Comox language facts for kids

Comox or Éy7á7juuthem is a Coast Salish language that was historically spoken in the northern Georgia Strait area of British Columbia, Canada. This region includes the east coast of Vancouver Island, the northern Sunshine Coast, and nearby inlets and islands. More specifically, the ʔayajuθəm language was traditionally used in Bute Inlet (also known as Church House), Squirrel Cove (Cortez Island), and Sliammon, which is now known as Powell River.

The language has two main types, called dialects: Island Comox and Mainland Comox. The Island Comox dialect was spoken by the K'ómoks First Nation on Vancouver Island. The Mainland Comox dialect, also known as ʔayajuθəm, was spoken by the Sliammon, Klahoose, and Homalco peoples. Sadly, as of 2012, there are no longer any speakers of the Island Comox dialect. The word "Comox" itself is not from the ʔayajuθəm language. It comes from a Kwak'wala word meaning "plenty" or "abundance."

The word ʔayajuθəm means "the language of our people" in the Sliammon, Klahoose, and Homalco languages.

Saving the Language

Many people are working hard to bring the ʔayajuθəm language back to life.

Language Projects

Projects to help save ʔayajuθəm have started in Powell River, Campbell River, and Cortez Island.

• Young children in daycare and preschool are learning ʔayajuθəm.
• The language is now taught in schools on Cortez Island, Campbell River (where many Homalco people live), and in School District #47 (Powell River).
• Learning ʔayajuθəm can even count as a second language to help students graduate from high school.
• In Powell River, ʔayajuθəm is taught from daycare all the way through grade 12.

Community Efforts

In 2003, the Sliammon First Nation and the municipality of Powell River signed an agreement. Because of this, the municipality of Powell River has started putting traditional Sliammon names on signs throughout the area, alongside the settler names.

Modern Tools for Learning

• An iPhone app for Sliammon was released in March 2012.
• An online dictionary, phrasebook, and language learning website are available through FirstVoices.
• Besides the FirstVoices site, you can find ʔayajuθəm dictionaries from Sliammon and Homalco.
• CDs with ʔayajuθəm language and children's books are available in Powell River, Campbell River, and Cortez Island.

Many Sliammon, Klahoose, and Homalco people do not see themselves as Comox. They often feel more connected to the Kwakwaka'wakw people, as the Comox people speak that language. The Island Comox dialect became very rare in the late 1800s. This happened as Lekwiltok became the more common language spoken by the Island Comox people.

Language Sounds

Every language has its own unique sounds, like consonants and vowels. Comox, or ʔayajuθəm, has a rich set of sounds that are different from English. Linguists (people who study languages) use special symbols to write down these sounds.

How Words are Built

Comox is a language where words can be very long and complex. This is because many parts are added to a word to change its meaning. Imagine building a word like building with LEGOs, where each small piece adds a new detail.

• Comox uses many endings (suffixes) and patterns where parts of a word are repeated (reduplication).
• These additions can refer to objects or ideas. For example, a part of a word might mean "foot" or "neck."
• The language also has ways to show who owns something.

Counting People

Comox has special ways to count people. For example, to say "1 person" or "2 people," they add a repeated sound to the number.

• 1 – páʔa
• 2 – sáʔa
• 3 – čálas
• 4 – mus
• 5 – síyačix
• 6 – t'áxam
• 7 – c'oʔčis
• 8 – táʔčis
• 9 – tígyixw
• 10 – úpan

When counting people, a part of the word is repeated:

• pí-paʔa means '1 person'
• sí-saʔa means '2 people'

Actions and Time

Comox can show if an action was done on purpose or by accident. It also has ways to show if something happened for a long time, or if it's just starting.

• For example, "he shot it (on purpose)" is different from "he shot it (accidentally)."
• The language can also show if an action is happening over a long period, like "he dug clams for a long time."
• It can also show the beginning of an event, like "get numb" from "numb."

Sentence Structure

In Comox, like other Salish languages, the verb (the action word) usually comes first in a sentence. After the verb, you'll find the subject (who or what is doing the action) and the object (who or what the action is done to).

Word Types

Sometimes, it can be tricky to tell if a word in Comox is a "noun" (a person, place, or thing) or a "verb" (an action). The same word can be both, depending on how it's used and what parts are added to it.

For example, the word ʔiɬtən can mean:

• Verb: ʔiɬtən‿čxʷ means 'you eat'
• Noun: tə‿ʔiɬtən-s means 'his/her food'

The small parts added to the word tell you if it's being used as an action or a thing.

Talking About the Past, Present, and Future

Comox has ways to show when something happened: in the past, present, or future.

• Future: Special endings are added to words to show something will happen.
  • tahathčxwsʌm tʌ kyutʌn means 'You'll feed the horse.'
• Past: Other endings show something already happened.
  • kʷačxʷi yʌqtoɫ means 'Have you bought that?'
• Present: Often, if there are no special endings, it means the action is happening now.

Current Status

In 1983, only two people who spoke Island Comox as their first language were still alive. However, in the 1980s, Mainland Comox was doing better. About one-third of the population still spoke it fluently, making it one of the strongest Salishan languages at the time.

Today, experts estimate there are about 40 speakers of the language, and most of them learned it as a second language. The language is considered to be in serious danger of being lost. This means that most of the people who still use the language are older, and efforts are needed to teach it to younger generations.