Koryak

Koryak (Нымылан/Nymylan)

Koryak is a Chukotko-Kamchatkan language spoken by about 4,000 people in
northeastern Siberia, mainly in the Koryak Autonomous Region in northern
part of the Kamchatka peninsula, and an the adjoining mainland from the
Taigonos Peninsula to the Bering Sea. Koryak is closely related to
Chukchi, and like the Chukchi, the Koryaks are
traditionally reindeer herders.

The Koryaks call themselves by two different names: chavchu
‘reindeer rearers’ or ‘rich in reindeer’ for the traditionally
nomadic reindeer-herding tribes, while the settled tribes call themselves
nymylan ‘resident, settler’. The word Koryak means ‘at the reindeer’
or ‘with the reindeer’, a name for the Koryak coined by a neighbouring
people.

A method of writing Koryak using the Latin alphabet was devised in
1932 and based on the Chavchyvan dialect. In 1937 the Koryaks
were forced to adopt the Cyrillic alphabet to write their language.

Cyrilic alphabet for Koryak

Cyrilic alphabet for Koryak

The blue letters are only used for Russian loanwords.

Information about Koryak pronunciation compiled by Wolfram Siegel

A sample text in Koryak is available at:
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/pater/JPN-koryak.html

Links

Information about the Koryak language and people

http://www.koryaks.net
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koryak_language
http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/features/croads/koryak.html
http://www.nupi.no/cgi-win/Russland/etnisk_b.exe?Koryak
http://www.eki.ee/books/redbook/koryaks.shtml

Koryak texts – a collection of Koryak stories translated into English
http://www.sacred-texts.com/asia/kort/

Koryak-Chukchi Topical Dictionary
http://www.ling-atlas.jp/r/kydic/show/1?lang=e

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