Akkala Sámi

{{Short description|Extinct Uralic language from Russia}}

{{Infobox language

| name = Akkala Sámi

| nativename =

| states = Russia

| region = Southwest Kola Peninsula

| ethnicity = 80 Akkala Sámi (2011)

| extinct = 29 December 2003, with the death of Mariya Sergina

| ref = e18

| revived =

| familycolor = Uralic

| fam2 = Sámi

| fam3 = Eastern

| fam4 = Mainland

| script = Cyrillic

| map = File:Akkala-SamiLanguageLocatorMap.svg

| mapcaption = Akkala Sami language area (red) within Sápmi (grey)

| map2 = Lang Status 01-EX.svg

| mapcaption2 = {{center|{{small|Akkala Sámi is classified as Extinct by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2010)}}}}{{cite report |title=Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger |publisher=UNESCO |edition=3rd |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000187026 |date=2010 |page=7}}

| iso3 = sia

| glotto = akka1237

| glottorefname = Akkala Saami

| altname = Babin Sami

| speakers2 = 4 passive speakers (2018){{Cite web |title=«Лингвистический оптимизм»: репортаж с конференции «Лингвистический форум 2019: Коренные языки России и мира» |url=https://iling-ran.ru/web/en/node/2645 |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Институт языкознания РАН |language=en}}

}}

Akkala Sámi, also referred to, particularly in Russia, as Babin Sámi ({{Langx|ru|Бабинский саа́мский}}), was a Sámi language spoken in the Sámi villages of {{lang|sia|Aʼkkel|italic=no}} ({{Langx|ru|Бабинский}}; {{Langx|fi|Akkala}}), {{lang|sia|Čuʼkksuâl|italic=no}} ({{Langx|ru|Экостровский|link=no}}) and {{lang|sia|Sââʼrvesjäuʼrr|italic=no}} ({{Langx|ru|Гирвасозеро|link=no}}; {{Langx|fi|Hirvasjärvi|link=no}}), in the inland parts of the Kola Peninsula in Russia. Formerly erroneously{{according to whom|date=October 2023}} regarded as a dialect of Kildin Sámi, it has recently{{when|date=October 2023}} become recognized as an independent Sámi language that is most closely related to its western neighbor Skolt Sámi, and the two are somewhat mutually intelligible.

Akkala Sámi was noted as extinct in the 2010 UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. Previously, it had been considered the most endangered Eastern Sámi language. On December 29, 2003, Maria Sergina{{snd}}the last fluent native speaker of Akkala Sámi{{snd}}died.{{cite web|url=http://www.galdu.org/govat/doc/nordisk_samekonvensjon.pdf |title=Nordisk samekonvensjon |language=sv |access-date=2014-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070411023150/http://www.galdu.org/govat/doc/nordisk_samekonvensjon.pdf |archive-date=2007-04-11 }}Rantala, Leif, Aleftina Sergina 2009. Áhkkila sápmelaččat. Oanehis muitalus sámejoavkku birra, man maŋimuš sámegielalaš olmmoš jámii 29.12.2003. Roavvenjárga. However, as of 2011 there were at least two people, both aged 70, with some knowledge of Akkala Sámi. Remaining ethnic Akkala Sámi live in the village Yona,{{Cite book |last=Scheller |first=Elizabeth |title=Ethnic and Linguistic Context of Identity: Finno-Ugric Minorities |date=2011 |publisher=University of Helsinki, Department of Finnish, Finno-Ugrian and Scandinavian Studies |isbn=978-952-5667-28-8 |editor1-last=Grünthal |editor1-first=Riho |location=Helsinki, Finland |pages=90–91 |chapter=The Sámi Language Situation in Russia |oclc=755168782 |editor2-last=Kovács |editor2-first=Magdolna |chapter-url=https://munin.uit.no/bitstream/handle/10037/5123/article.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y}} where there is a cultural office.

Although there exists a description of Akkala Sámi phonology and morphology, a few published texts, and archived audio recordings, as well as a grammar of the language, the Akkala Sámi language remains among the most poorly documented Sámi languages. One of the few items in the language are chapters 23–28 of the Gospel of Matthew published in 1897. It was translated by A. Genetz, and printed at the expense of the British and Foreign Bible Society.{{cn|date=October 2023}}

In the Russian 2020 census, 1 person still claimed knowledge of Akkala.{{Cite web |title=Росстат — Всероссийская перепись населения 2020 |url=https://rosstat.gov.ru/vpn_popul |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701102359/https://rosstat.gov.ru/vpn_popul |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |access-date=2023-01-03 |website=rosstat.gov.ru}}

[[File:Sami dialects and settlements in Russia map.svg|thumbnail|300px|Sámi dialects and settlements in Russia:

{{legend|blue|Akkala (Russian Babinsky)}}

A-1 Aʼkkel (Russian Babinsky, Finnish Akkala)

A-2 Čuʼkksuâl (Russian Ekostrovsky)

A-3 Yona

A-4 Sââʼrvesjäuʼrr (Russian Girvasozero, Finnish Hirvasjärvi)]]