Early 1860s: Chinuk Wawa’s distribution in Idaho
A book that collects early pioneer memories tells us something noteworthy about the development of Chinuk Wawa.
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1901: Telegrams “in unknown tongue” (Chinuk Wawa and Cree)
I betcha the Cree one is more or less pidginized…
So many Métis words in interior PNW languages (part 7: Nsilxcən / Okanagan-Colville Salish)
As we’re finding to be frequent among the modern Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest interior, Nsilxcən Salish carries many, many indications of a substantial contact history with Métis people’s speech. (All installments… Continue reading
1875: “Legend of Chemeketa”, an epic doggerel poem
Among the most famed “pioneers” was Captain Oliver Cromwell Applegate Sr. (1845-1938).
1864 + 1883: Chinuk Wawa cussin’ in a California newspaper or two
Truly rough “frontier” humor wasn’t rare in print at one time…
1910: A Spokane Wobbly bomb threat in Chinook?
Chinuk Wawa was sometimes suspected of being an enemy code during the US Civil War…
1910: ‘stop’ stops nonstop in BC Chinuk Wawa
Here is yet another neato frito confirmation that “stop” was a very common BC Chinook Jargon synonym for the various uses of míɬayt…
1886 [circa 1867], SE Alaska: The Yiddish Merchants’ Union?
A decade pre-Klondike gold rush, a Montana newspaper article about Alaska has little else to do than reminisce about how the Jews, supposedly, were taking over that Territory at the time of the… Continue reading
1893: Newly discovered — more Betseyannspikes
“She” spoke really good Chinuk Wawa, and “Deer Ed.” didn’t need to translate it for his readers.
1890: “Icta” in Notes and Queries
From the wonderful old language discussion forum, American Notes and Queries, comes this note on a Pacific Northwest English borrowing from Chinuk Wawa: Icta (Vol. v, pp. 66, etc.). — Icta, or icter, is a… Continue reading