Okanagan language facts for kids

The Colville-Okanagan language, also known as Okanagan or Nsyilxcən (n̓səl̓xčin̓, n̓syilxčn̓), is a Salish language. It was first spoken by the native peoples living in the Okanagan River Basin and Columbia River Basin in what is now Canada and the United States.

After European settlement in the 1800s, the use of Colville-Okanagan greatly decreased. Today, it is an endangered language. Only about 50 people still speak it as their first language. Most of these speakers live in the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. No one under 50 years old speaks it as their first language. However, many adults and children are now learning it as a second language to help keep it alive. Colville-Okanagan is the second most spoken Salish language, after Shuswap.

Where the Language Comes From

The Colville-Okanagan language comes from an older language called Proto Southern Interior Salish. This language was spoken in the Columbia River Basin. Over time, Colville-Okanagan developed three main ways of speaking, called dialects: Colville, Okanagan, and Lakes. These dialects are very similar in words and grammar. The main differences are small changes in how words are pronounced.

Most Colville-Okanagan words come from these older Salish languages. Some words were also borrowed from nearby languages like Sahaptian and Kutenai. More recently, words have been borrowed from English and French.

For a long time, Colville-Okanagan was only spoken, not written. In the late 1800s, priests and language experts started writing it down. They created word lists, dictionaries, and grammar guides. Today, Colville-Okanagan is written using the Latin script and a special system called the American Phonetic Alphabet.

In its own language, Colville-Okanagan is called n̓səl̓xčin̓ or nsyilxcn. The people who speak n̓səl̓xčin̓ are known as syil̓x. This word means "Salish." The syil̓x people lived in the northern part of the Columbia Basin. This included areas from the Methow River to Kootenay Lake, and along the Columbia River. Many different groups, like the Lower Similkameen Indian Band and the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation, share Colville-Okanagan as their heritage language.

Bringing the Language Back to Life

Many people and groups are working hard to bring the Colville-Okanagan language back. This effort is called language revitalization. In 2012, a news report showed a family teaching their children n̓səl̓xcin̓ at home.

Several non-profit groups help with this work. These include the Paul Creek Language Association in Keremeos, British Columbia, and the Salish School of Spokane in Spokane, Washington.

Revitalization in the United States

In the United States, efforts to revive Colville-Okanagan include classes for children and special programs for adults. The Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation are very active in saving the language. They use money from local and federal sources for cultural projects.

The Tribes want to create three language programs, develop dictionaries, and offer translation services. They also aim to have language classes with at least 30 regular students. While these goals are great, the small number of fluent native speakers makes it challenging to expand quickly.

The Salish School of Spokane (SSOS) in Washington State has a strong plan for language revitalization. This school helps Colville-Okanagan people in the Spokane area. SSOS teaches both children and adults. In the 2021-2022 school year, they taught children from 1 year old up to 9th grade. Their younger classes (P-6) are 100% n̓səl̓xčin̓ immersion. This means all subjects, like math, science, and art, are taught in the language. The school wants children to be fully fluent by age 15.

SSOS also offers intensive n̓səl̓xčin̓ training for adults. Many staff members get daily immersion training. Parents of SSOS students also take paid language classes. All parents must complete at least 60 hours of language classes each year for their children to attend the school. SSOS also offers free beginner classes for parents and community members. Currently, 35 students at the school have at least one parent who is also studying the language.

The Salish School of Spokane shares its teaching materials. They have many audio resources and learning plans. They also help create and translate new materials. The school works with groups like the Paul Creek Language Association on the N̓səl̓xcin̓ Curriculum Project. This project creates lesson plans for Okanagan teachers. Fluent elders like Sarah Peterson help translate, ensuring the materials are accurate. The project includes six textbooks, audio recordings, and software. It also has literature books for entertainment and to help learners practice sentences. All these materials are available online for free.

Revitalization in Canada

In Canada, the En'Owkin Centre focuses on training new language teachers. They offer a Certificate of Aboriginal Language Revitalization. This course is taught by linguist Maxine Baptiste and is partnered with the University of Victoria. The center also offers a certificate to become an Early Childhood Education Assistant. This helps ensure that more people can teach Okanagan to young children.

The En'Owkin Centre also helps native students prepare for college. They include Colville-Okanagan courses in their programs for young adults. This helps students succeed and keeps the language part of their education.

In 2015, a Syilx Language House was started in British Columbia. Its goal was to create 10 fluent Nsyilxcen speakers in four years. Participants in this program spend 2000 hours learning the language. They use different teaching methods, have regular checks on their progress, and visit with Elders. After the program finished in 2020, the Syilx Language House hopes to open more houses and teach 100 new speakers.

How the Language is Written

Different groups use slightly different ways to write Colville-Okanagan. The Paul Creek Language Association uses this alphabet:

Letters with an accent mark (like á, ə́, í, and ú) are not seen as separate letters in this alphabet.

The Westbank First Nation uses a slightly different alphabet where accented letters are counted as separate letters:

Language Structure

Colville-Okanagan has a complex structure, especially in how words are formed. It adds small pieces (prefixes and suffixes) to words to change their meaning. This makes the language very compact.

Talking About People and Things

Colville-Okanagan is flexible when talking about who is doing an action, how many people there are, and sometimes gender. It uses prefixes (added to the beginning of a word) and suffixes (added to the end) to show who is involved.

For example, to say "There are three people":

Here, the "k" part shows that the word includes a number.

The language also uses suffixes to show gender. For example, to say "I saw the man":

The ending of the word can show if someone is male or female.

These markers for people can attach to verbs (action words), nouns (names of things), or adjectives (describing words).

Showing Possession

To show that something belongs to someone, Colville-Okanagan often adds prefixes or suffixes to words. For example, using the word kilx meaning 'hand':

Verbs and Actions

Colville-Okanagan changes verbs in different ways depending on if they have a direct object (something the action is done to). For example, the verb 'count' (c'k-ən-t) changes like this:

How Words Change Meaning

Colville-Okanagan uses different endings (suffixes) to change the meaning of words, especially verbs.

• The suffix -t can show a natural quality of something.

* c̓ik̓ means "burn" * c̓ik̓t means "burned"

• The suffix -lx shows that someone is doing an activity.

* qiclx means "run"

• The suffix -ils expresses a state of mind.

* nk̓wpils means "lonely"

• The suffix -p shows that the subject doesn't have control over something.

* kmap means "darkening"

For verbs that involve an object:

• The suffix -n shows an action done to an object.

* kʷuʔ caʔntis means "he hit me"

• The suffix -cut shows when an action is done to oneself.

* tarqncut means "kick oneself"

• If a verb that usually has an object doesn't have a person marker, it can be a command.

* nlk̓ipnt means "open it"

• For verbs that don't usually have an object, the suffix -x can make them a command.

* xʷuyx means "go"

Time, Place, and How Things Happen

The Okanagan language uses special prefixes (added to the beginning of words) to show when or where something is happening, or how it's happening.

• ks- means an action that hasn't happened yet, like "I'm going to..."

* ikstxt̓ám means "I'm going to look after him."

• səc- means something that has already been happening for a while.

* ˁi-səc-txt'-am means "I've been looking after him."

For verbs that don't involve an object:

• -k means an action that will happen in the future.

* Kn kʷal̓t means "I'm warm" (or "I will be warm").

• -aʔx means an action that is currently happening.

* kn scpútaʔx means "I am celebrating."

Directional Prefixes

These prefixes show movement:

• ɬ- means moving back.
• c- means moving toward the speaker.
• kɬ- means moving down or under.

Showing Relationships with Prepositions

Colville-Okanagan uses special markers to show relationships between words, similar to prepositions in English.

• tl̓ means "from" or "source."
• k̓l means "to," "at," or "goal."
• k̓ means "for" (like doing something for someone).
• l means "on" or "at a location."
• nˁəɬ means "with" (like accompanying someone).
• ˁit means "with" or "by" (like using an instrument).