Thesis on (Canadian) French influence in PNW
Those who are interested in all things French-Canadian about the Pacific Northwest frontier know that it can be hard to locate helpful sources…
…So it’s nice to find a Masters thesis in History by Gregory Rathbone (Portland State University, 1981) : “The French Connection in Early Oregon“.
My readers will be happy to know that a search for “Chinook Jargon” in the document turns up several useful references.
There are other Jargon-related points brought up.
For example, on page 94 Rathbone evaluates a claim published way back in 1854, in the Oregonian. The idea was that the tribal and place name “Coquille” (which looks like the French for ‘(sea)shell’, but which you now hear pronounced as “COKE-wool”) derives from “an Indian word for eel”.
That is, from Chinuk Wawa skákʰwəl. This is a word whose earliest known occurrence seems to be Joel Palmer’s 1847 < ko-ko-well >.
Now, that’s quite neat, because Palmer has been the only source lacking the old Chinookan s- prefix on this word. We’ve inadvertently come across a confirmation here, presumably from a Settler eyewitness, that early-creolized period CW at least sometimes treated this noun for ‘eel’ like so many other Chinookan-sourced words, stripping away the original prefix segments.
Rathbone’s focus is of course broader than this specific example I’ve spotlighted here. And he does a very good job of surveying the many ways French-Canadian culture has helped create modern Oregon and left a lasting mark on it.
I recommend giving this thesis a read.
Coquelle isn’t quite home country for me, but nearly so – my mom being from Newport, OR, on the Oregon coast to the north. I think we usually heard the name pronounced /kʰoˈkʰiyl/ when I was growing up – no doubt corrected to “proper French.” I wonder how widespread that pronunciation was in Coquille R country (perhaps among the more educated class)? As far as I have heard it, the authentic old local pronunciation is /kʰoˈkʰwɛl/: suggestive of, if not quite matching usual Jargon [skɑ́kʰwəl]. Wonder if there is any historical info on the origin of the name (I don’t have my McArthur where I am now, will check later).
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As a registered KōKwel tribal member who grew up in KōKeel (😊) we have always used the different pronunciations to distinguish between the city and the tribe. I have heard stories from 60+ years ago that the city had been pronounced KōKwel at some point, but the people living there starters using the alternative and it stuck.
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Thanks for commenting with that eyewitness information here, JenT! — Dave
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I was taught growing up in siuslaw ili’i that it was pronounced kʰoˈkʰwɛl as well. I remember the story being that the town was known as that as well, but that officials felt the name “sounded too indian”, and so efforts were made to put out a sign at the edge of town that said “its pronounced ‘koh-keel’”.
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hayu masi Aaron, your local knowledge is valuable! – – Dave
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