Page Type: languageSelkup | Ethnologue

SEL ISO 639-3

Selkup

шӧльӄумыт әты‎ (šöľqumyt әty) Autonym

A language of Russian Federation

ISO 639
sel
Alternate Names
Central Selkups, Chumyl’ Khumyt, Northern Selkups, Ostyak Samoyed, Shöl Khumyt, Shösh Gulla, Syusugulla
Autonym
шӧльӄумыт әты‎ (šöľqumyt әty)
Population
1,020 (2010 census). Central Selkup: 200 speakers, Northern Selkup: 1,000 to 1,500 speakers, Southern Selkup: less than 100 speakers (Salminen 2007). Ethnic population: 3,900 (2010 census).
Location:
Tomsk province: Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district; Krasnoyarsk krai: Krasnoselkup region, Krasnoselkup, Krasnoselkupskaya Tolka, and Ratta villages; Krasnoyarsk district, Farkovo; Purovsk region, Tolka Purovskaya village; Turukhan river basin; Baikha (all northern dialect); north Tomsk province area villages (southern dialect).
Language Status
6b (Threatened).
Classification
Uralic, Samoyed, Southern Samoyed
Dialects
Taz (Northern Sel’kup, Tazov-Baishyan), Tym (Kety), Narym (Central Selkup), Srednyaya Ob-Ket (Southern Sel’kup). Dialect continuum with difficult or impossible intelligibility between extremes. Southern speakers separated geographically from others. Northern Selkup literature not usable by Southern and Central.
Language Use
In Ratta and Purovskaya Tolka almost everybody knows Selkup, including children and other ethnicities. Some of all ages. Northern dialect spoken by 90% of people, but not mastered by young adults and children. Southern dialect spoken by 30%; 10–15 adults, all over 70, speak fluently. Most children are monolingual Russian [rus] speakers (Salminen 2007). Mixed attitudes. Attitudes are positive among Northern Selkups, neutral among Central and Southern Selkups. Also use Russian [rus], in most key domains, except perhaps among family.
Language Development
Northern dialect taught in schools through fourth grade. Dictionary. Grammar.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Selkup
Writing
Cyrillic script [Cyrl].
Other Comments
Formerly lingua franca for Ket, Evenki, Nenets, and Khanty. Traditional religion.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Tomsk province: Yamalo-Nenets autonomous district; Krasnoyarsk krai: Krasnoselkup region, Krasnoselkup, Krasnoselkupskaya Tolka, and Ratta villages; Krasnoyarsk district, Farkovo; Purovsk region, Tolka Purovskaya village; Turukhan river basin; Baikha (all northern dialect); north Tomsk province area villages (southern dialect).