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Seri Introduction

Seri (Seri: cmiique iitom) is an indigenous language spoken by between 716 and 900 Seri people in Punta Chueca and El Desemboque, two villages on the coast of Sonora, Mexico. The language is generally considered an isolate, however, there have been attempts to include it in the theoretical Hokan language family. There is no concrete evidence for connections to other languages at this time.

Seri has been concretely recorded by Westerners as early as 1692 but the population has remained fairly isolated. Extensive work on Seri began in 1951 by Edward and Mary Beck Moser with the Summer Institute of Linguistics. Their daughter was raised in the Seri community and later married Stephen Marlett; they have both continued work within the Seri language and community.

The language is viable within its community and is used freely in daily life. Exceptions include primary and secondary school, some parts of local church services, and communications with Spanish speakers outside of the Seri community. Most members of the community, including youth, are fluent in their language. However, the population of speakers is small and cultural knowledge is dwindling as the traditional hunter-gatherer lifestyle becomes increasingly obsolete. For these reasons, Seri is listed as a vulnerable language by UNESCO.