Lummi dialect

Lummi (Xwlemi Chosen, ) is a dialect of the North Straits Salish language traditionally spoken by the Lummi people of northwest Washington, in the United States. Although traditionally referred to as a language, it is mutually intelligible with the other dialects of North Straits.

Lummi language is still spoken on the Lummi reservation and is taught at Ferndale High School, Lummi Nation School, Vista Middle School, Horizon Middle School, Skyline and Eagleridge Elementary Schools, and the Northwest Indian College.

Phonology

Consonants

		Bilabial	Alveolar			Palatal	Velar		Uvular		Glottal
			central	sibilant	lateral		plain	lab.	plain	lab.
Plosive/ Affricate	plain	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
	ejective	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Fricative				Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
Sonorant	plain	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link
	glottalized

• phonemically occurs only rarely within vocabulary.

Vowels

	Front	Central	Back
Close	Template:IPA link		Template:IPA link
Mid/Open	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link	Template:IPA link

• Vowel sounds may also be heard as more mid or open as .

Further reading

• Available online through the Washington State Library's Classics in Washington History collection or at Internet Archive

Template:Asbox