Abenaki, Eastern

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A language of United States

ISO 639-3
aaq
Alternate Names
Abenaki, Alnombak, Alnôbak, Eastern Abnaki, Wawenock
User Population

No known L1 speakers. The last speaker, Madeline Tower Shay, died in 1993 (Golla 2007). Ethnic population: 90 (2000 census). Total Abenaki in the United States.

Location

Maine: Androscoggin-Kennebec and Penobscot valleys.

Language Status

9 (Dormant). Language of registered tribe: Penobscot Nation.

Classification
Algic, Algonquian, Eastern Algonquian, Abenaki
Dialects

Penobscot (Penawahpskewi), Caniba.

Language Use

All shifted to English [eng].

Language Development

Texts. Attempts to reintroduce the language in the elementary school (2011) and to publish the first Penobscot dictionary (2013).

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Abenaki, Eastern
Other Comments

Penobscot dialect survived to the late 20th century near Bangor, Maine.