Chinook Jargon - Origins

Chinook Jargon was a trade language (or pidgin) of the Pacific Northwest, which spread quickly up the West Coast from Oregon, through Washington, British Columbia, and as far as Alaska. It is related to, but not the same as the indigenous language of the Chinook people, upon which much of its vocabulary is based. Most books written in English still use the term Chinook Jargon, but today the term Chinook Wawa is preferred by linguists working with the preservation of a creoli ...

Including:

• Chinook Jargon - Origins
• Chinook Jargon - Usage
• Chinook Jargon - Vocabulary

Read more here: » Chinook Jargon: Encyclopedia - Chinook Jargon

There is some controversy about the origin of the Jargon, but all agree that its glory days were during the 19th Century. During this era many dictionaries were published in order to help settlers interact with the First Nations people already living there. The old settler families' heirs in the Pacific Northwest sent communiques to each other, stylishly composed entirely in The Chinuk. Many residents of the British Columbia city of Vancouver chose to speak Chinook Jargon as their first language, even using it at home in preference to ...

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Chinook Jargon, Chinook Jargon - Origins, Chinook Jargon - Usage, Chinook Jargon - Vocabulary

Read more here: » Chinook Jargon: Encyclopedia II - Chinook Jargon - Origins

Pacific Northwest Coast historians are well acquainted with the Chinook Jargon, in name if not in the ability to understand it. For everyone else, the fact that Chinook Jargon ever existed is relatively unknown, perhaps due to the great influx of newcomers into the influential urban areas. However, the memory of this language is not likely to fade entirely. Many words are still used and enjoyed throughout Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska. Oldtimers still dimly remember it, although in their youth, speaking this language was discourag ...

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Chinook Jargon, Chinook Jargon - Origins, Chinook Jargon - Usage, Chinook Jargon - Vocabulary

Read more here: » Chinook Jargon: Encyclopedia II - Chinook Jargon - Usage

Jargon placenames are found throughout the Pacific Northwest and Mountain States. A few Jargon words: Nika: I, mine or anything first-person hyak: fast, swift hyas: big, important; hyas tyee - king, high chief kultus: bad, worthless, inconsequential, unimportant memaloose: dead, dead body or death cayuse: a horse or pony, in some areas also a coyote; the variant cayoosh is found in British Columbia and has special meaning there a ...

See also:

Chinook Jargon, Chinook Jargon - Origins, Chinook Jargon - Usage, Chinook Jargon - Vocabulary

Read more here: » Chinook Jargon: Encyclopedia II - Chinook Jargon - Vocabulary