Nisga’a language

Nisga’a
Spoken in	Canada
Region	northwest British Columbia
Ethnicity	Nisga’a people
Native speakers	700  (date missing)
Language family	Tsimshian Nass–Gitksan Nisga’a
Language codes
ISO 639-3	ncg

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.

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 2006 there are estimated to be 700 speakers out of a population of 5,500. However, almost all fluent speakers are elderly and there are no known speakers under the age of 15.^{[citation needed]}

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]

See also

• Nisga’a
• Gitxsan language

Further reading

• Boas, Franz. Tsimshian Texts. Washington: G.P.O., 1902.

External links

• The Nisg̱a’a Language (YDLI)
• Ethnologue: Nisga’a
• Nisga’a Language on First Voices.com
• Nisga’a-language videos
• Niš'ga Primer published in 1897
• The Nishga Liturgy Anglican liturgical text in Nisga’a published in 1977