Chemakum language

The Chemakum language (/ˈtʃɛməkʌm/; also written as Chimakum or Chimacum) was spoken by the Chemakum, a Native American group that once lived on western Washington state's Olympic Peninsula. It was very similar to the Quileute language, the only surviving Chimakuan language. In the 1860s, Chief Seattle and the Suquamish people killed many of the Chimakum people. In 1890, Franz Boas found only three speakers, and they spoke it imperfectly.[1] A few semi-speakers continued until the 1940s on the east side of the Olympic Peninsula, between Port Townsend and Hood Canal.

For the community named Chimacum, see Chimacum, Washington.
Chemakum
ʔaχʷókʷolo
Native toOlympic Peninsula, Washington
EthnicityChimakum
Extinct3 imperfect speakers in 1890[1]
Chimakuan
  • Chemakum
Language codes
ISO 639-3xch
xch
Glottologchim1310

The name Chemakum is an anglicization of the Salishan name for the Chimakum people, perhaps old Twana čə́mqəm (currently čə́bqəb [t͡ʃə́bqəb]).

Phonology

Chemakum had three vowels, long and short, and lexical stress. It had the following consonants. (Note the unusual lack of plain velar consonants.)

Bilabial Alveolar Post-
alveolar		 Labio-
velar		 Uvular Glottal
central lateral plain labial
Nasal m n
Plosive plain p t kʷ q qʷ ʔ
ejective pʼ tʼ kʷʼ qʼ qʷʼ
Affricate plain t͡s t͡ʃ
ejective t͡sʼ t͡ɬʼ t͡ʃʼ
Fricative s ɬ ʃ xʷ χ χʷ h
Approximant l j w

Vowels are noted as /i a o/ and lengthened as /iː aː oː/. Stress is noted as /v́/.[2]

See also

References
  1. Ruby, Robert H.; John Arthur Brown (1992). A Guide to the Indian Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. University of Oklahoma Press. pp. 22–23, 28. ISBN 9780806124797.
  2. Elmendorf, William W. (1990). Chemakum. Wayne Suttles (ed.), Northwest Coast: Washington: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 438–440.
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