Why isn't Kwitshadi a good CW word?

Fri Jul 8 17:36:03 UTC 2005

tayi Francisc,

Please consider the source of the assertion that "k'wichEdi" is not a good Chinuk Wawa word.  I certainly do not remember all of the details of the conversation, but the word came up in the context of a discussion of vocabulary at a Chinuk-wawa lu7lu sponsored here in Grand Ronde.  We gave the word for Rabbit as "yuLqat-q'wElan," but I remember distinctly defending "k'wichEdi" as legitimate (just not what we typically teach).  While our dictionary is focused entirely on the language as recorded by elder speakers of the Grand Ronde area we have been very willing to include vocabulary from other areas in our daily conversation.  This especially happens in the context of lacking a word that exists elsewhere.  This has happened frequently and our preschoolers are growing up with a version of the language that includes aspects of Chinuk Wawa from where I originate (Willapa Bay, WA) as well as other places.  We have been very comfortable doing this so long as we have a reliable source for the word.  There have been many heated discussions surrounding the idea of what is the "best Chinuk Wawa" on the list, and I believe your reference comes from a similar vein.  We here in Grand Ronde have tried to avoid that conversation altogether.  The only thing that we feel strongly about is that many of the English orthography Chinuk Wawa dictionaries are lacking in that they are very difficult to determine pronunciation, and like all dictionaries, don't really allow for an understanding of grammar.  This is problematic if people then base their opinions of the language on these sources only.  I do feel for people wanting to study the Native variety of this language though because there are very few sources.  We in Grand Ronde are working to slowly change that, and hope to be able to have a new (but limited) language learning CD available for people this year.  Likewise, we are continuing the Chinuk Wawa Dictionary Project and hope to have a published version available before too long.  

aLqi tsa wawa--Tony A. Johnson
shawash-ili7i (Grand Ronde, OR)

-----Original Message-----
From: The Chinook List [mailto:CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG] On Behalf Of Francisc Czobor
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2005 7:03 AM
To: CHINOOK at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
Subject: Why isn't Kwitshadi a good CW word?

Klahawya,

This question is addressed mainly to the people elaborating the Grand Ronde 
CW.
I have read in the Archives of the Chinook Studies List (Nov. 2002) that 
some years ago, at a Chinuk Lu'lu held at GR, was stated that Kwitshadi is 
not a good CW word, and that the descriptive yuLqat q'wElan "long ear(s)" 
should be used instead.

I agree that yuLqat q'wElan is a good CW espression - it was used by John 
Hudson in "Rabbit Races Mud Turtle" (M. Jacobs: "Texts in Chinook Jargon", 
University of Washington Publications in Anthropology, Vol. 7, No. 1, 1936, 
page 14), but it doesn't appear in the "classical" dictionaries of Gibbs, 
Hale, Shaw, nor in Demers/Blanchet/St.Onge or in Le Jeune's gossaries.

But what is wrong with kwitshadi?

It appears in several old sourced, and since it transribed in different 
ways, it seems that these source (at least in part) have recorded it 
independently:

Gibbs 1863 (and after him Hale 1890, Shaw 1909, etc): kwit-shad-ie

J.M.R. Le Jeune: Chinook Rudiments (1924): kwitshati

The glossary appended to A.C. Anderson's "Hand-book and map..." (1857): 
quitchaddy

The three very closely related glossaries (Hutchings & Rosenfield 
(publ.): "Vocabulary of the Chinook Jargon" (1860); Hibben & Carswell 
(publ.): "Dictionary of Indian Tongues..." (1862); and D.G.F. 
Macdonald: "Chinook Jargon and English Equivalents" (1863)): cuitchaddy

The "Mystery Dictionary" on Jeff Kopp's website: kwet-shoot-ee

Gibbs noted that this word is "confined to Puget Sound", Shaw included it 
in the "Supplemental Vocabulary" (Less Familiar Words-Not Strictly Jargon-
or of Only Local Use), Le Jeune listed it under "words used in other 
districts"; thus it was a word of local use, namely in the Puget Sound 
area, as shown also by its etymology (Lushootseed  - Nisqually dialect: 
kwÉchdi, Snohomish dialect: kwchdi), but nevertheless it was a good CW 
word, at least for the PS area, where CW was very actively used in the 19th 
century.

In my opinion, yuLqat q'wElan is not "better CW" than kwitshadi. Indeed, 
the later is borrowed from Salishan, but the former is a CW creation from a 
Chinookan (yuLqat) and a Salishan (q'wElan) element. The Proper Chinook 
word for rabbit is isinikás.

Thus, kwitshadi should not be rejected only because it was used in PSCW and 
not in GRCW. I think it should be considered as a "legitime" synonym for 
yuLqat q'wElan.

Francisc

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