Nisga'a language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nisga'a (also Nass, Nisgha, Nisg̱a'a, Nishka, Niska, Nishga, Nisqa’a) is a Tsimshianic language of the Nisga'a people of northwestern British Columbia. Nisga'a people, however, do not like this term as they feel that it gives precedence to Coast Tsimshian. Nisga'a is very closely related to Gitksan. Indeed, many linguists regard Nisga'a and Gitksan as dialects of a single Nass-Gitksan language. The two are generally treated as distinct languages out of deference to the political separation of the two groups.

Like almost all other First Nations languages of British Columbia, Nisga'a is an endangered language. As of 2006 there are estimated to be 700 speakers out of a population of 5,500. However, almost all fluent speakers are elderly and there are no known speakers under the age of 15.