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Glite Dictionary
Chinookan

Chinookan

9.9
A Native American language that the Chinook people speak in the Pacific Northwest
  • noun
  • /tʃɪˈnʊkən/
translation icon : chinookan
  • Only a few elders in the community still speak Chinookan fluently.

Examples

  • She is studying Chinookan as part of her research on indigenous languages.

  • The Chinookan dialects vary significantly across regions.

  • The dictionary contains many entries for words in Chinookan.

  • The Chinookan language has many unique features.

  • Only a few elders in the community still speak Chinookan fluently.

  • She is studying Chinookan as part of her research on indigenous languages.

  • The dictionary contains many entries for words in Chinookan.

Synonyms

Chinook
vsChinookan
9.9

A language once spoken by the Native American people who lived near the mouth of the Columbia River

is the same language term but refers specifically to the United States
Chinook language
vsChinookan
9.9

A native language the Chinook people speak near the lower Columbia River

is the same language term but used to indicate the United States region specifically

Compounds

Chinookan language
9.9

A group of related Native American languages that the Chinook people speak in the Pacific Northwest

Surface Forms

Chinookan singular
Chinookans plural

Morphology

Chinookan = Chinook (transparent) = Chinook + an

Formed by the relational suffix '-an' added to the ethnonym 'Chinook', so the relation to the people/language is directly recognizable.

Etymology

Chinookan comes from the name Chinook, the people who lived along the rivers and coast of the Pacific Northwest; you see the same base in English words like Chinook wind or Chinook salmon. So Chinookan simply means 'of the Chinook people', which is why it names their language.