Tlingit (Lingít)

Tlingit is a Na-Déné language with about 575 speakers in southeast Alaska from Yakutat (Yaakwdáat) south to the Canadian border at Portland Canal, and inland from British Columbia into south central Yukon Territory between Tagish and Kaska northward. It is also spoken in Canada.

Tlingit pronunciation

Sample text in Tlingit

Athapaskan tóo-nux uyúh kawsi.àh hah Lingít koostèeyee. Lingít tlàgoo tóo-xʼ uyúh yéi kudoonéek,yúh hah shugón súkw, àn gulukóo yéigah, àgah uwéh dak-xʼ hus woolilàh. Yáh yeedút dlèit kách ArcticCircle yéi yuságoo yei-xʼ uwéh hus woolilàh. Dlèit káh koonujéeyee, hús uwéh yéiʼs kawjixít, hah shugóon súkw nakée, tʼéexʼ kàh-nux, yáh-nux yun hus oowu.át. Yúh sh-kulnèek ko.àh tléil uwooyàh. Doo toondutánee koodziteeyee káh tléil yúh áh koosu.atʼee yéi-dei doo yútxʼee tèen googu.àt, kuh yun dugawútxʼee tèen, chʼuh yúh tʼéexʼ kàh-nux yun hus gwa.àdit. Tléil tsoo hus uh wooskóh tʼéexʼ áh yéi tèeyee. Koosu.átʼee yéh uyóo yóo nakée; tléil dah súh áh koo.éix; tsoo ut woo.àdee útxʼee sánee tsóo tléil áh yéi ootíh. Tléil tsoo áh yéi kootée. Tákw-xʼ tlukw kookooshgítch. Wooch goowunádei kah utxàyee tsóo tléil áh yéi ootíh. Tléil uh tʼéi-t uh yuxdoowuhanee út koostíh. Yátʼah tléil yéi xʼawdután uyúh, tléil àdei út koowoogagoowoo yéh. Adei ko.àh shukdéi koogooxlusʼées. Yéi ut kuwoo.àkw àdei uh nʼgu.àdee, yutʼixʼee út-x kah jèe-xʼ gooxsutée.

Translation

The Tlingit tribe is one of the Athapascan tribes. It is told in some Tlingit legends that during Noahʼs flood the Athapascan tribe, as the water subsided, landed in the area of the Arctic Circle. The theory of many writers is that the Athapascans came across the Bering Ice Bridge. This doesn't stand to reason. Why should a family or group of people—men, women, children, and older people—go up North? Just to cross an Ice Bridge they did not know existed? It was a cold, desolate, uninhabited place, dark during part of the year, without much variety of food and with no protection. This is not to say that a group of people could not land at such a place by accident. But to go there willfully, at great discomfort to the whole group, is not reasonable.

Other languages written with the Latin alphabet

Links

Tlingit language resources
http://www.alaskool.org/language/indexing/tlingindex.htm

A few Tlingit phrases with audio
http://www.capefoxtours.com/tlingitphrases.html

Tlingit Culture, Language and Literacy Classrooms at Harborveiw Elementary School, Juneau, Alaska: http://www.jsd.k12.ak.us/hbv/Programs/tlingit_classrooms/

CCTHITA (Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska)
http://www.tlingit-haida.org

Israel Shotridge - Native Tlingit Carver
http://www.shotridgestudios.com/welcome.html

Alaskan Orthodox texts (Aleut, Alutiiq, Tlingit, Yup'ik). An ongoing project offering Alaskan Orthodox texts on-line in their original languages and alphabets
http://www.asna.ca/alaska/