Shuswap language
| Shuswap | |
|---|---|
| Secwepemctsín | |
| Pronunciation | [ʃəxwəpməxˈtʃin] |
| Native to | Canada |
| Region | Central and Southern Interior of British Columbia |
| Ethnicity | 9,860 Secwepemc (2014, FPCC) |
|
Native speakers
|
200 (2014, FPCC) |
|
Salishan
|
|
| Duployan shorthand (historical) | |
| Official status | |
| Regulated by | Secwepemc Cultural Education Society |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | shus1248 |
The Shuswap language (/ˈʃuːʃwɑːp/; Shuswap: Secwepemctsín [ʃəxwəpəmxˈtʃin]) is the traditional language of the Shuswap people (Shuswap: Secwépemc [ʃəˈxwɛpəmx]) of British Columbia. An endangered language, Shuswap is spoken mainly in the Central and Southern Interior of British Columbia between the Fraser River and the Rocky Mountains. According to the First Peoples' Cultural Council, 200 people speak Shuswap as a mother tongue, and there are 1,190 semi-speakers.
Shuswap is the northernmost of the Interior Salish languages, which are spoken in Canada and the Pacific Northwest of the United States. There are two dialects of Shuswap:
The other Northern Interior Salish languages are Lillooet and Thompson.
Most of the material in this article is from Kuipers (1974).
An interface to Facebook is available in Secwepemctsín. The First Voices website has a Secwepemctsin (Eastern Dialect) Community Portal, a Secwepemc Community Portal, and a Splatsin (Eastern dialect) Community Portal for language learning. A November 2012 article estimated about 150 fluent speakers, mostly over 65, adding that "an estimated 400 students are learning the language, and "the majority of Secwepemctsin learners are under age 19." Secwépemc language applications are available for iOS. The Secwepemc Cultural Education Society released Nintendo DSi software in 2013 that teaches Secwepemctsin to young children. A language authority of ten elder fluent speakers, from East, West, and the North, are recording pronunciation. A Language Tutor is also in preparation, exportable onto CD for use offline.
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