Talk strange language
The Jargon was being reminisced about already in 1904! The Morning Oregonian (Portland, Or.), Thursday, June 21, 1904, page 12, columns 3-4 has this report of a typical pioneers’ get-together of the time, at… Continue reading
The Jargon was being reminisced about already in 1904! The Morning Oregonian (Portland, Or.), Thursday, June 21, 1904, page 12, columns 3-4 has this report of a typical pioneers’ get-together of the time, at… Continue reading →
(See the answer in the update line below! — Dave) Here’s a test of your Chinook Jargon-related geographic knowledge: Can you identify this place? Thanks to the kind reader who submitted this via… Continue reading →
The legendary Dictionary of American Regional English, which you ought to go look at in a library if you can’t afford it, also has online pages that are mighty interesting. I found one… Continue reading →
Probably one of the most visible pop-culture uses of the Chinook Jargon word “Potlatch” was this #99 hit by the Native American band Redbone: (Their drummer was from Neah Bay.) It wasn’t as… Continue reading →
It’s often been noted with interest that Chinook Jargon, and 19th-century English in the greater Northwest, both had a word specifically for Pacific Islanders: kanaka. There were plenty of Islanders out here at the… Continue reading →
This is a typically fascinating question by Robert Krulwich at his blog: Who talks with whom? Go read it. It’s fascinating the data that support the observation that folks in a given region… Continue reading →
The Daily Morning Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) Tuesday, March 27, 1888, column 3. I invite your interpretations of this text! Most of it’s quite clear. Some is new to me. — Dave Potlatch Club Ball.… Continue reading →
Another website that’s great for us Chinook Jargon learners and preservers is Eric Michael Bernando’s blog “Chaku-Kəmdəks Chinuk Wawa“. As the URL for Eric’s site tells, it’s a place to “learn Chinook Jargon”.… Continue reading →
Among the few (but increasing number of) websites where you can practice your Chinook Jargon, is VOVA. That’s the Vocal & Verbal Arts Archives. They’re a nonprofit working for language documentation and revitalization;… Continue reading →
Northwest nerdery: soccer + Chinook Jargon… Portland Timbers fans holding up banners during the national anthem before a match: “TIMBERS HIAS SKOOKUM” (it’s a chant, too) “WHITECAPS HIAS CULTUS” “SOUNDERS HIAS MESACHIE” “TIMBERS… Continue reading →