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Salishan languages
*** Shopping-Tip: Salishan languages
:''This article is about the Salish/Salishan language. For the Tacoma, Washington, neighbourhood, see
Salishan, Tacoma, Washington.''
The '''Salishan''' (also '''Salish''') languages are a group of languages of western
Canada and the
Pacific Northwest of the
United States. They are characterised by
agglutinative agglutinativity and astonishing
consonant clusters—for instance the
Nuxálk language Nuxálk word {{Unicode|''xłp̓x̣ʷłtłpłłskʷc̓''}} (IPA: {{IPA|[xɬp’χʷɬtɬpɬːskʷʦ’]}}) meaning 'he had had a bunchberry plant' has 13 consonants in a row with no vowels.
Image:Salishan_langs.png thumb|222px|Pre-contact distribution of Salishan languages (in red)
The terms ''Salish'' and ''Salishan'' are used interchangeably by Salishan linguists and anthropologists. The name ''Salish'' is actually the name of the language of ''Salish'' tribe in Montana. The name was later extended by linguists to refer to other related languages. Many languages do not have self-designations and instead have specific names for local dialects as the local group was more important culturally than larger tribal relations.
All Salishan languages are
endangered language endangered—some extremely so with only three or four speakers left. Practically all languages only have speakers who are over sixty years of age, and many languages only have speakers over eighty.
Family division
The Salishan language family consists of twenty-three languages. Below is a list of Salishan languages, dialects, and sub-dialects. This list is a linguistic classification that may not correspond to political divisions. Many Salishan groups consider their variety of speech to be a separate language rather than a
dialect.
I. ''Bella Coola''
: 1. '''
Nuxálk language Nuxálk''' (a.k.a. Bella Coola, Salmon River)
::*
Kimsquit
::*
Bella Coola
::*
Kwatna
::*
Tallheo
II. ''Coast Salish''
: A. Central Coast Salish (a.k.a. Central Salish)
:: 2. '''Comox'''
:::*
Comox (language) Comox (a.k.a. Q’ómox̣ʷs)
:::*
Sliammon (Homalco-Klahoose-Sliammon) (a.k.a. ʔayʔaǰúθəm)
:: 3. '''
Halkomelem'''
:::
Island (a.k.a. Hul’q̱’umi’num’, hÉ™lÌ•qÌ“É™mÃnÌ“É™mÌ“)
:::*
Cowichan
:::*
Nanaimo
:::
Downriver (a.k.a. Hunq’umʔiʔnumʔ)
:::*
Katzie
:::*
Kwantlen
:::*
Musqueam Indian Band Musqueam
:::
Upriver (a.k.a. Upper Stalo, Halq’əméyləm)
:::*
Chehalis
:::*
Chilliwack
:::*
Tait
:: 4. '''
Lushootseed''' (a.k.a. Puget Salish, Skagit-Nisqually, Dxʷləšúcid)
:::
Northern
:::*
Skagit (language) Skagit (a.k.a. Skaǰət)
:::*
Snohomish (tribe) Snohomish (a.k.a. Sduhubš)
:::
Southern
:::*
Duwamish-Suquamish (a.k.a. Dxʷduʔabš)
:::*
Puyallup (a.k.a. Spuyaləpubš)
:::*
Nisqually (a.k.a. Sqʷaliʔabš)
:: 5. '''
Nooksack (tribe) Nooksack''' (a.k.a. ɬəÌ?Ä?É™lÉ™sÉ™m, ɬəÌ?Ä?ælosÉ™m) ''(†)''
:: 6. '''
Pentlatch''' (a.k.a. PÉ™nƛ̕áÄ?) ''(†)''
:: 7. '''
Sechelt''' (a.k.a. Seshelt, Shashishalhem, šášÃšáɬəm)
:: 8. '''
Squamish''' (a.k.a. Sqwxwu7mish, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, sqʷx̣ʷúʔməš)
:: i. Straits Salish group (a.k.a. Straits)
::: 9. '''
Klallam language Klallam''' (a.k.a. Clallam, Nəxʷsƛ̕áy̓emúcən)
::::*
Becher Bay
::::*
Eastern
::::*
Western
::: 10. '''
Northern Straits''' (a.k.a. Straits)
::::*
Lummi (a.k.a. Xwlemi’chosen, xÊ·lÉ™miÊ”Ä?ósÉ™n) ''(†)''
::::*
Saanich (a.k.a. SENĆOŦEN, sÉ™nÄ?áθən, sénÉ™Ä?qÉ™n)
::::*
Samish (a.k.a. Siʔneməš)
::::*
Semaihmoo (a.k.a. Tah-tu-lo) ''(†)''
::::*
Sooke (a.k.a. T’sou-ke, c̓awk) ''(†)''
::::*
Songhees (a.k.a. LÉ™k̓ʷəŋÃn̓əŋ) ''(†)''
:: 11. '''
Twana''' (a.k.a. Skokomish, Sqʷuqʷúʔbəšq, Tuwáduqutšad) ''(†)''
:::*
Quilcene
:::*
Skokomish (tribe) Skokomish (a.k.a. Sqʷuqʷúʔbəšq)
: B. Tsamosan (a.k.a. Olympic)
:: i. Inland
::: 12. '''
Cowlitz (tribe) Cowlitz''' (a.k.a. Lower Cowlitz, Sƛ̕púlmš) ''(†)''
::: 13. '''
Chehalis (tribe) Upper Chehalis''' (a.k.a. Q̉ʷay̓áyiɬq̉) ''(†)''
::::*
Oakville Chehalis
::::*
Satsop
::::*
Tenino Chehalis
:: ii. Maritime
::: 14. '''
Chehalis (tribe) Lower Chehalis''' (a.k.a. ɬəw̓ál̕məš) ''(†)''
::::*
Humptulips
::::*
Westport-Shoalwater
::::*
Wynoochee
::: 15. '''
Quinault (tribe) Quinault''' (a.k.a. KÊ·Ãnayɬ)
::::*
Queets
::::*
Quinault
: C. Tillamook
:: 16. '''
Tillamook language Tillamook''' (a.k.a. Hutyéyu) ''(†)''
:::
Siletz
:::*
Siletz
:::
Tillamook
:::*
Garibaldi-Nestucca
:::*
Nehalem
III. ''Interior Salish''
: A. Northern
:: 17. '''
Shuswap''' (a.k.a. SecwepemctsÃn, sÉ™xwÉ™pmÉ™xcÃn)
:::
Eastern
:::*
Kinbasket
:::*
Shuswap Lake
:::
Western
:::*
Canim Lake
:::*
Chu Chua
:::*
Deadman's Creek-Kamloops
:::*
Fraser River
:::*
Pavilion-Bonaparte
:: 18. '''
St'at'imcets language St’at’imcets''' (a.k.a. Lillooet, Lilloet, St'át'imcets)
:::*
Lillooet-Fountain
:::*
Mount Currie-Douglas
:: 19. '''
Nlaka'pamux Thompson River Salish''' (a.k.a. Nlaka’pamux, Ntlakapmuk, nɬeÊ”kepmxcÃn, Thompson River, Thompson Salish, Thompson, known in frontier times as the Klackarpun, Couteau or Knife Indians)
:::*
Lytton
:::*
Nicola Valley
:::*
Spuzzum-Boston Bar
:::*
Thompson Canyon
: B. Southern
:: 20. '''
Coeur d'Alene (tribe) Coeur d’Alene''' (a.k.a. Snchitsu’umshtsn, snÄ?ÃcuÊ”umÅ¡cn)
:: 21. '''
Columbian''' (a.k.a. Columbia, NxaÊ”amxcÃn)
:::*
Chelan
:::*
Entiat
:::*
Moses Columbia
:::*
Wenatchee (a.k.a. Pesquous)
:: 22. '''
Colville-Okanagan''' (a.k.a. Okanagan, NsilxcÃn, NsÃylxcÉ™n, ta nukunaqÃnxcÉ™n)
:::
Northern
:::*
Head of the Lakes
:::*
Penticton
:::*
Similkameen
:::*
Vernon
:::
Southern
:::*
Lakes-Colville-Inchelium
:::*
Methow
:::*
San Poil-Nespelem
:::*
Southern Okanogan
:: 23. '''
Spokane-Kalispel-Flathead''' (a.k.a. Kalispel)
:::*
Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes of the Flathead Nation Flathead (a.k.a. Séliš)
:::*
Kalispel (a.k.a. Qalispé)
::::*
Chewelah
::::*
Kalispel
::::*
Pend d’Oreile
:::*
Spokane (tribe) Spokane (a.k.a. NpoqÃniÅ¡cn)
Pentlatch, Nooksack, Twana, Lower Chehalis, Upper Chehalis, Cowlitz, and Tillamook are now
extinct language extinct. Additionally, the Lummi, Semiahmoo, Songhees, and Sooke dialects of Northern Straits are also extinct.
Genetic relations
It has been proposed that the Salishan languages may be related to
Wakashan languages Wakashan and
Chimakuan languages Chimakuan languages in a hypothetical
Mosan family. There have also been efforts to relate the
language isolate Kootenai (tribe) Kutenai (Kootenai) to Mosan.
Family features
* generalized sound system
* post-velar
vowel harmony harmony (more areal)
* syllables
*
reduplication
* nonconcatenation (
infix,
metathesis,
glottalization)
* control
* tenselessness
* nounlessness controversy
{{sectstub}}
External links
-
Bibliography of Materials on Salishan Languages (YDLI)
-
University of Montana Occasional Papers in Linguistics (UMOPL) (Native languages of the Northwest)
-
Coast Salish Culture: an Outline Bibliography
-
Coast Salish Collections
-
International Conference on Salish and Neighboring Languages
-
The Salishan Studies List (Linguist List)
-
Okanagan language resources (includes sound files)
-
Native Peoples, Plants & Animals: Halkomelem
-
Saanich (Timothy Montler's site)
-
Klallam (Timothy Montler's site)
-
A Bibliography of Northwest Coast Linguistics
-
Ethnologue classification for Salishan
Bibliography
* Czaykowska-Higgins, Ewa; & Kinkade, M. Dale (Eds.). (1997). ''Salish languages and linguistics: Theoretical and descriptive perspectives''. Berlin: Mouton de Gruyter. ISBN 3-11-015492-7.
* Kroeber, Paul D. (1999). ''The Salish language family: Reconstructing syntax''. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press in cooperation with the American Indian Studies Research Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington.
* Thompson, Laurence C. (1973). The northwest. In T. A. Sebeok (Ed.), ''Linguistics in North America'' (pp. 979-1045). Current trends in linguistics (Vol. 10). The Hauge: Mouton.
* Thompson, Laurence C. (1979). Salishan and the northwest. In L. Campbell & M. Mithun (Eds.), ''The languages of native America: Historical and comparative assessment'' (pp. 692-765). Austin: University of Texas Press.
Category:Salishan languages *
br:Yezhoù salichek
ca:Llengües salish
de:Salish-Sprachen
eo:SaliÅ?a lingvaro
fr:Langues salish
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Category:Language families
Category:Northwest Coast Sprachbund (North America)
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