The Luiseño Language > LINGUIST List Language Search
Name:
Luiseño
Alternate Name:
Luiseño-Juaneño
Spoken in:
USA
Number of speakers:
35 (2000 L. Hinton), decreasing. 39 (2000 census). Ethnic population: 2,000 (2000 A. Yamamoto)
(Ethnologue)
Number of speakers:
5
(UNESCO)
Number of speakers:
35
(World Oral Literature Project)
Code:
lui
Code Authority:
ISO 639-3
Code Standard:
SIL
Families:
Uto-Aztecan (Yuta-Nawan)
Parent Subgroup:
Cupan; Luisish Group (cupa)
Child Dialects:
San Luís Rey (lui-rey)
San Juan Capistrano (lui-cap)
Juaneño; Ajachema; Ajachemem; Agachemem; Acgachemem; Ajachmem; Agagchemem; Netela (lui-jua)
Brief Description:
"Luiseño is a Uto-Aztecan language of the Takic subfamily, originally spoken by the native peoples of the southern California coast north of the Diegueño and south of the Gabrielino, in the area dominated by the missions of the San Luis Rey and San Juan Capistrano. The dialects of the two mission communities differed, but were mutually intelligible; the Juaneño (Ajachemem) dialect is now extinct. Both dialects were extensively documented by J. P. Harrington in the 1930s. Approximately 2,500 descendants of the San Luis Rey and San Juan Capistrano communities currently live at the La Jolla, Rincon, Pauma, Pechanga, and Pala Reservations, and in the town of San Juan Capistrano. Between five and ten elderly speakers or semi-speakers of Luiseño remain." Victor Golla, Atlas of the World's Languages 2007 pg. 17
UNESCO Status: Critically endangered Ethnologue Status: Not listed Sutherland's Red List: Critically Endangered
Endangerment Status
UNESCO Status: Critically endangered Ethnologue Status: Not listed Sutherland's Red List: Critically Endangered
Map of Luiseño
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