Coast Salish languages

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Coast Salish
Geographic
distribution
Salish Sea (Strait of Georgia (British Columbia, Canada) and Puget Sound (Washington state)
Linguistic classification Salishan
  • Coast Salish
Subdivisions
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog None
Coast Salish language map.svg
Distribution of Coast Salish languages in the early 19th century

The Coast Salish languages, also known as the Central Salish languages, [1] are a branch of the Salishan language family. These languages are spoken by First Nations or Native American peoples inhabiting the Pacific Northwest, in the territory that is now known as the southwest coast of British Columbia around the Strait of Georgia and Washington State around Puget Sound. The term "Coast Salish" also refers to the cultures in British Columbia and Washington who speak one of these languages or dialects.

Contents

Geography

The Coast Salish languages are spoken around most of the Georgia and Puget Sound Basins, an area that encompasses the sites of the modern-day cities of Vancouver, British Columbia, Seattle, Washington, and others. Archeological evidence indicates that Coast Salish peoples may have inhabited the area as far back as 9000 BCE. What is now Seattle, for example, has been inhabited since the end of the last glacial period (c. 8,000 BCE10,000 years ago). [2]

In the past, the Nuxálk language (also known as Bella Coola) of British Columbia's Central Coast has also been considered Coast Salish. This language shares at least one phonological change with Coast Salish (the merger of the Proto-Salish pharyngeal approximants with the uvular fricatives), but it also displays certain similarities to the Interior Salish languages. If it is indeed a member of the Coast Salish branch, it was the first to split off from the rest.[ citation needed ]

Classification

The Coast Salish languages can be classified in anywhere from one to three branches. The Tsamosan and Tillamook languages are often considered by linguists to be independent branches under the Salishan language family, and not part of the Coast Salish branch. [1] [3]

Overview

Below is a list of the Coast Salish languages. [1] [3] Languages and dialects with no living native speakers are marked with .

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Currently undergoing revitalization.
  2. 1 2 Sometimes considered an independent branch, not part of the Coast Salish languages

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Thompson, Laurence C.; Kinkade, Dale (1990). Handbook of North American Indians. Vol. 7. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 34–35. ISBN   9780160203909.
  2. Carlson, Keith Thor, ed. (2001). A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Historical Atlas. Vancouver, BC: Douglas & McIntyre. pp. 6–18. ISBN   1-55054-812-3.
  3. 1 2 3 van Eijk, Jan P. (Fall 2017). "Salish Words for 'Black Bear' and 'Grizzly Bear'". Anthropological Linguistics. 59 (3): 324–325. JSTOR   26528944.
  4. "About Us". Nooksack Indian Tribe. 2023-09-21. Retrieved 2023-09-22.
  5. Richardson, Allan (2011). Nooksack Place Names: Geography, Culture, and Language. Vancouver: UBC Press. ISBN   9780774820455.
  6. "Language". Samish Indian Nation. Retrieved 2023-06-24.
  7. "Klallam Language". klallamlanguage.org. Retrieved 2023-10-26.
  8. Bates, Dawn; Hess, Thom; Hilbert, Vi (1994). Lushootseed Dictionary. Seattle: University of Washington Press. ISBN   978-0295973234.
  9. "About Twulshootseed". Puyallup Tribal Language. Retrieved 2023-10-27.
  10. Drachman, Gaberell (2020). tuwaduq – The Twana Language E-Dictionary Project (PDF). Skokomish Indian Tribe.
  11. "Cowlitz Coast Salish Dictionary". Cowlitz Salish Dictionary. Cowlitz Indian Tribe . Retrieved 2023-11-08.

Bibliography

Further reading