Chinook language
- noun
- /tʃɪˈnʊk ˈlæŋɡwɪdʒ/
:
idioma chinook
- There are ongoing efforts to preserve and revitalize the Chinook language.
Examples
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Today, only a few elders are fluent in the Chinook language.
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The Chinook language was traditionally spoken along the lower Columbia River.
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The Chinook language is rich in cultural history.
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Many words in the Chinook language reflect nature.
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The Chinook language was traditionally spoken along the lower Columbia River.
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There are ongoing efforts to preserve and revitalize the Chinook language.
-
Many words in the Chinook language reflect nature.
Synonyms
A language once spoken by the Native American people who lived near the mouth of the Columbia River
A Native American language that the Chinook people speak in the Pacific Northwest
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward composition of a group name and the noun 'language' meaning the speech system of that group; a learner who knows 'Chinook' (the people/tongue) and 'language' will readily infer it refers to the language of the Chinook people. The pattern (proper noun + language) is a common, cross-linguistic naming convention, so the meaning is transparently derivable from the constituents.
Etymology
Chinook language comes from the Chinook people who lived along the Columbia River. Imagine families by the river speaking their own words; Chinook is the name of the people and language is their way of speaking, so Chinook language means 'the native language' of that group.
