Tillacum

robsue robsue at ISLANDNET.COM
Thu Feb 21 20:19:27 UTC 2002


Here's a little example of convergence - those of you who are linguists probably your term for two words of independent origin that sound alike and function similarly.

I was looking at an image of the inside of the Anglican Church at Fort Norman, NWT, in the 1890's.  No Chinook spoken hearabouts as far as we know, though at a stretch someone from Fort MacPherson, downstream, could have known CJ as they traded west at least as far as Fort Yukon.  Anyways, a large banner in the church proclaims "tillhecome" .  I immediately thought of Tillacum, knowing it to be one of the really common CJ words - the name of the busiest street in my neighbourhood here in Victoria West.  But  lower on the banner there it is again : " till He come".  We are in a Christian church , after all.
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