Nganasan

Print

Primary tabs

A language of Russian Federation

ISO 639-3
nio
Alternate Names
Nya, Tavgi Samoyed
Autonym
Ня”‎ (Nja’), Ӈана”са‎ (Ŋanaʿsa)
User Population

130 (2010 census). A group of about 100 lead a semi-nomadic life in Dudypta river region near Ust’-Avam (Salminen 2007). Ethnic population: 860 (2010 census).

Location

Krasnoyarsk krai: Duinka region, Ust-Avam and Volochanka villages; Khatang region, Novaya village; northernmost people in Russia, Siberia, Taimyr peninsula.

Language Maps
Language Status

7 (Shifting).

Classification
Uralic, Samoyed, Northern Samoyed
Dialects

Avam (West Nganasan), Khatang.

Language Use

Limited use in the home. Adults only. No child speakers (Leisiö 2006). Mixed attitudes, from neutral to mildly positive. Ethnic pride expressed and status enhanced by knowledge of Nganasan. Shifting to Russian [rus] (Leisiö 2006). Also use Dolgan [dlg]. Used as L2 by Tundra Enets [enh].

Language Development

Dictionary. Grammar.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Nganasan
Writing

Cyrillic script [Cyrl].

Other Comments

2 ethnic groups: Avam and Vadeyev. From 1960s–1980s resettled in villages formerly used as winter quarters or trading posts along migratory routes in 1940s. Previous intermittent contact with Tundra Enets and Nenets, and formerly officially were considered part of them. Resettlement brought close contact with Russian, Ukrainian [ukr], Belarusian [bel], and Tatar [tat]. Traditional religion.