Endangered Languages Project

ALSO KNOWN AS		Chinook Jargon, Chinook Pidgin, Chinuk Wawa, Jargon, činúk wáwa
CLASSIFICATION		Pidgin or Creole, Chinook based
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		chn
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Grand Ronde
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		A pidgin (trade language), formerly used from Oregon to Alaska.

Compare Sources (9)

Information from: “Chinuk Wawa” (149-157 ch. 17) . Grant, Anthony P. (2013) , Michaelis, Susanne Maria, Philippe Maurer, Martin Haspelmath, and Magnus Huber · Oxford University Press

Critically endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available
1
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"One native speaker of Grand Ronde variety (2009); maybe 1,000 people with L2 knowledge (via oral or written means)"

TRANSMISSION
SPEAKER ATTITUDE: "... Chinuk Wawa has for some time been one of the markers of a specifically Pacific Northwest ethos and a sense of a regional 'cool' (and not only among people of Native American heritage); names taken from Chinuk Wawa ... are used to name stores and other businesses, for example."

PLACES: USA, Canada

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: "The region where Chinuk Wawa was used comprises at least most of Washington State (especially the area west of the Cascade Mountains), western parts of Oregon and of southern British Columbia, and later (and less densely) also the British Columbian coast as far as south-eastern Alaska, eastern Oregon, northern and western parts of Idaho and western Montana, and the northernmost tier of western counties in California."

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS

The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Language Program offers: preschool immersion classes, partial immersion opportunities for kindergarten students, an after-school bilingual language program (K-5), and adult language classes offered for university credit.

1st and 2nd grade curricula for blended immersion classroom settings are also under development.

PLACES: USA, Oregon

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
1
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
1 (Grant 2013).

DATE OF INFO: 2013

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: USA: Oregon

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Oregon: Polk and Yamhill counties, Grand Ronde reservation.

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
100
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
There were 83 speakers in Canada in 1962.

DATE OF INFO: 1962

PLACES: USA; Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: British Columbia

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Chinuk Wawa is a hybrid lingua franca consisting of simplified Chinookan, combined with contributions from Nuuchahnulth (Nootkan), Canadian French, English, and other languages.

PLACES: USA, Oregon

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Chinuk Wawa originated on the lower Columbia River, where it once was the predominant medium of intertribal and interethnic communication.

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
100
Native speakers worldwide

LANGUAGE CONTEXT COMMENTS: Chinuk Wawa is spoken and taught by a few members of the the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon USA. Classes are offered in Chinuk Wawa at Lane Community College in Eugene and Portland Community College.

PLACES: USA, Oregon

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
a few
Native speakers worldwide
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Still occasionally used by a few.

PLACES: USA, Oregon

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Oregon, Pacific Northwest

PLACES: USA; Canada;

	2012	Chinuk Wawa / kakwa nsayka ulman-tilixam laska munk-kemteks nsayka / As Our Elders Teach Us to Speak It					University of Washington Press				The Chinuk Wawa Dictionary Project	The Chinuk Wawa Dictionary Project. 2012. "Chinuk Wawa / Kakwa Nsayka Ulman-tilixam Laska Munk-kemteks Nsayka / As Our Elders Teach Us To Speak It." University of Washington Press.									Chinuk Wawa is a hybrid lingua franca consisting of simplified Chinookan, combined with contributions from Nuuchahnulth (Nootkan), Canadian French, English, and other languages.					USA, Oregon	Chinuk Wawa originated on the lower Columbia River, where it once was the predominant medium of intertribal and interethnic communication.
		Chaku-Kəmdəks Chinuk Wawa								http://learnchinookjargon.wordpress.com/	Eric Bernando	Eric Bernando. "Chaku-Kəmdəks Chinuk Wawa." Online: http://learnchinookjargon.wordpress.com/.									Chinuk Wawa is spoken and taught by a few members of the the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde in Oregon USA. Classes are offered in Chinuk Wawa at Lane Community College in Eugene and Portland Community College.					USA, Oregon
		Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Language Program								http://www.cal.org/heritage/profiles/programs/GrandRonde.html	Heritage Languages in America	Heritage Languages in America. "Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Language Program." Online: http://www.cal.org/heritage/profiles/programs/GrandRonde.html.									The Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Language Program offers: preschool immersion classes, partial immersion opportunities for kindergarten students, an after-school bilingual language program (K-5), and adult language classes offered for university credit. 1st and 2nd grade curricula for blended immersion classroom settings are also under development.					USA, Oregon
16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis		SIL International	Dallas, TX		http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	100	1962	100-999	There were 83 speakers in Canada in 1962.					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				USA; Canada;	British Columbia
	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	2013	1-9	1 (Grant 2013).		English			Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	15	Oregon: Polk and Yamhill counties, Grand Ronde reservation.	USA: Oregon
	2013	Chinuk Wawa	The Survey of Pidgin and Creole Languages - Volume III: Contact Languages Based on the Languages from Africa, Asia, Australia, and the Americas	149-157	Michaelis, Susanne Maria, Philippe Maurer, Martin Haspelmath, and Magnus Huber		Oxford University Press	Oxford	17		Grant, Anthony P.			1		1-9	"One native speaker of Grand Ronde variety (2009); maybe 1,000 people with L2 knowledge (via oral or written means)"	1,000		"... Chinuk Wawa has for some time been one of the markers of a specifically Pacific Northwest ethos and a sense of a regional 'cool' (and not only among people of Native American heritage); names taken from Chinuk Wawa ... are used to name stores and other businesses, for example."		Critically Endangered (60 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15		"The region where Chinuk Wawa was used comprises at least most of Washington State (especially the area west of the Cascade Mountains), western parts of Oregon and of southern British Columbia, and later (and less densely) also the British Columbian coast as far as south-eastern Alaska, eastern Oregon, northern and western parts of Idaho and western Montana, and the northernmost tier of western counties in California."	USA, Canada	Washington, Oregon, and 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.		a few		1-9	Still occasionally used by a few.					Critically Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)				USA, Oregon	Oregon, Pacific Northwest
2nd edition	2010	Endangered Languages of the United States	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger of Disappearing	108-130	Christopher Moseley		UNESCO	Paris			Christopher Rogers, Naomi Palosaari and Lyle Campbell	Christopher Rogers, Naomi Palosaari and Lyle Campbell. 2010. "Endangered Languages of the United States." In Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger of Disappearing, edited by Christopher Moseley. 108-130. UNESCO.														USA; Canada;		45.0591,-123.6091
		World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.		100		100-999						Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)

Chinook Wawa

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

a few

Discussion

Chinook Wawa

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

60 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

1

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

100

Critically endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

a few

Discussion

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