Strychnine again! “His Wits Saved His Life”
After Alex Code’s recent find of strychnine being discussed in Chinook Jargon (as lamachín ‘medicine!), this frontiersy anecdote sure caught my eye…
Monthly Archive: August, 2021
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hól and hál?
Spare a thought for the etymology of Grand Ronde Chinuk Wawa’s hól ‘to hold’…
Pus vs. pi, for subordination
Sometimes you have alternatives, and they can be meaningful…
“Toque” and Métis vowels
Just a thought about vowels ‘n’ toques ‘n’ Métis people.
Fireworks in Chinuk Wawa
Two words I know for ‘fireworks’ in Chinuk Wawa are borrowed…the second in what may be a surprising way!
Kamloops + other residential schools, as reported to Native people in Chinook (Part 2)
More early reports of residential schools in British Columbia…
A different twist on an evergreen joke
The Chinook phrase < hyas klose > (‘very good’) was the focus of much Settler humor…
1788: “John Meares’ Approach to Oregon” and lack of any pidgin language at Shoalwater Bay/Grays Harbor
If Chinook Jargon had existed yet, it probably would’ve been spoken at Shoalwater Bay in 1788.
“Colonial Despatches” (part 3: French was BC’s 1st lingua franca)
What had been the old New Caledonia District was approximately what was being described in the following…
Well-intentioned, but foolish, lesson plans
Can you name any language that schoolkids can be expected to translate a treaty into, with no prior exposure?