Sinixt dialect facts for kids

Sinixt (pronounced sn-selxcin) is a special way of speaking, or a dialect, of the Okanagan language. It belongs to a bigger group called the Salishan Language family. People traditionally spoke Sinixt in the southern Interior Plateau area, especially around the Columbia River Basin. It's very similar to other languages in the Interior Salish group.

What's in a Name?

The names for different Salishan plateau languages often come from the land where they are spoken. Because many Interior Salish families moved over time, the differences between these languages are not as well-known today. A more general language has become common.

However, the Sinixt people want to keep their language alive. They want to preserve its unique dialect differences, even small ones. They also encourage others who are working to save the language to respect these dialects.

The Sinixt Nation website shares that there were once two versions of the language. One was for men, called sn-skəlxʷcin (language of humans). The other was for women, called sn-səlxcin (language of water). Everyone understood both dialects, but only the specific gender would speak them. Today, the language used is a mix of these two older versions.

In 1909, a researcher named James Teit noticed something interesting. He said the Sinixt dialect was spoken slowly and carefully. It was different from other Salishan dialects because of this measured way of speaking.

It's not known exactly how many people speak Sinixt fluently today. The Sinixt Nation website says it's an endangered language. This means it could be lost forever if people don't work hard to save it.

How We Know About Sinixt: Written Records

Historians Randy Bouchard and Dorothy Kennedy say that a fur trader named Alexander Ross was the first to write down the name of the Lakes (Sinixt) people. He did this in September 1821.

Many other researchers and explorers also wrote down Sinixt words and place names. These included anthropologists Franz Boas, James Teit, and Verne Ray. Explorers like George Mercer Dawson, James Turnbull, and Walter Moberly (engineer) also contributed.

James Teit got his information from Antoinette Christian and her family. They lived in a place called kp'itl'els (now Brilliant, B.C.). Verne Ray spoke with James Bernard, who was the chief of the Sinixt until 1934. Another researcher, William Elmendorf, talked to Nancy Wynecoop, who was born around 1865. His findings were not published.

According to anthropologist Paula Pryce, how the Sinixt dialect is grouped can be confusing. Different terms are used, which causes problems for researchers, governments, and the public. Some of this confusion comes from how things were written down. For example, Teit's early notes sometimes used different ways of spelling. Later, his notes became more standard. Also, some researchers, including Boas and Teit, had trouble telling certain sounds apart.

Historian Eileen Delehanty Pearkes believes that when Europeans mapped and renamed places, it helped erase the history of Indigenous cultures. These cultures had lived in the Columbia Basin for thousands of years. Pearkes also points out that some place names, like Nakusp, Slocan, and Comaplix, are English versions of Sinixt words. However, most people living there today don't know they are linked to the region's First Peoples.

Bringing the Language Back to Life

The Sinixt Nation website has a goal to create learning materials. They want to make teaching aids and activity books for children and adults. These will be available for everyone on their website.

In 2021, Smum iem and Maa Press Publishing and Distribution made a map of Sinixt təmxʷúlaʔxʷ (territory). This map has place names labeled in the Sn-selxcin language.