LWM 141: Evenki

Evenki

Nadezhda Bulatova and Lenore Grenoble
Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg; Dartmouth College

Evenki is the largest of the Manchu-Tungusic languages spoken in Siberia. The Evenki ethnic population currently numbers roughly 30,000 people; approximately one third of the population speaks Evenki.

This monograph provides an overview of Evenki phonology, morphology and syntax. Evenki is characterized by strong agglutination, vowel harmony, verb-final (SOV) word order, and the use of postpositions. Nouns inflect for case, number and possession; Standard Evenki has 12 cases. The verbal system morphologically marks tense, mood, person and number, aspect and Aktionsarten as well as voice. Furthermore, Evenki possesses a complex system of participles, supines and gerunds.

In addition to the grammatical sketch and a sample text, discussion of the current sociolinguistic situation of Evenki is provided as well, with special attention to the Evenki dialect continuum and the status of Evenki as an 'endangered' language.

ISBN 9783895862229. Languages of the World/Materials 141. 60pp. 1999.