Regional Variation of Kodiak Alutiiq

When people are spread out over a landscape, their separation over time will lead do differences in how they speak. The Eskimoan languages are related to each other from the Alutiiq region all the way to Greenland, but are more similar the closer they are together, since neighbors have more opportunity to interact. This pattern is true on a smaller scale as well within the Alutiiq Nation.

Kodiak Alutiiq and Alaska Peninsula Alutiiq are part of the Koniag Alutiiq dialect of the Alutiiq language. Kodiak Alutiiq could be considered a sub dialect because there are some words used on the Kodiak Archipelago that are not used on the Alaska Peninsula, and vice versa. On an even smaller scale, there are sub-sub dialects within the Kodiak Archapelago. It is well known among speakers that people from Afognak and Karluk have a slightly different way of speaking than those from the southern part of the island. Speakers can actually tell what village someone is from by the way they speak Alutiiq. Though all of these "micro dialects" are part of the greater Alutiiq Language, it is important to preserve them as well. These regional variations are part of what makes our language beautiful.

Because of prolonged Russian contact on Kodiak Island, hundreds of Russian words have been integrated into our language (Leer 1978). This influence is particularly pronounced on Afognak island.

Example word: umneq (fog; Southern Kodiak dialect)

Example word: tumanaq - (fog; Afognak - from Russian)

Some of the word differences between areas on the archapelago can simply because of subdialectical variation within Kodiak Alutiiq.

Example word: piugta (dog; used throughout Kodiak)

Example word: aikuq (dog; Afognak, Karluk, and Ouzinkie)
- According to Jeff Leer, this word may be borrowed from Aleut, or the Aleut peoples may have borrowed it from us.

Example word: utguiq (octopus; Southern Kodiak)

Example word: amikuq (octopus: Northern Kodiak)

The Alutiiq Language has been influenced by English words as well as Russian. Usually a borrowed word will be influenced by English or Russian, but in the examples below, the word was borrowed differently between the northern and southern regions of the island.

Example word: fruuktaaq (fruit; Afognak - from Russian fruckt)

Example word: fruutkaaq (fruit; Akhiok - from English fruit)

Another regional difference within the Kodiak Archapelago is in word pronunciation. On Afognak and in Karluk, the s sounds like a sh, while in other areas of Kodiak, the s sounds like English s. For more examples, see Sounds We Already Know.

Example word: Saqul'aq (duck; Afognak/Karluk style)

Example word: Saqul'aq (duck; Akhiok/Old Harbor style)

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