Heiltsuk dialect

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Heiltsuk
Bella Bella
Háiɫzaqvḷa
Pronunciation[ɦiɬtsʰaqʷ]
RegionNorthern
Heiltsuk people
Native speakers
L1: 95 (2016)[1]
L2: 125
Revival[2][3]
Language codes
ISO 639-3–
Glottologbell1263
ELPHailhzaqvla (Heiltsuk)
Map of Wakashan languages
Heiltsuk is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Heiltsuk

Klemtu, British Columbia. Bella Bella is the headquarters of the Heiltsuk Nation government. There are only seven fluent speakers left of Heiltsuk.[5]

Heiltsuk is spoken in the villages of Bella Bella and Klemtu, both located on coastal islands in British Columbia not far from Bella Coola and Ocean Falls. It is one of the four Northern Wakashan languages, the others being Haisla (spoken in Kitimaat), Oowekyala (in Rivers Inlet), and Kwakwala (in Alert Bay, Port Hardy, and various settlements).[6]

Heiltsuk is considered to be a dialect of

Kwak'wala, are part of the Northern Wakashan language group. Heiltsuk has both conversational and ceremonial forms.[7]

Phonology

Consonants

The following is a chart of the consonants in Heiltsuk.

Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
plain sibilant lateral plain labial plain labial
Plosive and
Affricate 		plain p ⟨b⟩ t ⟨d⟩ ts ⟨z⟩ tɬ ⟨λ⟩ k ⟨g⟩ kʷ ⟨gv⟩ q ⟨ǧ⟩ qʷ ⟨ǧv⟩ ʔ ⟨ʔ⟩
aspirated pʰ ⟨p⟩ tʰ ⟨t⟩ tsʰ ⟨c⟩ tɬʰ ⟨ƛ⟩ kʰ ⟨k⟩ kʷʰ ⟨kv⟩ qʰ ⟨q⟩ qʷʰ ⟨qv⟩
ejective pʼ ⟨p̓⟩ tʼ ⟨t̓⟩ tsʼ ⟨c̓⟩ tɬʼ ⟨ƛ̓⟩ kʼ ⟨k̓⟩ kʷʼ ⟨k̓v⟩ qʼ ⟨q̓⟩ qʷʼ ⟨q̓v⟩
Fricative s ⟨s⟩ ɬ ⟨ɫ⟩ x ⟨x⟩ xʷ ⟨xv⟩ χ ⟨x̌⟩ χʷ ⟨x̌v⟩
Resonant
 plain m ⟨m⟩ n ⟨n⟩ l ⟨l⟩ j ⟨y⟩ w ⟨w⟩ ɦ ⟨h⟩
glottalized ˀm ⟨m̓⟩ ˀn ⟨n̓⟩ ˀl ⟨l̓⟩ ˀj ⟨y̓⟩ ˀw ⟨w̓⟩ ˀɦ ⟨h̓⟩

The resonants in intervocalic forms function similarly to vowels, and so will be charted below.

Vowels

Heiltsuk has phonemic short, long, and glottalized vowels. There are mainly three vowel sounds in the Heiltsuk dialect /i, a, u/ which are written as ⟨i, a, u⟩,[8] although nine other sounds are heard as allophones [ɨ, ɪ, ʊ, ɛ, ə, ɔ, æ, ʌ, ɑ].[9]

Tone

Vowels and the syllabic resonants /m n l/ can take either high or low tone. High tone is written with an acute. Syllabic resonants are marked with a dot underneath (⟨ṃ ṇ ḷ⟩). Glottalized resonants may also be syllabic (⟨ṃ̓ ṇ̓ ḷ̓⟩), but may only take low tone.[8]

Bilabial Alveolar Lateral Palatal Velar Glottal
voiced consonantal m ⟨m⟩ n ⟨n⟩ l ⟨l⟩ j ⟨y⟩ w ⟨w⟩ ɦ ⟨h, ħ⟩
vocalic high ḿ̩ ⟨ṃ́⟩ ń̩ ⟨ṇ́⟩ ĺ̩ ⟨ḷ́⟩ í ⟨í⟩ ú ⟨ú⟩ á ⟨á⟩
low m̩ ⟨ṃ⟩ n̩ ⟨ṇ⟩ l̩ ⟨ḷ⟩ i ⟨i⟩ u ⟨u⟩ a ⟨a⟩
glottalized
 consonantal ˀm ⟨m̓⟩ ˀn ⟨n̓⟩ ˀl ⟨l̓⟩ ˀj ⟨y̓⟩ ˀw ⟨w̓⟩ ˀɦ ⟨h̓⟩
vocalic low ˀm̩ ⟨ṃ̓⟩ ˀn̩ ⟨ṇ̓⟩ ˀl̩ ⟨ḷ̓⟩ ˀi ⟨i̓⟩ ˀu ⟨u̓⟩ ˀa ⟨a̓⟩

The velar and glottal resonants are sometimes preaspirated.[10]

Writing system

Heiltsuk alphabet[11]
b
p
 p̓
m
 ṃ́
ṃ
 m̓ ṃ̓
d
t
 t̓
n
 ṇ́
ṇ
 n̓ ṇ̓
z
c
 c̓
ꟛ
(λ)
ƛ
 ƛ̓
ɫ
l
 ḷ́ ḷ l̓ ḷ̓
g
k
 k̓
x
y
 í
i
 y̓ i̓
gv
 kv k̓v
xv w u ú w̓ u̓ ǧv
qv
 q̓v x̌v ǧ
q
 q̓
x̌
h
 á
a
 h̓ a̓

References

  1. ^ "Census Profile, 2016 Census". Statistics Canada. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  2. ^ "Home". Heiltsuk Revitalization. Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  3. ISSN 2398-4112
    .
  4. ^ William C. Sturtevant, 1978. Handbook of North American Indians: Northwest Coast
  5. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 2025-03-24.
  6. ^ Rath, John C. (1981). A Practical Heiltsuk-English Dictionary with a Grammatical Introduction. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
  7. ISBN 1-55054-556-6
    .
  8. ^ a b "Alphabet Chart – Ǧvu̓í/Rory Housty – Heiltsuk Language & Culture Mobilization Partnership". Retrieved 2021-07-28.
  9. ^ Rath, John C. (1974). On the Phonological Description of the Heiltsuk Language.
  10. ^ Rath, John (1975). The Heiltsuk Alphabet, from "A Concise English – Heiltsuk Dictionary" (PDF).
  11. ^ Rath 1986.

Bibliography

  • Boas, Franz. (1928). Bella Bella texts. Columbia University contributions to anthropology (No. 5).
  • Boas, Franz. (1932). Bella Bella tales. Memoirs of the American Folklore Society (No. 25).
  • Howe, Darin M. (2000). Oowekyala segmental phonology. (Doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa).
  • Mithun, Marianne. (1999). The languages of Native North America. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
  • Poser, William J. (2003). The status of documentation for British Columbia native languages. Yinka Dene Language Institute Technical Report (No. 2). Vanderhoof, British Columbia: Yinka Dene Language Institute.
  • Rath, John C. (1974). On the Phonological Description of the Heiltsuk Language. Dutch Contributions to the 9th International Conference on Salish Languages.
  • Rath, John C. (1981). A practical Heiltsuk-English dictionary with a grammatical introduction. Mercury Series paper, Canadian Ethnology Service, (No. 75). Vol. i & ii. Ottawa: National Museums of Canada.
  • Windsor, Evelyn W. (1982). Oowekeeno oral traditions as told by the late chief Simon Walkus, Sr. Hilton, S.; & Rath, J. (Eds.). Mercury series (No. 84). Ottawa: National Museum of Man.
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