Page Type: languageSlavey, South | Ethnologue

XSL ISO 639-3

Slavey, South

Deh Gáh Ghotie Zhatie Autonym

A language of Canada

ISO 639
xsl
Alternate Names
Acha’otinne, Dene, Dene Tha’, Denetha, Dené, Esclave du Sud, Mackenzian, “Slave” (pej.), “Slavi” (pej.)
Autonym
Deh Gáh Ghotie Zhatie
Population
950 (2016 census). Ethnic population: 3,600 (1995 M. Krauss).
Location:
Alberta province: Hay River area and Steen River-May Creek watershed; British Columbia province: Fort Nelson-Snake river area; Northwest Territories: Mackenzie district, Great Slave Lake, upper Mackenzie River.
Language Status
7 (Shifting). Statutory language of provincial identity in NWT (1988, NWT Official Languages Act, Chapter 56 (Supplemented), Section 4), restricted official use. Language of recognized indigenous peoples: Acho Dene Koe, Deh Gáh Got’ie Dene, Dene Tha’, Fort Nelson, Jean Marie River, K’atlodeeche, Ka’a’gee Tu, Liidlii Kue, Pehdzeh Ki, Ross River, Sambaa K’e, West Point, Yellowknives Dene.
Classification
Eyak-Athabaskan, Athabaskan, Northern Athabaskan, Slavey-Hare
Dialects
In North [scs] and South Slavey dialect continuum which includes Hare, Bear Lake, Mountain, South Slavey, northern Alberta Slavey and Fort Nelson Slavey. A member of macrolanguage Slave [den].
Language Use
Older people still use South Slavey in smaller, isolated communities; serious attrition among children and young people. All shifting to English [eng].
Language Development
Literacy rate in L2: 25%–50%. Dictionary. Grammar. NT: 1891.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Slavey, South
Writing
Latin script [Latn]. Unified Canadian Aboriginal Syllabics script [Cans], no longer in use.

Also Spoken in

Map

Location: Alberta province: Hay River area and Steen River-May Creek watershed; British Columbia province: Fort Nelson-Snake river area; Northwest Territories: Mackenzie district, Great Slave Lake, upper Mackenzie River.