Chinookan is a small family of languages spoken in Oregon and Washington along the Columbia River by Chinook peoples. Chinook Jargon is a pidgin based on Chinookan and with many loan words from other languages, previously used in trade along the northwestern North American coast.

Family division

Chinookan consists of three languages with multiple lects:

1. Kathlamet (also known as Katlamat, Cathlamet) (†)
2. Lower Chinook (also known as Coastal Chinook) (†)
   • Clatsop (†)
   • Shoalwater (also known as Chinook proper) (†)
3. Upper Chinook (also known as Kiksht, Columbia Chinook)
   • Cascades (†)
   • Clackamas (†)
   • Hood River (†)
   • Multnomah (†)
   • Wasco-Wishram

   Wasco

   Wishram

   • 1. White Salmon (†)

Both Kathlamet and Lower Chinook are now extinct. Out of Upper Chinook, Cascades, Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah, and White Salmon are also extinct. Both Wasco and Wishram are still spoken, but severely endangered: Wasco has 6 speakers left, Wishram has 2 speakers.

Kathlamet was spoken in northwestern Oregon along the south bank of the lower Columbia River. Kathlamet has been classified as a dialect of Upper Chinook (or Middle Chinook), but they not mutually intelligible.

Clatsop was spoken in northwestern Oregon around the mouth of the Columbia River and the Clatsop Plains. Shoalwater was spoken in southwestern Washington around southern Willapa Bay.

Clackamas was spoken in northwestern Oregon along the Clackamas and Sandy rivers. Multnomah spoken on Sauvie Island and in the Portland area in northwestern Oregon.

Wahkiakum was spoken in southwestern Washington along the north bank of the lower Columbia River. Watlala was spoken in north-central Oregon along the Columbia River Gorge.

Bibliography

• Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-23228-7 (hbk); ISBN 0-521-29875-X.

Chinookan languages | Languages of the United States

Chinook (Sprache)