I’ve spoken often enough about how, despite people’s ignorant presumptions about pidgin-creole languages, there’s lots of reflection of grammatical animacy in Chinuk Wawa.

Listening to my favorite local environmental news show on community radio (because that’s how I roll), today I heard a mention of the “Tupshin” wolf pack! t’ə́pshin = ‘to mend, to patch’; ‘a… Continue reading →

The mistaken spelling < lareh > has caused no end of consternation.

In Louis-Napoleon St Onge’s handwritten dictionary that I’m editing, he has this entry for “overshoes”: lakom shush. 

Look:

Naika wawa masi kopa Paisley pi Mokwst Alex, for reminding me of a great book by a great anthropological linguist!

Going from North to South through the 3 dialects I recognize in Chinook Jargon…

Thanks to a comment from nenamooks on another post here at my site…

Lost is a word of Chinook Jargon not only in the Northern Dialect (where it’s quite widely used), but also the older Central Dialect.

People helping people: “Indians fishing, Sand Island, Chinook. J. F. Ford photo” (image credit: Oregon History Project) Great discussions with people of at a wide range of skills, who all like helping each… Continue reading →