Category Archive: Uncategorized

Discoveries: Salish ‘sealion’, pig evolution, & a French compound loan

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A brand-new word, and a brand-new structure:

Joel Palmer was writing ejective consonants in 1847

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Chinook Jargon reflects its Native heritage, for example with a number of “popping” sounds: c’h, k’, k’w, p’, q’, q’w, t’, t’ɬ, t’s.

“Charko if they tickied sullex”

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I won’t transcribe all of the English in this eyewitness letter from the Rogue River Indian war, although it’s enlightening to learn of the White volunteers’ greed. 

Tom Spilkins of Siletz speaks…

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  …or tries to? Casual racism, fictional Chinuk Wawa, and bad typesetting interfere with the value of today’s already disturbing historical clipping from the Siletz Indian Reservation in Oregon: 

Keel-A-Pie, the Chinuk Wawa operetta (tenth page)

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If you haven’t yet grasped what a low-culture burlesque this Keel-A-Pie was, today we learn it was performed in drag! But first, to the Chinook Jargon…

Keel-A-Pie, the Chinuk Wawa operetta (ninth page)

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Another juicy slice of Keel-A-Pie!

Keel-A-Pie, the Chinuk Wawa operetta (eighth page)

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Some excellent chunks of Chinook Jargon today for you!

Keel-A-Pie, the Chinuk Wawa operetta (seventh page)

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The truth is marching on! We discover more about the musical sound of this production…

Keel-A-Pie, the Chinuk Wawa operetta (sixth page)

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Today we have only English-language dialogue, so this is my chance to remark that the Chinuk Wawa names of the five Quileute enemies (‘Red’, ‘Black’, ‘Three/Third’, ‘Four(th)’, and ‘Afraid’) sure remind me of… Continue reading

Keel-A-Pie, the Chinuk Wawa operetta (fifth page)

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Today, “Chinuk Wawa operetta” gets real…