Did you know X̄enaksialak̓ala / X̄a'islak̓ala (Haisla) is critically endangered?

ALSO KNOWN AS		X̄enaksialak̓ala, X̄a'islak̓ala, Xiʔslak'ala, Kitamat, Kitlope, Northern Kwakiutl, Haishilla, Haisla
CLASSIFICATION		Wakashan, Northern Wakashan
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		has
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Kitlope Kitamaat
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search

Compare Sources (10)

Information from: “First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia” .

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
80
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
3,158
SEMI SPEAKERS
66

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: British Columbia

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50-150
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
600
CHILDREN
0
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
All speakers are 25 years of age or older. These numbers are for Kitamaat, the largest Haisla community. There may be more people in other locations.

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT: Taught at the University of Northern British Columbia
LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Haisla has been taught in Kitamaat by the University of Northern British Columbia since 1994, and a small number of people have acquired second-language fluency and literacy.
More on Orthography: "Haisla has been taught in Kitamaat by the University of Northern British Columbia since 1994, and a small number of people have acquired second-language fluency and literacy. No children read or write the language" (Golla 2007:47).

PLACES: Canada

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Spoken in northwestern British Columbia immediately adjacent to Coast Tsimshianic.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: The principal Haisla community is Kitamaat.

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
240
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
1,680
SEMI SPEAKERS
21

DATE OF INFO: 2014 (FPCC)

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

Speakers 25 or older. Shifting to English.

INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT

Dictionary.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

English

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

Taught in Kitamaat by University of Northern British Columbia since 1994.

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Central British Columbia coast inlet, Douglas Channel head, near Kitimat.

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
110
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Canada;

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
89
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
1871

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

4.8% fluent speakers, 0% semispeakers, 6.6% active learners.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

English

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
242
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
21

DATE OF INFO: 2014

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

14.4% fluent speakers; 1.3% semi-speakers; 4.8% learners.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

English

PLACES: Canada: British Columbia

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: British Columbia: Haisla Nation (Kitamaat Village); urban areas, especially Kitimat

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50-150
Native speakers worldwide
YOUNG ADULTS
None under the age of 25
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
The principal Haisla community is Kitamaat, where out of a total population of 600 there are estimated to be between 50 and 150 fluent speakers, none under the age of 25.

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Spoken in northwestern British Columbia immediately adjacent to Coast Tsimshianic. The principal Haisla community is Kitamaat.

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
25
Native speakers worldwide

74 fluent and 0 semi-speakers. 115 language learners
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
1,874
SEMI SPEAKERS
0

		2012	First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia							First Peoples' Cultural Council	http://www.maps.fphlcc.ca/		2012. "First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia." edited by First Peoples' Cultural Council. Online: http://www.maps.fphlcc.ca/.		3,158		80		10-99		66					Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14		15		Canada;	British Columbia	53.6200000, -128.3700000
		2007	North America	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	1-96	C. Moseley		London & New York: Routledge				Victor Golla	Golla, Victor. 2007. "North America." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by C. Moseley. 1-96. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD	600		50-150		10-99	All speakers are 25 years of age or older. These numbers are for Kitamaat, the largest Haisla community. There may be more people in other locations.				Haisla has been taught in Kitamaat by the University of Northern British Columbia since 1994, and a small number of people have acquired second-language fluency and literacy.	Taught at the University of Northern British Columbia	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14		15	The principal Haisla community is Kitamaat.	Canada	Spoken in northwestern British Columbia immediately adjacent to Coast Tsimshianic.
0199255911		2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer		Oxford University Press	New York				2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																				54.0,-128.75
		2016	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 19th Edition (2016)			Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig	online	SIL International	Dallas, Texas		http://www.ethnologue.com		Lewis, M. Paul, Gary F. Simons, and Charles D. Fennig (eds.). 2016. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Nineteenth edition (2016). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Online version: http://www.ethnologue.com.		1,680		240	2014 (FPCC)	100-999		21		English	Taught in Kitamaat by University of Northern British Columbia since 1994.	Dictionary.	Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	13	Speakers 25 or older. Shifting to English.			Canada;	Central British Columbia coast inlet, Douglas Channel head, near Kitimat.
	3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing	Paris		http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub			110		100-999							Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)					Canada;		53.9745,-128.6443
	3	2018	Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages					First People's Cultural Council		First Peoples' Cultural Council		Britt Dunlop, Suzanne Gessner, Tracey Herbert & Aliana Parker			1871		89		10-99				English			Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14	4.8% fluent speakers, 0% semispeakers, 6.6% active learners.	15
		2014	Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages (2nd Edition) 2014				Website: http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC)			http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC)	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC). 2014. Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages (2nd Edition). http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf				242	2014	100-999		21		English			Severely Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14	14.4% fluent speakers; 1.3% semi-speakers; 4.8% learners.	14	British Columbia: Haisla Nation (Kitamaat Village); urban areas, especially Kitimat	Canada: British Columbia
		2008	North America	Atlas of the World's Languages	7-41	Chris Moseley and Ron Asher		Routledge	London			Victor Golla and Ives Goddard and Lyle Campbell and Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco	Victor Golla, Ives Goddard, Lyle Campbell, Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco. 2008. "North America." In Atlas of the World's Languages, edited by Chris Moseley and Ron Asher. 7-41. Routledge.			None under the age of 25	50-150		100-999	The principal Haisla community is Kitamaat, where out of a total population of 600 there are estimated to be between 50 and 150 fluent speakers, none under the age of 25.			English			Severely Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	14		15		Canada;	Spoken in northwestern British Columbia immediately adjacent to Coast Tsimshianic. The principal Haisla community is Kitamaat.
			World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.				25		10-99							Severely Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
		2022	Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages (Fourth Edition)								https://fpcc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FPCC-LanguageReport-23.02.14-FINAL.pdf	Gessner, Suzanne, Tracey Herbertn and Aliana Parker			1,874		74 fluent and 0 semi-speakers. 115 language learners		10-99		0	115

X̄enaksialak̓ala / X̄a'islak̓ala (Haisla)

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

80

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-150

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

240

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

110

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

89

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

242

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-150

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

25

74 fluent and 0 semi-speakers. 115 language learners

Discussion

X̄enaksialak̓ala / X̄a'islak̓ala (Haisla)

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

80

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-150

Endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

240

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

110

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

89

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

242

Severely endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-150

Severely endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

25

74 fluent and 0 semi-speakers. 115 language learners

Discussion

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