Oowekyala language

Encyclopedia : O : OO : OOW : Oowekyala language

Oowekyala (also Rivers Inlet, Oweekeno, Wikeno, Owikeno, Oowekeeno, Oweekano, Awikenox, Oowek'yala, Oweek'ala) is a dialect (or a sublanguage) of Heiltsuk-Oowekyala, a North Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language spoken around Rivers Inlet in British Columbia.

Contents

1 Culture
2 Language

2.1 Sounds

2.1.1 Consonants
2.1.2 Vowels

3 Syllables
4 External links
5 Bibliography

Culture

Language

Sounds

Consonants

The 45 consonants of Oowekyala:

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
central lateral plain labial plain labial
Stop voiced b d ɡ ɡʷ ɢ ɢʷ
voiceless p t k kʷ q qʷ
ejective p’ t’ k’ k’ʷ q’ q’ʷ ʔ
Affricate voiced ʣ dl
voiceless ʦ tɬ
ejective ʦ’ tɬ’
Nasal plain, short m n
plain, long mː nː
glottalized m’ n’
Fricative voiced ɦ
voiceless s ɬ x xʷ χ χʷ
Approximant plain, short l j w
plain, long lː
glottalized l’ j’ w’

Phonologically, affricates are treated as stops, and nasals and approximants are treated as sonorants. Additionally, /ɦ/ and /ʔ/ are treated as sonorants.

A more phonological representation of the consonantal segments is the following:

labial alveolar sibilant lateral velar velar, labial uvular uvular, labial glottal
stop b d ʣ dl ɡ ɡʷ ɢ ɢʷ
p t ʣ tɬ k kʷ q qʷ
p’ t’ ʦ’ tɬ’ k’ k’ʷ q’ q’ʷ
fricative s ɬ x xʷ χ χʷ
sonorant m n l j w ɦ
m’ n’ l’ j’ w’ ʔ
mː nː lː

	labial	alveolar	sibilant	lateral	velar	velar, labial	uvular	uvular, labial	glottal
stop	b	d	ʣ	dl	ɡ	ɡʷ	ɢ	ɢʷ
p	t	ʣ	tɬ	k	kʷ	q	qʷ
p’	t’	ʦ’	tɬ’	k’	k’ʷ	q’	q’ʷ
fricative			s	ɬ	x	xʷ	χ	χʷ
sonorant	m	n		l	j	w			ɦ
m’	n’		l’	j’	w’			ʔ
mː	nː		lː

Vowels

The 6 vowels of Oowekyala:

Front Central Back
short long glottalized short long glottalized short long glottalized
High i iː i’ u uː u’
Mid ə
Low a aː a’

	Front	Central	Back
	short	long	glottalized	short	long	glottalized	short	long	glottalized
High	i	iː	i’				u	uː	u’
Mid				ə
Low				a	aː	a’

Oowekyala has phonemic short, long, and glottalized vowels.

Syllables

Oowekyala, like the infamous Nuxálk (Bella Coola), allows long sequences of obstruents, as in the following 7-obstruent word:

[ʦ’k’ʷχttɬkʦ] 'the invisible one here-with-me will be short' (Howe 2000: 5)

External links

[The Heiltsuk-Oweek'ala Language]
[Bibliography of Materials on the Heiltsuk Language]
[The Wakashan Languages]
[map of Northwest Coast First Nations] (including Ooowekyala)

Bibliography

Boas, Franz. (1928). Bella Bella texts. Columbia University contributions to anthropology (No. 5).
Boas, Franz. (1932). Bella Bella tales. Memoirs of the American Folklore Society (No. 25).
Hanuse, R., Sr.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (Eds.) (1983?). The Adjee and the Little Girl. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
Hilton, Suzanne; & Rath, John C. (1982). Oowekeeno oral traditions. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
Howe, Darin. (1998). Aspects of Heiltsuk laryngeal phonology. Ms., University of British Columbia.
Howe, Darin M. (2000). Oowekyala segmental phonology. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa).
Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). What time is it? Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). Fishing at Rivers Inlet. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). Qaquthanugva uikala. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). Sisa'kvimas. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). ’Katemxvs ’Wuik’ala. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1984?). Oowekyala words. Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
Lincoln, Neville J.; & Rath, John C. (1980). North Wakashan comparative root list. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
Poser, William J. (2003). The status of documentation for British Columbia native languages. Yinka Dene Language Institute Technical Report (No. 2). Vanderhoof, British Columbia: Yinka Dene Language Institute.
Rath, John C. (1981). A practical Heiltsuk-English dictionary. Canadian Ethnology Service, Mercury Series paper (No. 75). Ottawa: National Museum of Man.
Stevenson, David. (1980). The Oowekeeno people: A cultural history. Ottawa, Ontario: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization). (Unpublished).
Stevenson, David. (1982). The ceremonial names of the Oowekeeno people of Rivers Inlet. Ottawa, Ontario: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization). (Unpublished).
Storie, Susanne. (Ed.). (1973). Oweekano Stories. (Special Collections: E99 094 094 1973). Victoria: British Columbia Indian Advisory Committee.
Windsor, Evelyn W. (1982). Oowekeeno oral traditions as told by the late chief Simon Walkus, Sr. Hilton, S.; & Rath, J. C. (Eds.). Mercury series (No. 84). Ottawa: National Museum of Man.

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		Bilabial	Alveolar		Palatal	Velar		Uvular		Glottal
		Bilabial	central	lateral	Palatal	plain	labial	plain	labial	Glottal
Stop	voiced	b	d			ɡ	ɡʷ	ɢ	ɢʷ
	voiceless	p	t			k	kʷ	q	qʷ
	ejective	p’	t’			k’	k’ʷ	q’	q’ʷ	ʔ
Affricate	voiced		ʣ	dl
	voiceless		ʦ	tɬ
	ejective		ʦ’	tɬ’
Nasal	plain, short	m	n
	plain, long	mː	nː
	glottalized	m’	n’
Fricative	voiced									ɦ
Fricative	voiceless		s	ɬ		x	xʷ	χ	χʷ
Approximant	plain, short			l	j		w
	plain, long			lː
	glottalized			l’	j’		w’