Liqʼwala facts for kids

Liqʼwala (also called Liq̓ʷala or Lik'wala) is a special language spoken by the Laich-kwil-tach people. These people live on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. Liqʼwala is a dialect of Kwakʼwala, which means it's a unique version of that language.

Sadly, Liqʼwala is an endangered language. This means very few people still speak it. In 2017, only 12 people, all over 70 years old, could speak Liqʼwala fluently. This showed how much the language needed help.

People are working hard to save Liqʼwala. In 2017, there was a plan to start a special program. This program would help teach the language to more people.

Saving the Liqʼwala Language

Many people want to make sure the Liqʼwala language doesn't disappear. They are working on ways to teach it to younger generations. This is called language revitalization.

Learning from Elders

One important way to save the language is through a "mentor-apprentice" program. In this program, an elder who speaks Liqʼwala fluently works with a teacher. They spend many hours together, with the elder teaching the language one-on-one. This helps the teacher learn to speak Liqʼwala well.

Immersion Programs

The goal is to create a full immersion program. This means students would learn everything in Liqʼwala, just like they would learn their first language. In January 2019, a school district in Campbell River, British Columbia, agreed to try this. They started a pilot program at Ripple Rock Elementary. The hope is that these programs will help create new fluent speakers. This way, the Liqʼwala language can live on for many years.

How Liqʼwala is Written

Liqʼwala has its own special way of being written down. This writing system is based on something called Americanist phonetic notation. This means it uses different letters and symbols than other versions of the Kwakʼwala language. Each symbol helps show how the sounds of Liqʼwala are made.