Lillooet language facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lillooet
St̓át̓imcets / Sƛ̓aƛ̓imxǝc Ucwalmícwts / Lil̓wat7úlmec
Native to	Canada
Region	British Columbia
Ethnicity	6,670 St̓át̓imc (2014, FPCC)
Native speakers	315  (2016)
Language family	Salishan Interior Salish Northern Lillooet
Lillooet is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
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Lillooet is a special language spoken by the St’át’imc people in southern British Columbia, Canada. It's also known by its own names, St̓át̓imcets or Sƛ̓aƛ̓imxǝc. This language belongs to the Salishan language family. You can find people who speak Lillooet around the middle parts of the Fraser and Lillooet Rivers.

The people living along the Lower Lillooet River call their language Ucwalmícwts. This is because St̓át̓imcets means "the language of the people from Sat̓." That name usually refers to the Upper Lillooet people who live near the Fraser River. Sadly, Lillooet is an endangered language. This means very few people still speak it. In 2005, there were only about 200 native speakers left, and most of them were over 60 years old.

What are the Main Types of Lillooet Language?

The St̓át̓imcets language has two main ways it is spoken, called dialects. Think of dialects as different versions of the same language.

• Upper/Northern St̓át̓imcets (also called St̓át̓imcets or Fountain)
• Lower/Southern St̓at̓imcets (also called Lil̓wat7úlmec or Mount Currie)

Where is Upper St̓át̓imcets Spoken?

Upper St̓át̓imcets is spoken in areas like Fountain, Pavilion, and Lillooet. These are all nearby communities.

Where is Lower St̓át̓imcets Spoken?

Lower St̓át̓imcets is spoken around Mount Currie and its surrounding areas. There's also a smaller subdialect called Skookumchuck within the Lower St̓át̓imcets area. The communities along the Lower Lillooet River, below Lillooet Lake, often use the name Ucwalmicwts for their dialect.

How are Efforts Being Made to Save the Language?

People are working hard to keep the Lillooet language alive. For example, at Mount Currie, where the Lil’wat people live, there's a program called "Clao7alcw" (Raven's Nest). This program teaches children in the Lil̓wat language.

In 2014, a group called the Coastal Corridor Consortium started a Lil’wat-language program. This group includes members from First Nations and educational partners. Their goal is to help Indigenous people access and succeed in higher education and training.

How Does Lillooet Language Work?

Lillooet, like other Salishan languages, has a flexible way of forming sentences. This means that many words can act as different parts of a sentence. For example, a word that usually means a "thing" (like a noun) can also describe an "action" (like a verb).

What are the Types of Words in Lillooet?

The Lillooet language has two main types of words:

• Full words: These are complete words that can stand alone.
  • Variable words: These words can change their form.
  • Invariable words: These words do not change their form.
• Clitics: These are small words that attach to other words.
  • Proclitics: These attach to the beginning of a word.
  • Enclitics: These attach to the end of a word.

Variable words can change in many ways. They can have parts added to the beginning (prefixes), end (suffixes), or even in the middle (infixes). Words can also be repeated (reduplication) or have special sounds added (glottalization).

How Do Words Change Their Roles?

In Lillooet, almost any full word can be used as the main action word in a sentence. For example, the word nk̓yap means 'coyote'. But if you use it as the main action word, it can mean 'to be a coyote'.

Also, any full word can be the "subject" of a sentence. Even words that seem like actions, like t̓ak 'go along', can act like a noun. In this case, t̓ak could mean 'one that goes along'.

Here are some examples to show how words can change their roles:

What is Reduplication?

Reduplication is when parts of a word are repeated. This is very common in Lillooet and other Salishan languages. It can change the meaning of a word in many ways. For example, it can make a word plural (more than one), or show that an action is continuing.

Here are some examples of how words are repeated:

There's also a more complex type of reduplication called internal reduplication. This is used to make things sound smaller or "diminutive." For example, it can change 'snake' to 'worm' or 'dog' to 'pup'.

Sometimes, more than one type of reduplication can happen in the same word! For example, you can make a word both smaller and plural at the same time.

A Story in Lillooet

Here is a small part of a story written in the Lillooet language, told by Rosie Joseph from Mount Currie. It's a great way to see the language in action!

St̓át̓imcets:

Nilh aylh lts7a sMáma ti húz̓a qweqwl̓el̓tmínan. N̓as ku7 ámlec áku7 tsípunsa. Nilh t̓u7 st̓áksas ti xláka7sa. Tsicw áku7, nilh t̓u7 ses wa7, kwánas et7ú i sqáwtsa. Wa7 ku7 t̓u7 áti7 xílem, t̓ak ku7 knáti7 ti pú7y̓acwa. Nilh ku7 t̓u7 skwánas, lip̓in̓ás ku7. Nilh ku7 t̓u7 aylh stsuts: "Wa7 nalh aylh láti7 kapv́ta!" Nilh ku7 t̓u7 aylh sklhaka7mínas ku7 láti7 ti sqáwtsa cwilhá k̓a, nao7q̓ spawts ti kwanensása...

English translation:

This time it is Máma I am going to talk about. She went that way to get some food from her roothouse. So she took along her bucket. She got there, and she stayed around, taking potatoes. She was doing that, and then a mouse ran by there. So she grabbed it, she squeezed it. So she said: "You get all squashed now!" So she opened her hand and she let go of what turned out to be a potato, it was a rotten potato that she had caught....