Makah
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A language of United States
Alternate Names
Kwe-Nee-Chee-Aht, Kweedishchaaht, qʷi·qʷi·diččaq
User Population
No known L1 speakers. The last fluent speaker, Ruth Claplanhoo, died in 2002 (2002 M. Barber). Ethnic population: 2,220 (2000 census).
Location
Washington: Neah Bay on northern tip of Olympic Peninsula, opposite Vancouver Island.
Language Status
9 (Dormant). Language of registered tribe: Makah Indian Tribe of the Makah Indian Reservation.
Typology
No nasal phonemes.
Language Use
Shifted to English [eng].
Language Development
Grammar. Since late 1970s Makah Cultural and Research Center has sponsored language education at Neah Bay (Golla 2007).