Chinookan languages

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Chinookan is a small family of languages spoken in Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples. They are not to be confused with the Chinook Jargon, a pidgin based on Chinookan and with many words loaned from other languages, which was used in trade along the Pacific Northwest coast and adjoining areas inland.

[edit] Family division

Chinookan consists of three languages with multiple varieties:

1. Kathlamet (also known as Katlamat, Cathlamet), now extinct (†). Kathlamet was spoken in northwestern Oregon along the south bank of the lower Columbia River. Kathlamet has been classified as a dialect of Upper Chinook (or Middle Chinook), but they are not mutually intelligible.
2. Lower Chinook (also known as Coastal Chinook), now extinct (†).
   • Clatsop was spoken in northwestern Oregon around the mouth of the Columbia River and the Clatsop Plains (†).
   • Shoalwater (also known as Chinook proper), now extinct (†). Shoalwater was spoken in southwestern Washington around southern Willapa Bay.
3. Upper Chinook (also known as Kiksht, Columbia Chinook)
   • Cascades, now extinct (†).
   • Clackamas, now extinct (†). the clakmasas was spoken in northwestern Oregon along the Clackamas and Sandy rivers.
   • Hood River, now extinct (†).
   • Multnomah (†) Multnomah spoken on Sauvie Island and in the Portland area in northwestern Oregon.
   • Wasco-Wishram, still spoken but severely endangered.

   Wasco has two speakers left.

   Wishram has two speakers.

   • White Salmon, now extinct (†).

Watlala was spoken in north-central Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge.

[edit] Bibliography

• Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.

[edit] Further Reading

• Gibbs, George (1863). Alphabetical vocabulary of the Chinook language. Cramoisy Press. Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection