Nuu-chah-nulth language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nuu-chah-nulth |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nootka nuučaan̓uɫ, T̓aat̓aaqsapa |
||||
| Pronunciation | [nuːt͡ʃaːnˀuɬ] | |||
| Native to | Canada | |||
| Region | West coast of Vancouver Island, from Barkley Sound to Quatsino Sound, British Columbia | |||
| Ethnicity | 7,680 Nuu-chah-nulth (2014, FPCC) | |||
| Native speakers | 130 (2014, FPCC)e18 | |||
| Language family |
Wakashan
|
|||
|
||||
|
||||
The Nuu-chah-nulth language, also known as Nootka, is spoken by the Nuu-chah-nulth people. It is a Wakashan language found on the west coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. This area stretches from Barkley Sound to Quatsino Sound. Nuu-chah-nulth is closely related to the Nitinaht and Makah languages.
This language was the first among the indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast to be written down by European explorers. In the 1780s, explorers like Captain Vancouver and Quadra visited Nuu-chah-nulth communities. They wrote reports about their travels. Later, from 1803 to 1805, an English blacksmith named John R. Jewitt was held captive by Chief Maquinna at Nootka Sound. He learned some of the language and published a short dictionary in 1815.
Contents
Understanding the Nuu-chah-nulth Name
The name "Nuu-chah-nulth" means "along the outside [of Vancouver Island]". This name became popular in the 1970s. The different groups who speak this language chose it because they didn't like the term "Nootka". "Nootka" means "go around" and was mistakenly thought to be the name of a place. That place was actually called Yuquot. Older sources sometimes called the language "Tahkaht". This name was also used by the people to refer to themselves. The word aht in their language means "people".
Unique Sounds of Nuu-chah-nulth
The Nuu-chah-nulth language has many interesting and unique sounds. It has 35 different consonant sounds. Some of these sounds are made in the back of the throat, like the "uvular" sounds. Others are "ejective" sounds, which are made by pushing air out quickly from the throat.
The vowels in Nuu-chah-nulth can also change depending on the sounds around them. Some vowels can be "laryngealized," which means they are spoken with a creaky voice. The length of a vowel can also be important. Some vowels are short, some are long, and some have a "variable length" that changes based on where they are in a word.
How Nuu-chah-nulth Grammar Works
Nuu-chah-nulth is a polysynthetic language. This means that words can be very long and complex. They often combine many different parts to express a full idea. In terms of word order, Nuu-chah-nulth usually puts the predicate (the action or state) first. Then comes the subject and then the object.
Words in Nuu-chah-nulth can have special endings added to them. These endings show different grammatical categories. For example, they can show the mood (like if something is a fact or a question). They can also show the aspect (how an action happens over time) or the tense (when an action happens).
Expressing Time: Tense
Nuu-chah-nulth has ways to show when something happened or will happen. It can tell the difference between a "near future" and a "general future." For example, one ending might mean something "will" happen generally. Another ending might mean something is "going to" happen very soon.
Past tense is also shown with special word parts. These parts can change slightly depending on the specific word or the speaker's dialect. For instance, the word for "said" might change to "waamit" to show it happened in the past.
How Actions Happen: Aspect
Aspects in Nuu-chah-nulth describe how an action unfolds over time. They show if an action is quick, ongoing, or repeated. There are several aspects, such as:
- Momentaneous: For actions that happen in an instant.
- Durative: For actions that continue for a period.
- Repetitive: For actions that happen again and again.
Speaker's Attitude: Mood
Grammatical mood in Nuu-chah-nulth lets the speaker show their attitude about what they are saying. It also shows how they got the information. For example, there are moods for:
- Indicative: For stating a fact.
- Interrogative: For asking a question.
- Imperative: For giving a command.
- Quotative: For reporting what someone else said.
Most moods also have endings that tell you who the subject of the sentence is.
Words from Nuu-chah-nulth
The Nuu-chah-nulth language has influenced other languages. Many words from Nuu-chah-nulth became part of the Chinook Jargon. This was a trade language used by different Indigenous groups and European traders. It helped people communicate when they traded goods.
For example, the Chinook Jargon word hiyu, meaning "many," came from the Nuu-chah-nulth word for "ten." The word siah, meaning "far," came from the Nuu-chah-nulth word for "sky."
A large dictionary of the Nuu-chah-nulth language was created after 15 years of hard work. It has about 7,500 words. This dictionary used information from current speakers and notes from a linguist named Edward Sapir from almost a century ago. However, some Nuu-chah-nulth elders have questioned whether the author had the right to share their language in this way.
Different Ways of Speaking: Dialects
Nuu-chah-nulth has 12 different dialects, which are like different versions of the language. Each dialect is spoken by a specific First Nation group. These include:
- Ahousaht
- Ehattesaht (also called Ehattisaht)
- Hesquiat
- Kyuquot
- Mowachaht
- Nuchatlaht
- Ohiaht (also called Huu.ay.aht)
- Clayoquot (also called Tla.o.qui.aht)
- Toquaht
- Tseshaht (also called Sheshaht)
- Uchuklesaht (also called Uchucklesaht)
- Ucluelet (also called Yuułuʔiłʔatḥ)
Meanings of First Nation Names
The names of the First Nations often describe their connection to the land and sea.
- Nuu-Chah-Nulth - "all along the mountains and sea." The people prefer this name over "Nootka."
- Ahousaht - "People of an open bay" or "People with their backs to the mountains and lands."
- Ucluelet - "People with a safe landing place for canoes."
- Ehattesaht - "People of a tribe with many clans."
- Hesquiaht - "People who tear with their teeth."
- Kyuquot - "Different people."
- Mowachaht - "People of the deer."
- Nuchatlaht - "People of a sheltered bay."
- Huu-ay-aht - "People who recovered."
- Tseshaht - "People from an island that reeks of whale remains."
- Tla-o-qui-aht - "People from a different place."
- Toquaht - "People of a narrow passage."
- Uchucklesaht - "People of the inside harbour."
- Ditidaht - "People of the forest."
- Makah - "People generous with food."
Meanings of Place Names
The Nuu-chah-nulth people had names for every place in their traditional territory. Many of these names are still used today:
- hisaawista (esowista) – "Captured by clubbing the people who lived there to death." This refers to the Esowista Peninsula.
- Yuquot (Friendly Cove) – "Where they get the north winds." This is the name for Yuquot.
- nootk-sitl (Nootka) – "Go around."
- maaqtusiis – "A place across the island." This is the name for Marktosis.
- kakawis – "Fronted by a rock that looks like a container."
- opitsaht – "Island that the moon lands on." This is Opitsaht.
- pacheena – "Foamy."
- tsu-ma-uss (somass) – "Washing." This refers to the Somass River.
- hitac`u (itatsoo) – The Ucluelet Reserve.
- Tsaxana – "A place close to the river."
- Cheewat – "Pulling tide."
Learning Resources
If you want to learn more about Nuu-chah-nulth, there are some helpful resources. An Ehattesaht iPhone app was released in 2012. You can also find an online dictionary, a phrasebook, and a language learning portal. These are available at the First Voices Ehattesaht Nuchatlaht Community Portal.
Images for kids
-
Vowels of Nuu-chah-nulth.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma nutca para niños
- Nuu-chah-nulth alphabet
- Nuu-chah-nulth people
- Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council
- Nootka Jargon, an older trade language related to Nuu-chah-nulth
- Nitinaht language
- Makah
