Oʼodham language
Oʼodham (pronounced [ˈʔɔʔɔðam]) or Papago-Pima is a Uto-Aztecan language of southern Arizona and northern Sonora, Mexico, where the Tohono Oʼodham (formerly called the Papago) and Akimel Oʼodham (traditionally called Pima) reside. In 2000 there were estimated to be approximately 9,750 speakers in the United States and Mexico combined, although there may be more due to underreporting.
| Oʼodham | |
|---|---|
| ʼOʼodham ha-ñeʼokĭ, ʼOʼodham ñiʼokĭ, Oʼodham ñiok | |
| Native to | United States, Mexico |
| Region | Primarily south-central Arizona and northern Sonora |
| Ethnicity | Tohono Oʼodham, Akimel Oʼodham, Hia C-eḍ Oʼodham |
Native speakers | 15,000 (2007) 180 monolinguals (1990 census); 1,240 (Mexico, 2020 census) |
| Official status | |
Official language in | One of the national languages of Mexico |
| Regulated by | Secretariat of Public Education in Mexico; various tribal agencies in the United States |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | ood |
| Glottolog | toho1245 |
| ELP | O'odham |
Oʼodham is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. | |
It is the 10th most-spoken indigenous language in the United States, the 3rd most-spoken indigenous language in Arizona after Western Apache and Navajo. It is the third-most spoken language in Pinal County, Arizona, and the fourth-most spoken language in Pima County, Arizona.
Approximately 8% of Oʼodham speakers in the US speak English "not well" or "not at all", according to results of the 2000 Census. Approximately 13% of Oʼodham speakers in the US were between the ages of 5 and 17, and among the younger Oʼodham speakers, approximately 4% were reported as speaking English "not well" or "not at all".
Native names for the language, depending on the dialect and orthography, include Oʼodham ha-ñeʼokĭ, Oʼottham ha-neoki, and Oʼodham ñiok.