Cowlitz language
Salishan language of Southwestern Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cowlitz (Cowlitz: ƛʼpúlmixq),[1] also known as Cowlitz Salish,[2] is a Tsamosan language of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages. It was spoken by the Lower Cowlitz people of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and is spoken today by both Lower and Upper Cowlitz people. It went dormant in the 1960s. As of 2022, it is being revitalized by the Cowlitz Tribe in collaboration with the Language Conservancy.[3][2]
| Cowlitz | |
|---|---|
| ƛʼpúlmixq | |
| Native to | United States |
| Region | Southwestern Washington |
| Ethnicity | Lower Cowlitz people |
| Extinct | October 23, 1992, with the death of Emma Northover Mesplie; dormant by 1960s |
| Revival | revival efforts underway |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | cow |
| Glottolog | cowl1242 |
Dialects
Cowlitz people
The Cowlitz people were originally two distinct tribes: the Lower Cowlitz and the Upper Cowlitz, sometimes called the Taidnapam. Only the Lower Cowlitz originally spoke Cowlitz Salish. The Upper Cowlitz spoke a Sahaptin language.[5]
Phonology
Orthography
| ʔ | a | b | c | cʼ | č | čʼ | d | e | ə | f | g | h | i | j | k | kʷ | kʼ | kʷʼ | l | lʼ | ɬ | ƛʼ | m | mʼ | n |
| nʼ | o | o | p | pʼ | q | qʷ | qʼ | qʷʼ | r | s | š | t | tʼ | u | v | w | wʼ | x | xʷ | x̣ | x̣ʷ | y | yʼ | z |
Vocabulary
Cowlitz is most similar to Lower Chehalis, another Tsamosan language, although it contains some oddities, such as the word for one, utsus (in contrast to the Lower Chehalis paw).
| English | Cowlitz |
|---|---|
| Lower Cowlitz people | sƛʼpúlmx |
| one (number) | ʔúcʼs |
| two | sáliʔ |
| three | káʔɬiʔ |
| four | mús |
| five | čílačš |
| to sing | sʔílnʼ |
| moon/sun | ɬukʷáɬ |
| dog | qáx̣aʔ |
| water | qálʔ |
| man | síɬmx |
| woman | kə́wɬ |