MultiTree:

Name: Beothuk Type: Language Alternate Names: Beothuc; Bethuck; Bethuk; Newfoundland; Red Indians Once Spoken in: Canada Code: bue Code Standard: ISO 639-3 Documentation: LINGUIST List Families: Unclassified Languages Parent Subgroup: North American Unclassified; North American Unclassified Languages (naun) Brief Description: "Beothuk was the aboriginal language of Newfoundland. Although the English began settling the island in the early sixteenth century and were in contact with the original inhabitants for over 300 years, Beothuk is attested in only three vocabularies, totaling about 325 words, all collected between 1791 and 1828. These lists, furthermore, are error-ridden and difficult to assess. The last known Beothuk survivor died in 1829. It has long been conjectured that Beothuk is distantly related to the Algic family, but the Beothuk data are too poor to allow a definite conclusion and the language is best considered an isolate." Victor Golla, Atlas of the World's Languages 2007 pg. 11

Endangerment Status

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Linguist List Status: Extinct Ethnologue Status: Extinct Sutherland's Red List: Not listed