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Glite Dictionary
Esselen language

Esselen language

9.9
A language no longer spoken that the Esselen people used in central California
  • noun
  • Specialized
: idioma esselen
  • The Esselen language has not been spoken fluently since the early 20th century.

Examples

  • Efforts to document the Esselen language help preserve the heritage of the Esselen people.

  • The Esselen language is no longer spoken.

  • Linguists have studied the Esselen language to learn about the region's history.

  • The Esselen language was used by the native Esselen people.

  • Efforts to document the Esselen language help preserve the heritage of the Esselen people.

  • Linguists have studied the Esselen language to learn about the region's history.

  • The Esselen language has not been spoken fluently since the early 20th century.

Synonyms

Esselen
vsEsselen language
  • Specialized
9.9

A dead language once spoken by a Native American group on the central California coast near Monterey

is tied to central California rather than to California more generally

Surface Forms

Esselen language singular
Esselen languages plural

Morphology

Esselen + language

This is a straightforward noun + noun naming pattern (proper name + 'language') meaning 'the language spoken by the Esselen people'. The meaning is directly compositional and follows a common cross-linguistic pattern, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer it.

Etymology

Esselen language is named after the Esselen people and simply means the language they used. Imagine a small coastal village with its own words, and today that speech is 'no longer spoken', so Esselen language refers to their lost way of speaking.