Klamath
Penutian family · Klamath-Modoc branch · North America
WALS records no dominant basic order of subject, object and verb for Klamath, a group that holds 189 of the 1,376 languages it codes for this feature.
On Position of Polar Question Particles, WALS codes Klamath as “Question particle in either of two positions”, a value held by 26 of the 884 languages coded, Indonesian and Malagasy among them.
On Glottalized Consonants, WALS codes Klamath as “Ejectives and glottalized resonants”, a value held by 20 of the 567 languages coded, Nez Perce and Slave among them.
Contrast Klamath with Nez Perce or with any other language
Uncommon values
Values that fewer than one in ten of the coded languages share with Klamath, rarest first.
- Coding of Nominal PluralityMorphological plural with no method primary60 of 1,066
- Order of Object and VerbBoth orders with neither order dominant101 of 1,518
- Uvular ConsonantsUvular stops only38 of 567
- Weight Factors in Weight-Sensitive Stress SystemsLong vowel + Coda: long vowels or closed syllables35 of 500
- Order of Subject and VerbBoth orders with neither order dominant110 of 1,496
- Expression of Pronominal SubjectsOptional pronouns in subject position61 of 711
Inside the Penutian family
Klamath matches the most frequent Penutian value on 29 of the 45 features where at least three other members of the family are coded (64%). Among the 5 Penutian languages profiled here, that rate ranks fourth from the top.
Closest profiles
Languages that share the most coded values with Klamath; the count is out of the features both languages are coded for.
The rest of the profile
WALS codes Klamath for 51 of the 144 profile features used on this site. The remaining 42 are listed here, grouped by topic; within each group the value Klamath shares with the fewest languages comes first.
Sounds 14
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Weight-Sensitive Stress | Unbounded: Stress can be anywhere in the word | 54 of 500 |
| Consonant-Vowel Ratio | High | 69 of 564 |
| Vowel Quality Inventories | Small vowel inventory (2-4) | 93 of 564 |
| Consonant Inventories | Moderately large | 94 of 563 |
| Syllable Structure | Complex syllable structure | 151 of 486 |
| Voicing in Plosives and Fricatives | Voicing contrast in plosives alone | 189 of 567 |
| Fixed Stress Locations | No fixed stress (mostly weight-sensitive stress) | 220 of 502 |
| Voicing and Gaps in Plosive Systems | /p t k b d g/ | 255 of 567 |
| Rhythm Types | Trochaic: left-hand syllable in the foot is strong | 153 of 323 |
| Tone | No tones | 307 of 527 |
| Lateral Consonants | /l/, no obstruent laterals | 388 of 567 |
| Presence of Uncommon Consonants | None | 449 of 567 |
| Absence of Common Consonants | All present | 503 of 567 |
| Front Rounded Vowels | None | 525 of 562 |
Word structure 2
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Prefixing vs. Suffixing in Inflectional Morphology | Predominantly suffixing | 406 of 969 |
| Reduplication | Productive full and partial reduplication | 278 of 368 |
Nouns and pronouns 5
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Position of Pronominal Possessive Affixes | No possessive affixes | 260 of 902 |
| Position of Case Affixes | Case suffixes | 452 of 1,031 |
| Distance Contrasts in Demonstratives | Two-way contrast | 126 of 234 |
| Numeral Classifiers | Numeral classifiers are absent | 260 of 400 |
| Pronominal and Adnominal Demonstratives | Same forms | 143 of 201 |
Verbs: tense, mood, evidence 4
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| The Morphological Imperative | Second person number-neutral | 89 of 548 |
| The Prohibitive | Normal imperative + normal negative | 113 of 496 |
| Imperative-Hortative Systems | The language has a maximal system, but not a minimal one | 133 of 375 |
| Position of Tense-Aspect Affixes | Tense-aspect suffixes | 667 of 1,131 |
Word order 10
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Order of Adjective and Noun | Modifying adjective precedes noun (AdjN) | 373 of 1,367 |
| Position of Interrogative Phrases in Content Questions | Interrogative phrases obligatorily initial | 264 of 902 |
| Order of Object, Oblique, and Verb | More than one order with none dominant | 167 of 500 |
| Order of Numeral and Noun | Numeral precedes noun (NumN) | 479 of 1,154 |
| Order of Demonstrative and Noun | Demonstrative word precedes noun (DemN) | 542 of 1,225 |
| Order of Degree Word and Adjective | Degree word precedes adjective (DegAdj) | 227 of 481 |
| Order of Adposition and Noun Phrase | Postpositions | 577 of 1,184 |
| Order of Genitive and Noun | Genitive-noun (GenN) | 685 of 1,249 |
| Order of Adverbial Subordinator and Clause | Initial subordinator word | 398 of 659 |
| Order of Relative Clause and Noun | Relative clause follows noun (NRel) | 579 of 824 |
Simple clauses 5
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Symmetric and Asymmetric Standard Negation | Symmetric standard negation only: Type Sym | 114 of 297 |
| Subtypes of Asymmetric Standard Negation | Non-assignable (no asymmetry found) | 114 of 297 |
| Negative Morphemes | Negative particle | 502 of 1,157 |
| Ditransitive Constructions: The Verb 'Give' | Indirect-object construction | 189 of 378 |
| Polar Questions | Question particle | 585 of 955 |
Vocabulary 2
| Feature | Value | Languages sharing it |
|---|---|---|
| Hand and Arm | Different | 389 of 617 |
| Finger and Hand | Different | 521 of 593 |