Columbia-Moses language

(Redirected from Columbia-Wenatchi)

Moses-Columbia, or Columbia-Wenatchi (in Moses-Columbia: Nxaʔamxcín), is an extinct Southern Interior Salish language, also known as Nxaảmxcín. Speakers traditionally lived in the Colville Indian Reservation. The Columbia people were followers of Chief Moses.

Moses-Columbia
Columbia-Wenatchi
Nxaʔamxcín
Native toUnited States of America
Regionnorthern Idaho, eastern Washington
Ethnicity230 (2000 census)[1]
ExtinctMay 2, 2023, with the death of Pauline Stensgar[1]
Salishan
Dialects
  • Columbian †
  • Wenatchi †
Language codes
ISO 639-3col
Glottologcolu1241
ELPColumbian
Columbian is classified as Extinct by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

There were two dialects, Columbia (Sinkiuse, Columbian) and Wenatchi (Wenatchee, Entiat, Chelan). Wenatchi was the heritage language of the Wenatchi, Chelan, and Entiat tribes, Columbian of the Sinkiuse-Columbia.

Pauline Stensgar, who died on May 2, 2023 at age 96, is reported to have been the last known fully fluent speaker.[2]

Sample words

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Here is a Nxaʔamxcín sample word

  • Snkɬxwpáw’stn = ‘clothesline’ (Czaykowska-Higgins & Willett 1997) [3]

Phonology

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Phonological inventory of the Columbia-Wenatchi dialect:

Consonants
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
central sibilant lateral plain lab. plain lab. plain lab.
Plosive/
Affricate
plain p t ts k q ʔ
glottalized tsʼ tɬʼ kʷ’ qʷ’
Fricative s ɬ x χ χʷ ħ ħʷ h
Sonorant plain m n l j w ʕ ʕʷ
glottalized ʕˀ ʕʷˀ
Trill plain r
glottalized

The three vowels in Moses-Columbia are /i/, /a/, /u/. They are sometimes transcribed as [e]; /i/, [o]; /u/, and [æ]; /a/, and could also tend to sound unstressed, almost as a schwa sound, /ə/.

References

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  1. ^ a b Moses-Columbia at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ Hanlon, James (May 5, 2023). "Last fluent speaker of n̓xaʔm̓xčín̓ language dies at 96". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved May 5, 2023.
  3. ^ "View Chapters".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)

Further reading

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  • Czaykowska-Higgins, Ewa and Paul Proulx. 2000. "REVIEWS - What's in a Word? Structure in Moses-Columbia Salish". International Journal of American Linguistics. 66, no. 3: 410.
  • Kinkade, M. Dale. Dictionary of the Moses-Columbia Language (Nxaʔamxcín). Nespelem, Wash: Colville Confederated Tribes, 1981.
  • Mattina, Nancy. 2006. "Determiner Phrases in Moses-Columbia Salish". International Journal of American Linguistics. 72, no. 1: 97.
  • Willet, Marie Louise. 2003." A Grammatical Sketch of Nxa'amxcin" PhD Thesis, University of Victoria.