Lummi (''Xwlemi Chosen'', ) is a
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
of the
North Straits Salish language
North Straits Salish is a Salish language which includes the dialects of
*Lummi (also known as W̱lemi,Ćosen, Xwlemiʼchosen, xʷləmiʔčósən) ''(†)''
* Saanich (also known as Senćoten, sənčáθən, sénəčqən)
*Samish (also known as ...
traditionally spoken by the
Lummi
The Lummi ( ; Lummi: ''Xwlemi'' ; also known as Lhaq'temish (), or ''People of the Sea''), governed by the Lummi Nation, are a Native American tribe of the Coast Salish ethnolinguistic group. They are based in the coastal area of the Pacific No ...
people of northwest
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. Although traditionally referred to as a language, it is
mutually intelligible
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related varieties can readily understand each other without prior familiarity or special effort. It is sometimes used as an ...
with the other dialects of North Straits.
Lummi language is still spoken on the Lummi reservation and is taught at
Ferndale High School, Lummi Nation School,
Vista Middle School,
Horizon Middle School, Skyline and Eagleridge Elementary Schools, and the
Northwest Indian College
Northwest Indian College (Xwlemi Elh>Tal>Nexw Squl) is a Public college, public Tribal colleges and universities, tribal Land-grant university, land-grant community college in Bellingham, Washington. It was established by the Lummi Nation and is ...
.
Phonology
* phonemically occurs only rarely within vocabulary.
* Vowel sounds may also be heard as more mid or open as .
References
Further reading
Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collectionor a
Internet Archive
North Straits Salish languages
Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest Coast
Indigenous languages of Washington (state)
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