Gilyak

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A language of Russian Federation

ISO 639-3
niv
Alternate Names
Nivkh, Nivkhi
Autonym
Nivxgu, Нивхгу диф‎ (Nivxgu dif)
User Population

200 (2010 census). A few hundred active users (Salminen 2007). Ethnic population: 4,650 (2010 census).

Location

Sakhalin province: Nekrasovka and Nogliki villages, Chir-Unvd, Moskalvo, Rybnoe, Viakhtu, and other villages; Khabarovsk krai: Aleyevka village, Amur river area.

Language Maps
Language Status

8a (Moribund).

Classification
Language isolate
Dialects

Amur, East Sakhalin Gilyak, North Sakhalin Gilyak. Amur and East Sakhalin dialects have difficult inherent mutual intelligibility. North Sakhalin is between them linguistically.

Typology

SOV; postpositions; case-marking (8 cases); passives (active, hortative, reflexive, reciprocal); aspect; 31 consonant and 12 vowels; non-tonal; no adjectives.

Language Use

Seriously endangered (2000 A. Kubrik). Forced resettlement weakened use. Some scattered without regular contact with other speakers. No younger speakers in Amur region and very few on Sakhalin (Salminen 2007). Home. Older adults only. Mixed attitudes, from neutral to mildly positive. Shifted to Russian [rus].

Language Development

Taught as subject in primary schools through grade 2. Dictionary. Grammar.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Gilyak
Writing

Cyrillic script [Cyrl], primary usage. Latin script [Latn], used between 1931–1953.