Nuxalk language

Nuxalk
Bella Coola
ItNuxalkmc[1]
Native toCanada
RegionBella Coola area, Central Coast region, British Columbia
Ethnicity1,660 Nuxalk (2014, FPCC)[2]
Native speakers
17 (2014, FPCC)[2]
Salishan
  • Nuxalk
Latin
Language codes
ISO 639-3blc
Glottologbell1243
ELPNuxalk
Bella Coola is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
PeopleNuxalkmc
LanguageItNuxalkmc
CountryKulhulmcilh

Nuxalk (/ˈnhɒlk/, NOO-holl'k), also known as Bella Coola /ˈbɛlə.ˈklə/, is a Salishan language spoken by the Nuxalk people. Today, it is an endangered language in the vicinity of the Canadian town of Bella Coola, British Columbia.[3][4] While the language is still sometimes called Bella Coola by linguists, the native name Nuxalk is preferred by some, notably by the Nuxalk Nation's government.[5][1]

Though the number of truly fluent speakers has not increased, the language is now taught in both the provincial school system and the Nuxalk Nation's own school, Acwsalcta, which means "a place of learning". Nuxalk language classes, if taken to at least the Grade 11 level, are considered adequate second-language qualifications for entry to the major B.C. universities. CKNN-FM Nuxalk Radio is also working to promote the language.

  1. ^ a b Ignace, Marianne; Ignace, Ronald Eric (2017). Secwépemc people, land, and laws = Yerí7 re Stsq̓ey̓s-kucw. Montreal: McGill-Queen's Press – MQUP. ISBN 978-0-7735-5203-6. OCLC 989789796.
  2. ^ a b Nuxalk at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. ^ Williscraft, Sarah (13 February 2021). "Conklin linguist one of the last fluent speakers of endangered Nuxalk language". Yorkton This Week. Archived from the original on 13 February 2021.
  4. ^ Noisecat, Julian Brave (November–December 2018). "The resurgence of the Nuxalk". Canadian Geographic. p. 19. Archived from the original on 18 May 2022.
  5. ^ Suttles, Wayne (1990), "Introduction". In "Northwest Coast", ed. Wayne Suttles. Vol. 7 of Handbook of North American Indians, ed. William C. Sturtevant, p.15.