Klallam

Klallam (also known as Clallam) is a nearly extinct language that was traditionally spoken by the Klallam people in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The Klallam language is part of the Salishan family of languages, which includes several other indigenous languages spoken in the Pacific Northwest.

History

The Klallam language was traditionally spoken by the Klallam people, who lived in the area now known as the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. The language was passed down through generations orally, with no written form until the late 20th century.

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the use of Klallam and other indigenous languages was suppressed by the U.S. government and Christian missionaries, who sought to assimilate indigenous peoples into mainstream American society. This led to a significant decline in the number of Klallam speakers.

Revitalization Efforts

In recent years, efforts have been made to revitalize the Klallam language. In 2007, a Klallam dictionary was published, and language classes are now offered at the Port Angeles High School and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe's tribal center.

Despite these efforts, the number of fluent Klallam speakers remains low. As of 2012, there were only a handful of fluent speakers left, all of whom were elderly.

Linguistic Features

Klallam is a Salishan language, and like other languages in this family, it is characterized by complex phonology and morphology. The language has a rich system of suffixes and prefixes, which are used to indicate tense, mood, aspect, and other grammatical features.

See Also

• Salishan languages
• Indigenous languages of the Americas
• Language revitalization