Nisga'a language

Nisga’a (also Nass, Nisgha, Nisg̱a’a, Nishka, Niska, Nishga, Nisqa’a) is a Tsimshianic language of the Nisga'a people of northwestern British Columbia. Nisga'a people, however, do not like the term Tshimshianic as they feel that it gives precedence to Coast Tsimshian. Nisga’a is very closely related to Gitksan. Indeed, many linguists regard Nisga’a and Gitksan as dialects of a single Nass–Gitksan language. The two are generally treated as distinct languages out of deference to the political separation of the two groups.

History and usage

Anglican missionary James Benjamin McCullagh conducted much early linguistic work in Nisga’a, preparing translations of parts of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer as well as a Nisga’a primer for students.

Like almost all other First Nations languages of British Columbia, Nisga’a is an endangered language. As of the 2006 census, there are over 1,000 speakers out of a total ethnic population of around 6,000.

Phonology

Consonants

		Labial	Alveolar		Postalveolar	Palatal	Velar		Uvular	Glottal
			central	lateral			plain	rounded
Nasal		m [m]	n [n]
Plosive	voiceless	p [p]	t [t]				k [k]	qu [kʷ]	g̱ [q]	ʻ [ʔ]
	voiced	b [b]	d [d]				g [ɡ]
Affricate			z [dz]		ż [dʒ]
Fricative	voiceless		s [s]	ʻl [ɬ]	š [ʃ]	ḱ [ç]	ḵ [x]			h [h]
	voiced						ģ [ɣ]
Approximant				l [l]		y [j]		w [w]

Resources

A Nisga’a iPhone app was released in January 2012. An online dictionary, phrasebook, and language learning portal is available at First Voices.

See also

• Nisga’a
• Gitxsan language

External links

• The Nisg̱a’a Language (YDLI)
• Nisga’a Language on First Voices.com
• Nisga’a-language videos
• Niš'ga Primer published in 1897; part I, spelling and reading ; anspelsqum Tsim algiuk, Internet Archive
• OLAC resources in and about the Nisga'a language
• The Nishga Liturgy Anglican liturgical text in Nisga’a published in 1977