Southern Carrier language facts for kids

Southern Carrier, also called Lower Carrier or Dakelh, is a special group of ways people speak the Carrier language. It's part of the Northern Athabaskan languages family. This language group is found in British Columbia, Canada. Southern Carrier is considered an endangered language. This means not many people speak it anymore, and it's important to help keep it alive.

The different ways of speaking Southern Carrier are mostly found south of a place called Fort St. James. This group is split into two main parts: Fraser/Nechakoh and Blackwater. Each part has its own smaller dialects.

The Fraser/Nechakoh group includes dialects like Lheidli, Saik'uz, Nadleh, Nautey, Stelakoh, Stoney Creek, Prince George, and Cheslatta.

The Blackwater group includes dialects like Anahim Lake, Red Bluff, Nazko, Kluskus, and Ulkatcho.

Who Speaks Southern Carrier?

This sign says "Wheni Lheidli T'enneh ts'inli," which means "We are Lheidli T'enneh" in the Lheidli dialect.

According to a study in 2016 by the Government of Canada, about 1,270 people could speak the Carrier language well. Out of these speakers, 1,045 learned Carrier as their first language. For 225 people, Carrier was one of the first languages they learned.

Learning Southern Carrier with FirstVoices

The FirstVoices Website

FirstVoices is a cool online place where you can learn and find information about Indigenous languages. It's managed by the First Peoples' Cultural Council in British Columbia, Canada. The Dakelh/Southern Carrier language is one of the languages you can explore on their website.

You can find lots of helpful things there, like how the alphabet works, common words, useful phrases, songs, and even stories. The website provides both the written words and voice recordings so you can hear how they sound. They also have fun games and a special kids' section. This helps younger children learn the language in an engaging way.

The FirstVoices App

There's also a mobile app called Nazko-Dakelh. It has a dictionary that lets you switch between English and Dakelh. The app also includes many Dakelh/Southern Carrier phrases. All the information in the app comes from the FirstVoices website. You can get this app for free on both Apple and Android phones.