Southern Athabaskan languages

Southern Athabaskan (also Apachean) is a subfamily of Athabaskan languages spoken primarily in the Southwestern United States (including Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah) with two outliers in Oklahoma and Texas. The language is spoken to a much lesser degree in the northern Mexican states of Sonora, Chihuahua, Durango, Coahuila, and Nuevo León. Those languages are spoken by various groups of Apache and Navajo peoples. Elsewhere, Athabaskan is spoken by many indigenous groups of peoples in Alaska, Canada, Oregon and northern California. Self-designations for Western Apache and Navajo are Nnee biyáti’ or Ndee biyáti’, and or , respectively. There are several well-known historical people whose first language was Southern Athabaskan. Geronimo (Goyaałé) who spoke Chiricahua was a famous raider and war leader. Manuelito spoke Navajo and is famous for his leadership during and after the Long Walk of the Navajo. The seven Southern Athabaskan languages can be divided into two groups according to the classification of Harry Hoijer: (I) Plains and (II) Southwestern. Plains Apache is the only member of the Plains Apache group. The Southwestern group can be further divided into two subgroups (A) Western and (B) Eastern. The Western subgroup consists of Western Apache, Navajo, Mescalero, and Chiricahua. The Eastern subgroup consists of Jicarilla and Lipan. I. Plains Apache ( Kiowa–Apache) (in Apache: Naishan) II. Southwestern A. Western

1. Chiricahua-Mescalero (in Apache: Ndee Bizaa) a. Chiricahua i. Chiricahua proper ii. Warm Springs b. Mescalero
2. Navajo (a.k.a. Navahu ̇) (in Navajo: Naabeehó bizaad, Diné bizaad)
3. Western Apache (a.k.a. Coyotero Apache) (in Apache: Ndéé biyáti, Nnee biyati) a. Tonto (in Apache: Dilzhę́’é) i. Northern Tonto ii. Southern Tonto b. White Mountain c. San Carlos d. Cibecue (ˀa ̇paču) B. Eastern
4. Jicarilla (a.k.a. Hikariya Apache) (in Apache: Abáachi, Abáachi mizaa)
5. Lipan (in Apache: Nde Miiza, Ndé miizaa) Hoijer's classification is based primarily on the differences of the pronunciation of the initial consonant of noun and verb stems.