Tsimshianic languages

Encyclopedia : T : TS : TSI : Tsimshianic languages

---

Tsimshianic is a family of languages spoken in northernwestern British Columbia and southern Alaska.

Family division

Tsimshianic consists of 4 lects:

1. Tsimshian (a.k.a. Maritime Tsimshian, Lower Tsimshian, Northern Tsimshian)
2. * Coast Tsimshian (a.k.a. Tsihsmiah proper, Sm’algyax̣, Sm’algax)
3. * Southern Tsimshian (a.k.a. Sgüüx̣s, ski:xs)
4. Nass-Gitksan (a.k.a. Interior Tsimshian)
5. * Nisga’a (a.k.a. Nisqa’a, Nisg̱a’a, Nishga, Nisgha, Niska, Nass, Nishka)
6. * Gitksan (a.k.a. Gitxsan, Gitksanimx̣)

Coast Tsimshian is spoken along the lower Skeena River in northwestern British Columbia and to the north at New Metlakatla, Alaska. Southern Tsimshian is spoken south of the Skeena River around Klemtu. Southern Tsimshian is severely endangered, nearing extinction. Nisga’a is spoken along the Nass River. Gitksan is spoken along the upper Skeena River with communities around Hazelton and other areas.

Nisga’a and Gitksan are very closely related and are linguistically considered dialects of the same language called Nass-Gitksan. However, speakers from both groups are politically separate and thus consider Nisga’a and Gitksan to be separate languages. Coast and Southern Tsimshian are also often regarded as dialects of the same language.

See also

• Tsimshian

External links

• [Tsimshianic languages] (YDLI)
• [map of Northwest Coast First Nations] (including Tsimshian and Nisga’a)
• [Sm'algyax - "The Real Language"]
• [Dum Baal-dum]
• [Sealaska Heritage Institute]
• [Bibliography of Materials on the Coast Tsimshian Language] (YDLI)
• [Bibliography of Materials on the South Tsimshian Language] (YDLI)
• [Bibliography of Materials on the Gitksan Language] (YDLI)
• [Bibliography of Materials on the Nisga'a Language] (YDLI)

Bibliography

• Boas, Franz (1902) Tsimshian Texts. Washington: Bureau of American Ethnology. Bulletin 27.
• Boas, Franz (1911) "Tsimshian," Handbook of American Indian Languages Bulletin No. 40, part I. pp. 287-422.
• Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.
• Tarpent, Mary-Lucie (1997). "Tsimshianic and Penutians: Problems, Methods, Results, and Implications" International Journal of American Linguistics 63.52-244.

 

---

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.

Search Titles

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

?