Category Archive: Uncategorized

“Kaltash wawa” is one of the oldest known Chinook Jargon phrases

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Noted from the early 1810’s at Fort Astoria, kʰə́ltəs wáwa is among the handful of multi-word phrases in Chinuk Wawa that we know from the earliest documents.

Last ‘cow’: Wintu and Chimariko at the farthest southern reach of CJ

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I see one of my favorite college professors documented the farthest southern reach of any Chinook Jargon word!

“Field Recordings”: Quinne Larsen’s 2025 award-nominated short film in Chinuk Wawa

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ɬúsh pus q’wəlán úkuk kʰapa chinúk sháwásh tílixam: 

MYSTERY: what edition of what dictionary is this?

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Hey, Chinook crowd! Can we crowdsource an answer here?

1800s, Clackamas lands: Laughing at missionaries

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Did the phrase “the above chief” precede Chinook Jargon’s sáx̣ali-táyí, and inspire it?

“Quite Frustrating”! — dealing with the press as a linguist

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HIRE A LINGUIST! (That’s me.)

Chinook in our lives: the Tloosh Tumtum Native Educator Fellowship

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Today, I just realized, is the dealine for this excellent opportunity: The Tloosh Tumtum Native Educator Fellowship (click that link!) Tloosh tumtum is ɬúsh-tə́mtəm, ‘good heart’ — and many more meanings, depending on the… Continue reading →

Ø “Silent IT” goes back to very early Chinuk Wawa

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We are extremely fortunate that some of the very first stuff written down in Chinook Jargon was full sentences; there are things in this language that are hard to spot otherwise.

Another Chinuk Wawa book for the kids: “Kalapuya-Chinuk wawa Ikanum”

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I’m happy to report that I’ve received a 3-book bundle in the mail, containing another Chinuk Wawa book for kids.

Poor eyesight: How “ulchey” mistakenly got into CJ dictionaries as ‘moose’

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No later than the 14th edition (1902) of his partially plagiarized popular Chinook Jargon dictionary, John K Gill of Portland, Oregon was saying with a straight face that < ulchey > means ‘moose’ in… Continue reading →