Makah language

Makah
qʷi·qʷi·diččaq
Native to	United States
Region	Northwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Ethnicity	2,220 Makah (2000 census)[1]
Extinct	2002, with the death of Ruth E. Claplanhoo[2]
Language family	Wakashan Southern Makah
Official status
Official language in	Makah Tribe[3]
Language codes
ISO 639-3	myh
Glottolog	maka1318
ELP	Makah
Makah is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
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The Makah language is the indigenous language spoken by the Makah. Makah has not been spoken as a first language since 2002, when its last fluent native speaker died. However, it survives as a second language, and the Makah tribe is attempting to revive the language, including through preschool classes.^[4][5] The endonym for the Makah is qʷi·qʷi·diččaq.^[6]

The Makah reside in the northwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula of Washington on the south side of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. It is closely related to Nuu-chah-nulth and Ditidaht, which are languages of the First Nations of the west coast of Vancouver Island on the north side of the strait, in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Makah is the only member of the Wakashan language family in the United States, with the other members spoken in British Columbia, from Vancouver Island to the Central Coast region.

Makah, Nuu-chah-nulth and Ditidaht belong to the Southern Nootkan branch of the Wakashan family. The Northern Wakashan languages, which are Kwak'wala, Heiltsuk-Oowekyala and Haisla, are spoken farther north, beyond the territory of the Nuu-chah-nulth.