Tillamook language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tillamook |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hutyáyu, Hutyéyu | ||||
| Native to | United States | |||
| Region | Northwestern Oregon | |||
| Ethnicity | Tillamook, Siletz | |||
| Extinct | 1972, with the death of Minnie Scovell | |||
| Language family |
Salishan
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| Dialects |
Tillamook
Siletz
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The Tillamook language was a special language spoken by the Tillamook people in northwestern Oregon, United States. It belonged to a group of languages called Salishan languages. Sadly, the Tillamook language is now extinct, which means no one speaks it as their first language anymore.
The last person who spoke Tillamook fluently was Minnie Scovell. She passed away in 1972. To make sure the language wasn't completely forgotten, some researchers from the University of Hawaii worked hard. They talked to the few people who still remembered parts of Tillamook. From these interviews, they created a 120-page dictionary. This dictionary helps us learn about the language even though it's no longer spoken every day.
Saving the Tillamook Language
After Minnie Scovell, the last fluent speaker, died in 1972, people worried the language would be lost forever. But a group of smart people from the University of Hawaii decided to do something. They found some people who still remembered words and phrases from the Tillamook language.
They carefully interviewed these people. They wrote down everything they learned. This big effort helped them create a dictionary. This dictionary has 120 pages of Tillamook words and their meanings. It's like a treasure map to the language. Even though the language is extinct, this dictionary helps keep its memory alive. It allows future generations to learn about the words and culture of the Tillamook people.
See also
In Spanish: Idioma tillamook para niños
