1930: Williams, “Logger-Talk”
Another in my sporadic series of gems from the old CHINOOK listserv that deserve more attention:
(Image credit: Collins Unbound blog @ UPS)
I should clarify that this book…
Williams, Guy. 1930. Logger-talk: Some notes on the jargon of the Pacific
Northwest woods. Seattle: University of Washington Book Store. (University
of Washington Chapbooks, number 41.)
…documents how English was spoken in PNW lumber camps. “Jargon” in its title means a workplace lingo.
That English included a significant amount of Chinuk Wawa loan words. Some loggers talked CW, but not all did.
A few selected entries:
- “Brown brother: A Filipino or Kanaka.” [interestingly seems to assume NW
readers will understand “Kanaka“, the Chinook Jargon word for Pacific Islanders] - “Siwash: A canoe Indian.” [from CJ’s word for a ‘Native’…see below]
- “Chinook: Aside from the famous warm winds, the trade jargon of the old
Pacific Northwest…” - “Chuck: A body of water, as in salt chuck for Puget Sound, Pilchuck for red
river; also means food.” [!!] [that last one isn’t from Jargon!] - “Cultus: Bad; from the Chinook jargon.”
- “Keelapi: Tipped over; from the Chinook jargon.” [implies an interesting
pronunciation with a long “keel” as opposed to the short “k’il” that we’re used to; could it have been influenced by English slang “keel over”?] - “Klatawa: Go; from the Chinook jargon.”
- “Klootchman: Woman, squaw; from the Chinook jargon.” [sorry for the authentic racist slur he used there]
- “Kok-shut: All broken up; from the Chinook jargon.”
- “Mesahche: Obscene or evil; from the Chinook jargon.”
- “Siwash: Used as an adjective; a slack and un-enterprizing [sic] outfit is a
Siwash outfit.” [this is how the word was used in PNW English; it isn’t a racial slur within Jargon]
Quite the neat little indicator that the Jargon left a lasting mark on PNW English speech — especially in logging’s ground zero, the more remote forested regions — well into the 20th century.
I don’t think it’s surprising that people knew the word Kanaka. It was a common word in lots of the English-speaking world, not just in Chinook Jargon or Chinook-influenced English. I’ve seen it around in lots of literature of that time- Lovecraft for example since that’s been top of mind recently.
I’d like to throw in that all the Tyee’s I’ve met down here in Oregon have all worked fire or logging.