Halkomelem language
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| ə | This article contains nonstandard pronunciation information which should be rewritten using the International Phonetic Alphabet. Please see Wikipedia:Manual of Style (pronunciation) for help. |
| Halkomelem Halq'eméylem, Hul'qumi'num', Hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓ |
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|---|---|---|
| Spoken in: | Canada, United States | |
| Region: | Southern British Columbia into northern Washington | |
| Total speakers: | 200 | |
| Language family: | Salishan Coast Salish Halkomelem |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-1: | none | |
| ISO 639-2: | sal | |
| ISO/FDIS 639-3: | hur | |
| Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key. | ||
Halkomelem (also Halq'eméylem, Hul'qumi'num', and Hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓) is a Coast Salishan language of the First Nations around the Fraser River and the southern end of Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
The word "Halkomelem" is an anglicization for a language with three dialects: Halq'eméylem, the dialect spoken by the upriver Stó:lō of the Fraser Valley, Hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓, the dialect of the downriver Stó:lō, and Hulq'umín'um', spoken by six separate but closely related First Nations in the Georgia Strait area: the Chemainus, Cowichan, Halalt, Lake Cowichan, Lyackson, and Penelakut.[1]
In 1977 Brent Galloway of the University of California, Berkeley compiled the first grammar of Upriver (Chilliwack) Halkomelem and developed the now-official Stó:lō orthography. He is currently working on a Halkomelem dictionary.
According to Galloway, some words in Halkomelem "encapsulate the whole knowledge of the culture." The language has a rich oral literature which shows a whole way of looking at the universe that is different from that of English or other European languages.
The Halkomelem language is near extinction largely due to the extensive transportation of First Nations children to residential schools. In 2000, it was estimated that the number of fluent Halkomelem speakers was less than one dozen. Language programs at the Stó:lō Nation, Seabird Island First Nation, and Cowichan First Nation have been developed to save the language. A program aimed at adults at Musqueam is a collaboration between the band and the University of British Columbia First Nations Language Program.
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[edit] Phonology
The phonology of the Hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓ dialect is (based on the charts at LanguageGeek):
| Bilabial | Interdental | Alveolar | Alveolar affricate | Palatal | Lateral | Velar | Labialized Velar | Uvular | Labialized Uvular | Glottal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stop | p | t | ts | tʃ | k | kʷ | q | qʷ | ʔ | ||
| Ejective | pʹ | tθʹ | tʹ | tsʹ | tɬʹ | kʷʹ | qʹ | qʷʹ | |||
| Fricative | θ | s | ʃ | ɬ | x | xʷ | χ | χʷ | h | ||
| Resonant | m | n | j | l | w | ||||||
| Glottalized Resonant | m̰ | n̰ | j̰ | l̰ | w̰ |
The vowels are /i u e ə a/, with long counterparts /iː uː eː aː/.
[edit] Peoples speaking Halkomelem
[edit] Hul'qumi'num (Hul’q’umi’num’: Island dialect)
- Penelakut First Nation
- Nanoose First Nation
- Somena
- Halalt First Nation
- Lyackson First Nation
- Malahat First Nation
- Sneneymux First Nation
- Cowichan First Nation
- Cowichan Lake First Nation
- Quamichan
[edit] Hunquminum (Hǝn̓q̓ǝmin̓ǝm̓: Downriver dialect)
- Tsawwassen First Nation
- Tsleil-wau-tuth First Nation
- Musqueam First Nation
- Kwantlen First Nation
- Coquitlam First Nation
- Katzie First Nation
[edit] Halqemeylem (Halq’eméylem: Upriver dialect)
- Matsqui First Nation
- Sumas First Nation
- Lakahahmen Lake First Nation
- Scowlitz First Nation
- Skwah First Nation
- Seabird Island First Nation
- Yale First Nation
- Tsakuam First Nation
- Union Bar First Nation
- Chawathil First Nation
- Skawahlook First Nation
- Skwah First Nation
- Ohamil First Nation
- Peters First Nation
- Popkum First Nation
- Cheam First Nation
- Skway First Nation
- Squiala First Nation
- Aitchelitz First Nation
- Kwawkwawapilt First Nation
- Yakweakwioose First Nation
- Skowkale First Nation
- Tzeachten First Nation
- Soowahlie First Nation
- Chehalis First Nation (non-Stó:lō)
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Ethnologue Report for Halkomelem
- First Nations Languages of British Columbia page on Halkomelem
- Language Geek page on Halkomelem
- Status of British Columbia First Nations Languages
- Hul'q'umin'um Talking Dictionary
- Halkomelem Ethnobiology Web Site (SFU)
[edit] Reference
- Carlson, Keith Thor, ed. 2001. A Stó:lō-Coast Salish Historical Atlas. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre.
