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Where is Unangam Tunuu spoken?
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Unangam Tunuu, also known as the Aleut language, is spoken across several regions in the Aleutian Islands and beyond. Its distribution includes:12
- Alaska: It is spoken from the Alaska Peninsula westward through Umnak Island and on Atka Island.12
- Pribilof Islands: The language is also spoken on these islands located in the Bering Sea.12
- Bering Island: Located in the Komandor Islands (Russia), this island is home to speakers of Atkan Unangam Tunuu and a creolized form of the extinct Attu dialect.12
The language survives in two primary, mutually intelligible dialects: Eastern Unangam Tunuu and Atkan Unangam Tunuu. While the Attu dialect is extinct in Alaska, its influence persists on Bering Island through a form that incorporates Russian verbal inflections.12