# Alutiiq language

The Alutiiq language (also called Sugpiak, Sugpiaq, Sugcestun, Suk, Supik, Pacific Gulf Yupik, Gulf Yupik, Koniag-Chugach) is a close relative to the Central Alaskan Yup'ik language spoken in the western and southwestern Alaska, but is considered a distinct language.
The ethnonyms of the Sugpiaq-Alutiiq are a predicament. Aleut, Alutiiq, Sugpiaq, Russian, Pacific Eskimo, Unegkuhmiut, and Chugach Eskimo are among the terms that have been used to identify this group of Native people living on the Lower Kenai Peninsula of Alaska.
About 400 of the Alutiiq population of 3,000 still speak the Alutiiq language. Alutiiq communities are currently in the process of revitalizing their language. In 2010 the high school in Kodiak responded to requests from students and agreed to teach the Alutiiq language. The Kodiak dialect of the language was spoken by only about 50 persons, all of them elderly, and the dialect was in danger of being lost entirely. As of 2014, Alaska Pacific University in Anchorage is offering classes using the "Where Are Your Keys?" technique.

## Dialects

It has two major dialects:
* Koniag Alutiiq: spoken on the upper part of the Alaska Peninsula and on Kodiak Island; it was also spoken on Afognak Island before that was deserted by the people in the wake of the 1964 Good Friday earthquake.
* Chugach Alutiiq: spoken on the Kenai Peninsula and in Prince William Sound.

## Phonology
### Consonants

| | | Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | Velar | Velar | Uvular | Uvular |
| | | Labial | Alveolar | Palatal | plain | lab. | plain | lab. |
| Nasal | voiceless | m̥ | n̥ | | ŋ̊ | | | |
| Nasal | voiced | m | n | | ŋ | | | |
| Stop/Affricate | Stop/Affricate | p | t | t͡ʃ | k | kʷ | q | |
| Fricative | voiceless | f | s | | x | xʷ | χ | χʷ |
| Fricative | voiced | | | | ɣ | ɣʷ | ʁ | ʁʷ |
| Fricative | lateral | | ɬ | | | | | |
| Approximant | Approximant | | l | j | | w | | |
* ↑ A /χʷ/ sound sometimes occurs, and is either written as ur, or occurs as a sound of a syllable-final rw; /ʁʷ/, and occurs as an allophone of /ʁʷ/ after consonants like /q/.
* ↑ [w] is an allophone of /ɣʷ/ syllable-finally and elsewhere.
Consonants may be geminated (e.g. kk; [kː]). Two consecutive identical consonants are pronounced either separately or as a geminate depending on dialect. More consonants /ɾ~r, lʲ, rʲ/ are found in loanwords.

### Vowels

| | Front | Central | Back |
| Close | i | | u |
| Mid | | ə | |
| Open | | a | |
All vowels except /ə/ are considered full vowels and can be either short or long. /ə/ does not lengthen and does not occur in vowel clusters but may tend to be devoiced as [ə̥] next to other consonants.

## Orthography

* a - [ä]
* c - [t͡ʃ]
* e - [ə]
* f - [f]
* g - [x]
* gw - [xʷ]
* hm - [m̥]
* hn - [n̥]
* hng - [ŋ̊]
* i - [i]
* k - [k]
* kw - [kʷ]
* l - [l]
* ll - [ɬ]
* m - [m]
* n - [n]
* ng - [ŋ]
* p - [p]
* q - [q]
* r - [χ]
* ʀ - [r]
* s - [s]
* t - [t]
* u - [u]
* w - [w]
* y - [j]
After voiceless consonants, the voiceless nasals are written without h-.

### Other letters

* aa - [aː]
* ai - [ai]
* au - [au]
* ia - [ia]
* ii - [iː]
* iu - [iu]
* ua - [ua]
* ui - [ui]
* uu - [uː]

## Vocabulary comparison

The comparison of number terms and month names in the two dialects:
| English | Koniag Alutiiq | Chugach Alutiiq | Chugach Alutiiq |
| English | Koniag Alutiiq | Nanwalek & Port Graham | Chenega |
| 1 | allringuq / allriluq | allringuq | all'inguq |
| 2 | mal'uk | malruk / mall'uk | atel'ek |
| 3 | pingayun | pingayun | pinga'an |
| 4 | staaman | staaman | staaman |
| 5 | talliman | talliman | talliman |
| 6 | arwilgen | arwilgen | arwinlen |
| 7 | mallrungin | mallruungin | maquungwin |
| 8 | inglulgen | inglulen | inglulen |
| 9 | qulnguyan | qulnguan | qulnguan |
| 10 | qulen | qulen | qulen |
| English | Koniag Alutiiq | Chugach Alutiiq | Chugach Alutiiq |
| January | Cuqllirpaaq Iraluq | | |
| February | Nanicqaaq Iraluq | Yaʼalungia'aq | Yaʼalungia'aq |
| March | Kaignasqaq Iraluq | Ya'alullraaq | Ya'alullraaq |
| April | Uqna'isurt'sqaaq Iraluq | Saqulegciq | Saqulegciq |
| May | Nikllit Iraluat | Maniit Ya'allua | Maniit Ya'allua |
| June | Naut'staat Iraluat | Iqallugciq | Iqallugciq |
| July | Amartut Iraluat | . | . |
| August | Alaganat Iraluat | Uksuam Ya'allua | Uksuam Ya'allua |
| September | Qakiiyat Iraluat | Alusastuam Ya'allua | Alusastuam Ya'allua |
| October | Kakegllum Iralua | . | . |
| November | Quyawim Iralua | Kapkaanam Ya'allua | Kapkaanam Ya'allua |
| December | Qanim Iralua | . | . |
| English | Koniag Alutiiq | Chugach Alutiiq | Chugach Alutiiq |