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Glite Dictionary
🗣️ A language family 🧑‍🦱 An Indigenous group
Wakashan

Wakashan

9.9
A family of indigenous languages spoken in British Columbia and Washington State
  • noun
  • /wɑːˈkɑːʃən/
translation icon : wakashano
  • The Wakashan language family includes Nuu-chah-nulth and Makah, among others.

Examples

  • Researchers have documented several endangered Wakashan languages in Canada.

  • Many Indigenous communities in British Columbia speak Wakashan languages.

  • He specializes in the study of Wakashan phonology and syntax.

  • The Wakashan languages have a rich history.

  • Researchers have documented several endangered Wakashan languages in Canada.

  • The Wakashan language family includes Nuu-chah-nulth and Makah, among others.

  • Many Indigenous communities in British Columbia speak Wakashan languages.

Synonyms

Wakashan language
vsWakashan
9.9

A group of related Native languages that people speak in British Columbia and Washington

emphasizes that the languages are spoken by peoples in those areas

Compounds

Wakashan language
9.9

A group of related Native languages that people speak in British Columbia and Washington

Surface Forms

Wakashan singular
Wakashans plural

Morphology

Wakashan = Wakash (semi-transparent) = Wakash + an

The suffix '-an' productively marks relation to a people/place, but the root 'Wakash' is a proper name unfamiliar to learners, so full meaning depends on knowledge of the ethnonym.

Etymology

Wakashan is the name given by language experts to a family of indigenous languages on the Pacific Northwest coast. It comes from the name of the coastal peoples, so the word links the languages to the people who speak them.