It has been difficult for students to learn to write in the Alutiiq language. With a book published by the Alutiiq Museum, the process is easier. The Alutiiq Orthography: Kodiak Dialect is a 100-page paperback written by linguists April Laktonen Counceller and Jeff Leer.
This informative volume shares all the rules for Alutiiq writing, compiled with the assistance of a team of Kodiak Alutiiq Elders. The publication brings together all of the rules in a single resource and aligns the Kodiak Alutiiq writing system with that used by Prince William Sound’s Alutiiq speakers.
The book covers everything from the Alutiiq Alphabet, to the use of vowels and consonants, syllables, apostrophes and hyphens, loan words from Russian, and much more. It was designed and edited by Alutiiq speaker Alisha Drabek and includes photos of language projects and gatherings. There are also helpful appendices; a glossary, an index, a language map, and a list of references.
This resource is the result of a two-year project funded by the National Science Foundation, with additional support from Chugachmiut, Inc., the Alutiiq Heritage Foundation, Kodiak College, Alutiiq Language Club, Alaska Native Language Center, and Alaska Native Language Archive at University of Alaska Fairbanks.
Copies of The Alutiiq Orthography are available for free download below, or for purchase in paperback through the Alutiiq Museum Store.
Don’t Miss a Word!
Sign up for our email broadcast and we’ll send you a weekly language lesson and a link to our podcast.