A CJ activity for teachers

[Dave Robertson]

http://www.nps.gov/whmi/educate/ortrtg/ortrtg9.htm

CHINOOK JARGON

As trading increased between the fur trappers and the Indians, a common
language was needed. This language,
called Chinook jargon, is a combination of French, English, and several
Indian languages. While this is the
language used for trading, the real Chinook language has long since
disappeared.

  1.baby----------------------tenas
  2.beaver--------------------eena
  3.canoe---------------------canim
  4.deer----------------------mowitsh
  5.dog-----------------------kamooks
  6.duck----------------------Kweh Kweh
  7.eagle---------------------chak chak
  8.elk-----------------------moolock
  9.family--------------------tillicums
 10.fire----------------------piah
 11.fireplace-----------------kah piah
 12.grandfather---------------papa kaka papa
 13.grandmother---------------mama kaka mama
 14.How are you?--------------Klahowya
 15.love----------------------tikegh
 16.potato--------------------wappatoo
 17.thank you-----------------mahasie
 18.parents-------------------papa pe mama
 19.pants---------------------sakoleks
 20.students------------------tenas kopa school


You may want to take these words and go over them with your class. How did
they arrive at common ground?
Discuss possibilities. Take several different languages such as English,
Spanish and Japanese. Have students
take several words and try to combine them into a common language. Possibly
use vocabulary words.