Nisga'a language

Like almost all other First Nations languages of British Columbia, Nisga’a is an endangered language. In the 2018 Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages, there were 311 fluent speakers and 294 active language learners reported in a population of 6,113.{{Cite journal|last=Dunlop B., Gessner, S., Herbert T. & Parker A.|date=2018|title=Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages|url=https://fpcc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/FPCC-LanguageReport-180716-WEB.pdf|journal=The First Peoples' Cultural Council}}

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 published in 1890, as well as a Nisga’a primer for students published in 1897. These were published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (SPCK). These items included some portions of Scripture.

Other notable documentation of the Nisga'a language include 'A Short Practical Dictionary of the Gitksan Language' compiled by Bruce Rigsby and Lonnie Hindle,{{Cite journal|last=Hindle, L.|first=Bruce, R.|date=1973|title=A Short Practical Dictionary of the Gitksan Language|journal=Journal of Northwest Anthropology|volume=7}} published in 1973 in Volume 7, Issue 1 of Journal of Northwest Anthropology.{{Cite web|title=Journal of Northwest Anthropology — List of Past Volumes|url=https://www.northwestanthropology.com/jona-archive|access-date=2020-12-13|website=Journal of Northwest Anthropology|language=en-US}} In this dictionary, Rigsby created a simple alphabet for Nisga'a that is widely used today.{{Cite book|last=Tarpent |first=Marie-Lucie|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/28598572|title=A grammar of the Nisgha language|date=1987|isbn=0-315-68126-8|oclc=28598572}}

In January 2012, a Nisga’a app for iPhone and iPad was released for free.{{Cite web|url=http://www.firstvoices.com/en/apps|title=FirstVoices Apps|work=FirstVoices|access-date=2012-10-04}} Recently, the app was made available for use on Android.{{Cite web|title=FirstVoices: Nisga'a Community Portal|url=http://www.firstvoices.com/en/Nisgaa|access-date=2020-12-13}} The Nisga'a app is a bilingual dictionary and phrase collection archived at the First Voices data base, resources include audio recordings, images and videos.{{Cite web|url=https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nisgaa/id490034233|title=Nisga'a on the App Store|website=App Store|language=en|access-date=2017-11-12}}

Since 1990, the First Peoples' Heritage Language and Culture Council has been providing support to revitalize First Peoples' language, arts and cultures. A total of $20 million has been distributed to support various projects, including revitalization of Nisga'a language.{{Cite web|url=http://www.fpcc.ca/about-us/|title=First Peoples' Cultural Council {{!}} About us|website=www.fpcc.ca|access-date=2017-11-12}} In 2003, First Voices website, an online language archive was created to support language documentation, language teaching, and revitalization.{{Cite web|url=http://www.firstvoices.com/en/about#info2|title=FirstVoices|website=www.firstvoices.com|access-date=2017-11-12}} The Nisga'a First Voices is publicly accessible. Information on the website is managed by the Wilp Wilx̱o'oskwhl Nisg̱a'a Institute. Resources include alphabets, online dictionary, phrasebook, songs, stories, and interactive online games with sounds, pictures and videos. A total of 6092 words and 6470 phrases have been archived on the Nisga'a Community Portal at First Voices.

In 1993, the Wilp Wilx̱o'oskwhl Nisg̱a'a Institute (WWNI) was established to provide post-secondary education for Nisga'a community and promote language and culture revitalization. It is the Nisga'a university-college located in the Nass Valley in Gitwinksihlkw on the northwest coast of British Columbia. The WWNI is a community driven, non-profit organization that is affiliated with the University of Northern British Columbia, Coast Mountain College (formerly Northwest Community College), and Royal Roads University. It is the only place where students can earn accreditation and certification of its courses and programs in Nisga'a Studies.{{Cite web|url=http://wwni.bc.ca/?page_id=25|title=About « Welcome to WWNI – Nisga'a House of Wisdom|website=wwni.bc.ca|language=en-US|access-date=2017-11-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021032832/http://wwni.bc.ca/?page_id=25|archive-date=2016-10-21|url-status=dead}}

A recent project called “Raising Nisga’a Language, Sovereignty, and Land-Based Education Through Traditional Carving Knowledge” (RNL) was started by Nisga’a professor Amy Parent at University of British Columbia working with and the Laxgalts’ap Village Government.{{Cite web|last=Reporter|first=Ben Bogstie,Local Journalism Initiative|title=New project using virtual reality to revitalize Nisga'a language|url=https://www.princegeorgecitizen.com/news/local-news/new-project-using-virtual-reality-to-revitalize-nisga-a-language-1.24251856|access-date=2020-12-14|website=Prince George Citizen}} It will run over several years and aims to combine virtual reality technology with traditional knowledge in Nisga'a.{{Cite web|last=AP_admin|title=Research Projects|url=https://amyparent.ca/projects/|access-date=2020-12-14|website=Dr. Amy Parent|language=en-US}}

The phonology in Nisga'a is presented as follows:{{Cite book|last=Tarpent, Marie-Lucie|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/28598572|title=A grammar of the Nisgha language|date=1987|isbn=0-315-68126-8|oclc=28598572}}

The high and mid short front vowels /i/ and /e/ as well as the high and mid short back vowels /u/ and /o/ are largely found to be in complementary distribution in native Nisga'a words but these pairs of sounds contrast one another in words borrowed into the language, making them distinct.

In Nisga'a phonology, the voiced plosives [b, d, dz, g, gʷ, ɢ] are allophones of the unvoiced plosives /p, t, ts, k, kʷ, q/ and occur before vowels. Modern Nisga'a orthography writes the voiced plosives with their own characters b, d, j, g, gw, g̠ respectively.

• Nisga’a
• Gitxsan language

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• {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9NBpzgQI-igC|title=Tsimshian Texts, Nas River Dialect|publisher=Government Printing Office|year=1902|location=Washington, DC|last1=Boas|first1=Franz|access-date=26 August 2012}}

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• [http://www.ydli.org/langs/nisgaa.htm The Nisg̱a’a Language] (YDLI)
• [https://archive.today/20130123030735/http://firstvoices.com/scripts/WebObjects.exe/FirstVoices.woa/wa/enterLanguageArchive?archive=31b1dbe925f9c45e Nisga’a Language on First Voices.com]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110706165233/http://language.blogger.nisgaa.bc.ca/ Nisga’a-language videos]
• [https://archive.org/details/niaprimerparspe00britgoog Niš'ga Primer] published in 1897; [https://archive.org/details/cihm_15540 part I, spelling and reading ; anspelsqum Tsim algiuk], Internet Archive
• [http://www.language-archives.org/language/ncg OLAC resources in and about the Nisga'a language]
• [http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bcp/Canada/nisgaa.htm The Nishga Liturgy] Anglican liturgical text in Nisga’a published in 1977
• {{Cite book

| publisher = Aiyansh Mission

| last = McCullagh, J. B. (James Benjamin)

| title = Miscellaneous hymns

| location = B.C.

| access-date = 2012-08-28

| year = 1921

| isbn = 9780665155390

| url = https://archive.org/details/cihm_15539

}}

• [http://www.nisgaanation.ca/language-tools Nisga'a Lisims Government Language Tools]

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{{Languages of Canada}}

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Category:Tsimshianic languages

Category:Endangered Tsimshianic languages

Category:Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest Coast

Category:First Nations languages in Canada

Category:Languages of Canada