 2007). Home. Older adults only. Mixed attitudes, from neutral to mildly positive. Shifted to Russian [rus].
Language Development
Taught through second grade in settlements at Nogliki and Nekrasovka. Not taught at Amur. Dictionary. Grammar.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Gilyak
Writing
Cyrillic script [Cyrl], primary usage. Latin script [Latn], used between 1931–1953.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Sakhalin province: Nekrasovka and Nogliki villages, Chir-Unvd, Moskalvo, Rybnoe, Viakhtu, and other villages; Khabarovsk krai: Aleyevka village, Amur river area.