Heiltsuk-Oowekyala

Heiltsuk-Oowekyala is a Northern Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) language spoken in the Central Coast region of the Canadian province of British Columbia, spoken by the Wuikinuxv and Heiltsuk peoples. It has two dialects, Heiltsuk and Oowekyala, which unlike other Wakashan languages are tonal in character. It has no traditional name so the combination/hyphenated construction Heiltsuk-Oowekyala is used by linguists to describe it. Ethnologue, an authoritative source on language and linguistics, calls this language "Heiltsuk", with the Bella Bella dialect (Heiltsuk) labelled "Northern Heiltsuk" and the Oowekyala language as "Southern Heiltsuk".

Language

ounds

Consonants

Vowels

yllables

Heiltsuk-Oowekyala, like Nuxálk (Bella Coola), allows long sequences of obstruents, as in the following 7-obstruent word from Oowekyala dialect/sublanguage:

: IPA| [ʦʼkʼʷχttɬkʦ] 'the invisible one here-with-me will be short' (Howe 2000: 5)

External links

* [http://www.ydli.org/langs/heiltsuk.htm The Heiltsuk-Oweek'ala Language]
* [http://www.ydli.org/biblios/heilbib.htm Bibliography of Materials on the Heiltsuk Language]
* [http://depts.washington.edu/wll2/languages.html The Wakashan Languages]
* [http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/abed/images/map2.jpgmap of Northwest Coast First Nations] (including Ooowekyala)
* [http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=hei Ethnologue entry] (ISO 639-3)

Bibliography

* Boas, Franz. (1928). "Bella Bella texts". Columbia University contributions to anthropology (No. 5).
* Boas, Franz. (1932). "Bella Bella tales". Memoirs of the American Folklore Society (No. 25).
* Hanuse, R., Sr.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (Eds.) (1983?). "The Adjee and the Little Girl". Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
* Hilton, Suzanne; & Rath, John C. (1982). "Oowekeeno oral traditions". Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
* Howe, Darin. (1998). Aspects of Heiltsuk laryngeal phonology. Ms., University of British Columbia.
* Howe, Darin M. (2000). Oowekyala segmental phonology. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa).
* Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). What time is it? Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
* Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). "Fishing at Rivers Inlet". Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
* Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). "Qaquthanugva uikala". Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
* Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). "Sisa'kvimas". Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
* Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1983?). "’Katemxvs ’Wuik’ala". Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
* Johnson, S.; Smith, H.; & Stevenson, D. (1984?). "Oowekyala words". Rivers Inlet, BC: Oowekyala Language Project.
* Lincoln, Neville J.; & Rath, John C. (1980). "North Wakashan comparative root list". Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
* Poser, William J. (2003). The status of documentation for British Columbia native languages. Yinka Dene Language Institute Technical Report (No. 2). Vanderhoof, British Columbia: Yinka Dene Language Institute.
* Rath, John C. (1981). "A practical Heiltsuk-English dictionary". Canadian Ethnology Service, Mercury Series paper (No. 75). Ottawa: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization).
* Stevenson, David. (1980). "The Oowekeeno people: A cultural history". Ottawa, Ontario: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization). (Unpublished).
* Stevenson, David. (1982). "The ceremonial names of the Oowekeeno people of Rivers Inlet". Ottawa, Ontario: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization). (Unpublished).
* Storie, Susanne. (Ed.). (1973). "Oweekano Stories". (Special Collections: E99). Victoria: British Columbia Indian Advisory Committee.
* Windsor, Evelyn W. (1982). "Oowekeeno oral traditions as told by the late chief Simon Walkus, Sr." Hilton, S.; & Rath, J. C. (Eds.). Mercury series (No. 84). Ottawa: National Museum of Man (now Hull, Quebec: Museum of Civilization).