Oregon Penutian Languages

Oregon Penutian is a hypothetical language family in the Penutian language phylum comprising languages spoken at one time by several groups of Native Americans in present-day western Oregon and western Washington in the United States. Various languages in the family are divided by dialects that are in most cases identical to the various identified tribal bands in the region.

The languages were spoken largely along both banks of the lower and middle Columbia River, in the Willamette Valley, in the Oregon Cascade Range, along the Oregon Coast, and in the valleys of the Umpqua and Rogue rivers. The area in which the languages were spoken includes the most populated areas of Oregon today.

Languages in the Oregon Penutian family (with their identified dialects and area of speech in the 19th century) include:

• Kalapuyan
  • Northern Kalapuya
    • Tualatin dialect, spoken in the northern Willamette Valley along the Tualatin River, Lake Wapato, and the lower Willamette River.
    • Yamhill dialect, in the northwestern Willamette Valley along the Yamhill River
  • Central Kalapuya
    • Ahantchuyuk dialect, spoken in the northeastern Willamette Valley along the Pudding and Molalla rivers
    • Santiam dialect, spoken in the central Willamette Valley along the lower Santiam River
    • Luckiamute dialect, spoken in the central Willamette Valley along the Luckiamute River
    • Chepenafa dialect, spoken in the central Willamette Valley along Mary's River
    • Chemapho dialect, spoken in central Willamette Valley along Muddy Creek.
    • Chelamela dialect, spoken in the southwestern Willamette Valley along the Long Tom River
    • Tsankupi dialect, spoken in the southeastern Willamette Valley along the Calapooia River
    • Winefelly-Mohawk dialects, spoken in the southeastern Willamette Valley along the McKenzie, Mohawk, and Coast Fork Willamette rivers
  • Yoncalla
    • possibly two or three dialects spoken in southwestern Oregon in the Umpqua River valley, along Elk Creek and Calapooia Creek.

• Takelma
  • possibly the Cow Creek dialect spoken in southwestern Oregon along the South Umpqua River, Myrtle Creek, and Cow Creek.
  • Latgawa dialect, spoken in southwestern Oregon along the upper Rogue River
  • Lowland Takelma dialect, spoken in southwestern Oregon in the Rogue Valley

• Coast Oregon group
  • Alsean
    • Yaquina language, spoken on the central Oregon coast around Yaquina Bay & along the Yaquina River (central Oregon coast)
    • Alsea language, spoken on the central Oregon coast around Alsea Bay and along the Alsea and Yachats rivers
  • Siuslaw
    • Siuslaw dialect spoken on the central Oregon coast along the Siuslaw River and around Siltcoos Lake
    • Kuitsh dialect spoken on the central Oregon coast around Winchester Bay and along the lower Umpqua and Smith rivers.
  • Coosan
    • possibly several Hanis dialects spoken along the southern Oregon coast in the vicinity of Coos Bay and along the Coos River.
    • possibly one or two Miluk dialects spoken along the southern Oregon coast around South Slough of Coos Bay and along the lower Coquille River.

Recent internal classifications of Penutian, such as that of Scott DeLancey, have abandoned Oregon Penutian, while retaining the Oregon Coast family.