Squamish language

Squamish
Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim
Pronunciation	[sqʷχʷoʔməʃ snit͡ʃim]
Native to	Canada
Region	British Columbia
Ethnicity	4,280 Squamish people (2018, FPCC)[1]
Native speakers	1 (2014, FPCC)[1]
Revival	449 Active Language Learners
Language family	Salishan Coast Salish Central Squamish
Writing system	Latin (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh alphabet)
Official status
Official language in	Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw
Language codes
ISO 639-3	squ
Glottolog	squa1248
ELP	Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim (Squamish)
Squamish territory
Squamish is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
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Squamish (/ˈskwɔːmɪʃ/ SKWAW-mish;^[2] Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim, sníchim meaning "language") is a Coast Salish language spoken by the Squamish people of the Pacific Northwest. It is spoken in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, centred on their reserve communities in Squamish, North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. An archaic historical rendering of the native Sḵwx̱wú7mesh is Sko-ko-mish but this should not be confused with the name of the Skokomish people of Washington state. Squamish is most closely related to the Sechelt, Halkomelem, and Nooksack languages.

The Squamish language was first documented in the 1880s by a German anthropologist; however the grammar of the language was documented by a Dutch linguist in the 1950s. The orthography or spelling system of the language came about in 1960s while the first Squamish dictionary was published only recently, specifically 2011. The language shares certain similarities with languages like Sechelt and Halkomelem which are spoken in similar regions. ^[3]