Learning Yurok

An Outline of Yurok Grammar for Teachers and Learners

This is a preliminary outline of a small book we are beginning to prepare for the use of Yurok language teachers and learners. As we write sections of the book, we will post them here and you can read them and use them in any way you want. If a section is highlighted like this, then it is available for you to read and use. Please let us know if you have suggestions about overall organization or other sections we should add, or about individual sections we have written, or about anything else. And finally, please keep in mind that this is preliminary work in progress, subject to change and improvement.

1. The Yurok Language

1.1. The Yurok People and Land
1.2. The Yurok Language and its History
1.3. Yurok Dialects
1.4. Other Languages of Northwestern California
1.5. Sources of Information about Yurok
1.6. Ways of Writing Yurok

2. General Language Basics

2.1. Speech Production
2.2. Basic Sounds vs. Processes
2.3. Speech vs. Writing
2.4. Parts of Speech

3. Pronunciation

3.1. Overview of Yurok Sounds
3.2. Basic Consonant Sounds
3.3. Difficult Consonants
3.4. Consonant Processes
3.5. Basic Vowel Sounds
3.7. Vowel Processes
3.8. Vowel + r, w, y Combinations
3.9. Sounds in Words
3.10. Light vs. Heavy Syllables
3.11. Stress and Word Rhythm
3.12. Phrase Rhythm

4. The Words of Yurok

4.1. Parts of Speech in Yurok
4.2. Nouns and Pronouns
4.3. Verbs
4.4. Adverbs
4.5. Particles

5. Word Structure: Verbs

5.1. Noninflected vs. Inflected Verbs
5.2. Inflected Verb Structure: Stems vs. Endings
5.3. Verb Classes: e, o, oo, and a
5.4. Singulars
5.5. Imperatives
5.6. Simple Plurals
5.7. Collective Plurals
5.8. Bipersonals
5.9. Subordinatives
5.10. Attributives
5.11. Iteratives
5.12. Inside the Stem: Medial Suffixes
5.13. Inside the Stem: Final Suffixes
5.13. Passives
5.14. Reflexives
5.15. Reciprocals
5.16. Repetitives

6. Word Structure: Non-Verbs

6.1. Nouns: Singular and Plural
6.2. Nouns: Locatives
6.3. Nouns: Short Forms
6.4. Nominal Possession
6.5. Dependent Nouns
6.6. Pronouns
6.7. Adverbs of Location

7. Words and Phrases

7.1. Preverbs: Time
7.2. Preverbs: Location and Motion
7.3. Possessive Phrases
7.4. Locational Phrases
7.5. Adverbials of Manner
7.6. Conjunctions
7.7. Attributives and Attributive Phrases

8. Sentences

8.1. Word Order: Verbs, Subjects, and Objects
8.2. Sentences of Desire, Intention, and Purpose
8.3. Statements of Existence, Possession
8.4. Negative Sentences
8.5. Imperatives vs. Polite Commands
8.6. Yes/No Questions
8.7. Content Questions

9. Language and Culture

9.1. Directions
9.2. Place Names
9.3. Personal Names
9.4. Ceremonies: Names and Terms
9.5. Ceremonial Language