Do you know or can you guess the language, and do you know where it’s spoken?
6 thoughts on “Language Quiz”
It’s Chinuk Wawa!!! Spoken in the Pacific Northwest.
A REAL challenge! The speaker sounds as if her first language is English and has perhaps learnt this one as a second. There are sounds that seem to be from southern Africa with what I think are clicks and also sounds that seem to be Celtic. However I am guessing it is a North American indigenous language perhaps from the west coast of the US or Canada. And “guessing” here is the operative word!!
Yes, I’m going with Hank as far as the general region is concerned, although I think I’m hearing ejectives rather than clicks. The “Celtic” sound is probably a lateral fricative. Now only to find the language that has both of these features…
I’m almost certain this is Chinuk Wawa, a pidgin language that was used for trade across the Cascadia bioregion, and is now spoken by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a confederation of 27 nations west of the Cascade Range, north of California, and south of Coast Salish territory. I’ve spend a lot of time in traditional Grand Ronde territory and I’ve heard Chinuk Wawa online before
CDK, you are right. Are you ever good! I found the passage being read by a woman who works for a tribal council. She was giving a talk to an audience and saying a phrase followed by the English translation. The passage here is the same without the translation.
The language is Chinook Jargon (chinuk wawa), a pidgin trade language spoken in British Columbia, Canada, and Alaska, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, USA
It’s Chinuk Wawa!!! Spoken in the Pacific Northwest.
A REAL challenge! The speaker sounds as if her first language is English and has perhaps learnt this one as a second. There are sounds that seem to be from southern Africa with what I think are clicks and also sounds that seem to be Celtic. However I am guessing it is a North American indigenous language perhaps from the west coast of the US or Canada. And “guessing” here is the operative word!!
Yes, I’m going with Hank as far as the general region is concerned, although I think I’m hearing ejectives rather than clicks. The “Celtic” sound is probably a lateral fricative. Now only to find the language that has both of these features…
I’m almost certain this is Chinuk Wawa, a pidgin language that was used for trade across the Cascadia bioregion, and is now spoken by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde, a confederation of 27 nations west of the Cascade Range, north of California, and south of Coast Salish territory. I’ve spend a lot of time in traditional Grand Ronde territory and I’ve heard Chinuk Wawa online before
CDK, you are right. Are you ever good! I found the passage being read by a woman who works for a tribal council. She was giving a talk to an audience and saying a phrase followed by the English translation. The passage here is the same without the translation.
The language is Chinook Jargon (chinuk wawa), a pidgin trade language spoken in British Columbia, Canada, and Alaska, Washington State, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, USA
The recording comes from YouTube: