Sinixt dialect
| Sinixt | |
|---|---|
| (Arrow) Lakes | |
| snsəlxcín | |
| Native to | Canada, United States |
| Region | British Columbia, Washington |
| Ethnicity | Sinixt people |
Native speakers | 30 (2022) |
Salishan
| |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | lake1256 |
Sinixt (snsəlxcín) is one of multiple distinct dialects of the Colville-Okanagan language. It is part of the Southern Interior Salish sub-grouping of the Salishan Language family. Traditionally spoken among the Sinixt People of the southern Interior Plateau region and based primarily in the Columbia River Basin, it is closely related to other Interior Salish languages and dialects. As of 2022, it had around 30 first-language speakers.
Six of the twelve tribes which make up the Colville Confederated Tribes speak Sinixt:
- the suknaqínx (Okanagan/Sylix)
- sn̓ʕay̓ckstx (Sinixt/Arrow Lakes)
- mətxʷu (Methow)
- nspil̓m̓ (Nespelem)
- sn̓pʕaw̓ilx (Sanpoil)
- sx̌ʷy̓iłpx (Colville).