The Tsimshianic languages are a

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

of languages spoken in northwestern

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and in Southeast

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

on Annette Island and Ketchikan. All Tsimshianic languages are endangered, some with only around 400 speakers. Only around 2,170 people of the ethnic Tsimshian population in Canada still speak a Tsimshian language; about 50 of the 1,300 Tsimshian people living in Alaska still speak Coast Tsimshian. Alaska Native Language Center. (2001-12-07)
"Tsimshian."
University of Alaska Fairbanks. Retrieved on 2007-04-11.Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.). (2005)
"Tsimshian."''Ethnologue: Languages of the World'', 15th ed. (online version).
Dallas, TX: SIL International Retrieved on 2007-04-11. Tsimshianic languages are considered by most linguists to be an independent language family, with four main languages: Coast Tsimshian, Southern Tsimshian, Nisg̱a’a, and Gitksan.Alaska Native Heritage Center. (2000)
"Eyak, Haida, Tlingit & Tsimshian."
Retrieved on 2007-04-11. The Tsimshianic languages were included by Edward Sapir in his

Penutian Penutian is a proposed grouping of language family, language families that includes many Native Americans in the United States, Native American languages of western North America, predominantly spoken at one time in British Columbia, Washington ( ...

hypothesis, which is currently not widely accepted, at least in its full form. The Penutian connections of Tsimshianic have been reevaluated by Marie-Lucie Tarpent, who finds the idea probable, though others hold that the Tsimshianic family is not closely related to any other North American language.

Family division

Tsimshianic consists of 4 lects: * Tsimshianic ** Tsimshian (also known as Maritime Tsimshianic, Lower Tsimshian, Northern Tsimshian) *** Coast Tsimshian (also known as Tsimshian proper, Sm'algyax̣, Sm'algax) *** Southern Tsimshian (also known as Sgüüx̣s, Ski:xs, Old Klemtu) ** Nass–Gitksan (also known as Interior Tsimshianic, Inland Tsimshianic) *** Nisga’a (also known as Nisqa’a, Nisg̱a’a, Nishga, Nisgha, Niska, Nass, Nishka) *** Gitksan (also known as Gitxsan, Gitksanimx̣) Coast Tsimshian is spoken along the lower

Skeena River The Skeena River is the second-longest river entirely within British Columbia, Canada (after the Fraser River). Since ancient times, the Skeena has been an important transportation artery, particularly for the Tsimshian and the Gitxsan—whose na ...

in Northwestern

, on some neighbouring islands, and to the north at New Metlakatla, Alaska. Southern Tsimshian was spoken on an island quite far south of the Skeena River in the village of Klemtu; however, it became extinct in 2013 with the death of the last speaker. Nisga’a is spoken along the Nass River. Gitksan is spoken along the Upper Skeena River around Hazelton and other areas. Nisga’a and Gitksan are very closely related and are usually considered

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

s of the same language by linguists. However, speakers from both groups consider themselves ethnically separate from each other and from the Tsimshian 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. As of 2023, Tsimshian courses are available at the University of Alaska Southeast.

Phonology

Consonantal inventory of Proto-Tsimshian:Tarpent, 1997, p. 70

Footnotes

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. (hbk). * Tarpent, Marie-Lucie. (1997). "Tsimshianic and Penutian: Problems, Methods, Results, and Implications." ''International Journal of American Linguistics'' 63.52-244.

Family division

Phonology

See also

Footnotes

Bibliography

External links