Haisla language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Haisla language is a First Nations language spoken by the Haisla people of the North Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, who are based in the town of Kitimat at the head of the Douglas Channel, a 120km fjord that serves as a waterway for the Haisla as well as for the aluminum smelter and accompanying port of the town of Kitimat. The Haisla and their language, along with that of the neighbouring Heiltsuk and Wuikinuxv peoples, were in the past incorrectly called "Northern Kwakiutl".

The name Haisla is derived from the Haisla word x̣àʔisla or x̣àʔisəla '(those) living at the rivermouth, living downriver'.

Haisla is a North Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language spoken by several hundred people. Haisla is geographically the northernmost Wakashan language. Its nearest Wakashan neighbor is Oowekyala. Haisla is related to the other North Wakashan languages, Oowekyala, Heiltsuk, and Kwak'wala. The Haisla language consists of two dialects, sometimes defined as sublanguages - Kitamaat and Kitlope (also known as X̣enaksialak’ala).

[edit] External links

• The Haisla Languages (Emmon Bach's page)
  • Haisla text: Dyeing (as told by Jeffrey L. Legaic) (includes .WAV sound file)
• X̄a’islak̕ala / X̌àʔislak̕ala / X̄a’islak’ala (Haisla) (Chris Harvey’s Native Language, Font, & Keyboard)
  • X̄a’islak̕ala / X̌àʔislak̕ala / X̄a’islak’ala (Haisla) Example Text
• Bibliography of Materials on the Haisla Language (YDLI)

[edit] Bibliography

• Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN (hbk); ISBN-X.