Did you know Nuuchahnulth (Nootka) is critically endangered?

ALSO KNOWN AS		Nuu-chah-nulth, Nootka, Nootkans, Aht, Nuuchahnulth, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Nutka, West Coast, T'aat'aaqsapa, Nuučaan̓uɫ, Quuquu'aca,
CLASSIFICATION		Wakashan, Southern Wakashan
CODE AUTHORITY		ISO 639-3
LANGUAGE CODE		nuk
VARIANTS & DIALECTS		Northern Nuučaan̓uɫ Barkley Central Nuučaan̓uɫ Tla.o.qui.aht Hesquiat Sheshaht Ahousaht Kyuqot Nuchatlaht Ohiaht Opetchesaht Toquaht Uchucklesaht Ucluelet Mowachaht Ehattesaht
DOWNLOAD		As csv
MORE RESOURCES		OLAC search
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS		The dialects of the language are very diverse, so much so that speakers often consider them to be separate languages rather than separate dialects.

Compare Sources (10)

Information from: “First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia” .

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
172
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
8,391
SEMI SPEAKERS
537

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: British Columbia

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50-100
Native speakers worldwide

DOMAINS OF USE
SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: Canada;

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
200
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
3,500
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
"Includes 30 Nitinat (1991 M. Dale Kinkade). Canada Census (2001) lists 505." Data for the number of native speakers comes from W. Poser (2002). Data for the ethnic population is from SIL (1977).

DATE OF INFO: 1991

DOMAINS OF USE

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

The language is almost completely replaced by English in both formal and informal domains of use, though significant passive knowledge of the language survives. Ceremonial use.

PLACES: Canada;

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: Southwest British Columbia, Pacific Ocean coast of Vancouver Island.

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
185
Native speakers worldwide

PLACES: Canada;

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
108
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
7,895
SEMI SPEAKERS
497
MORE ON SPEAKER NUMBERS
Nuučaan̓uɫ may be better understood as a dialect chain than a single language, speakers may consider "dialects" to be different languages.

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

1.4% fluent speakers, 6.3% semispeakers, 10.1% active learners.

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available
134
Native speakers worldwide
SEMI SPEAKERS
197

DATE OF INFO: 2014

SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS

TRANSMISSION

MORE ON VITALITY

1.7% fluent speakers, 2.6% semispeakers, 5.5% learners.

OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

English

PLACES: Canada: British Columbia

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: Vancouver Island, in 13 communities:
Ahousaht First Nation
Ehattesaht First Nation
Hesquiaht First Nation
Hupacasath First Nation
Huu-ay-aht First Nation
Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k:tles7et'h' First Nation
Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations
Nuchatlaht First Nation
Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation
Toquaht Nation
Tseshaht First Nation
Uchucklesaht Tribe
Ucluelet First Nation
Urban areas, especially Port Alberni

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available
50-100
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
~5,000

DOMAINS OF USE
SPEAKER NUMBER TRENDS
TRANSMISSION
OTHER LANGUAGES USED BY THE COMMUNITY

PLACES: British Columbia Vancouver Island

LOCATION DESCRIPTION: The west coast of Vancouver
Island, from Cape Cook to Barkley Sound.

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available
200
Native speakers worldwide

73 fluent and 114 semi-speakers. 634 language leaners
Native speakers worldwide
Ethnic population
8,033
SEMI SPEAKERS
114

		2012	First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia							First Peoples' Cultural Council	http://www.maps.fphlcc.ca/		2012. "First Peoples' Language Map of British Columbia." edited by First Peoples' Cultural Council. Online: http://www.maps.fphlcc.ca/.		8,391	172		100-999		537		English	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15			15		Canada;	British Columbia	49.6100000, -126.5000000
		2007	North America	Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages	1-96	C. Moseley		London & New York: Routledge				Victor Golla	Golla, Victor. 2007. "North America." In Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages, edited by C. Moseley. 1-96. London & New York: Routledge.	HHOLD		50-100		10-99				English	Critically Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15		15	15		Canada;
0199255911		2005	The World Atlas of Language Structures			Bernard Comrie and David Gil and Martin Haspelmath and Matthew S. Dryer		Oxford University Press	New York				2005. "The World Atlas of Language Structures." edited by Bernard Comrie et al. Oxford University Press.																		49.6666666667,-126.666666667
	16	2009	Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16th Edition (2009)			M. Paul Lewis		SIL International	Dallas, TX		http://www.ethnologue.com/		Lewis, M. Paul (ed.). 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, 16 edn. http://www.ethnologue.com/home.asp. (15 February, 2011.)	ll_pub	3,500	200	1991	100-999	"Includes 30 Nitinat (1991 M. Dale Kinkade). Canada Census (2001) lists 505." Data for the number of native speakers comes from W. Poser (2002). Data for the ethnic population is from SIL (1977).				Critically Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	The language is almost completely replaced by English in both formal and informal domains of use, though significant passive knowledge of the language survives. Ceremonial use.	15	15		Canada;	Southwest British Columbia, Pacific Ocean coast of Vancouver Island.
	3rd	2010	Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger					UNESCO Publishing	Paris		http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas	Christopher Moseley (ed.)	Moseley, Christopher (ed.). 2010. Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger, 3rd edn. http://www.unesco.org/culture/en/endangeredlanguages/atlas. (03 June, 2011.)	ll_pub		185		100-999					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)						Canada;		49.2818,-126.0627
	3	2018	Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages					First People's Cultural Council		First Peoples' Cultural Council		Britt Dunlop, Suzanne Gessner, Tracey Herbert & Aliana Parker			7,895	108		100-999	Nuučaan̓uɫ may be better understood as a dialect chain than a single language, speakers may consider "dialects" to be different languages.	497			Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	1.4% fluent speakers, 6.3% semispeakers, 10.1% active learners.		15
		2014	Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages (2nd Edition) 2014				Website: http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC)			http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC)	First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC). 2014. Report on the status of B.C. First Nations Languages (2nd Edition). http://www.fpcc.ca/files/PDF/Language/FPCC-LanguageReport-141016-WEB.pdf			134	2014	100-999		197		English	Critically Endangered (80 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15	1.7% fluent speakers, 2.6% semispeakers, 5.5% learners.		15	Vancouver Island, in 13 communities: Ahousaht First Nation Ehattesaht First Nation Hesquiaht First Nation Hupacasath First Nation Huu-ay-aht First Nation Ka:'yu:'k't'h'/Che:k:tles7et'h' First Nation Mowachaht/Muchalaht First Nations Nuchatlaht First Nation Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation Toquaht Nation Tseshaht First Nation Uchucklesaht Tribe Ucluelet First Nation Urban areas, especially Port Alberni	Canada: British Columbia
		2008	North America	Atlas of the World's Languages	7-41	Chris Moseley and Ron Asher		Routledge	London			Victor Golla and Ives Goddard and Lyle Campbell and Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco	Victor Golla, Ives Goddard, Lyle Campbell, Marianne Mithun and Mauricio Mixco. 2008. "North America." In Atlas of the World's Languages, edited by Chris Moseley and Ron Asher. 7-41. Routledge.		~5,000	50-100		10-99				English	Critically Endangered (100 percent certain, based on the evidence available)	15		15	15		British Columbia Vancouver Island	The west coast of Vancouver Island, from Cape Cook to Barkley Sound.	Canada;
			World Oral Literature Project								http://www.oralliterature.org		"World Oral Literature Project." Online: http://www.oralliterature.org.			200		100-999					Endangered (20 percent certain, based on the evidence available)
		2022	Report on the Status of B.C. First Nations Languages (Fourth Edition)								https://fpcc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FPCC-LanguageReport-23.02.14-FINAL.pdf	Gessner, Suzanne, Tracey Herbertn and Aliana Parker			8,033	73 fluent and 114 semi-speakers. 634 language leaners		100-999		114	634

Nuuchahnulth (Nootka)

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

172

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-100

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

185

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

108

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

134

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-100

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200

73 fluent and 114 semi-speakers. 634 language leaners

Discussion

Nuuchahnulth (Nootka)

Language metadata

Language information by source

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

172

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-100

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

185

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

108

Critically endangered

80 percent certain, based on the evidence available

134

Critically endangered

100 percent certain, based on the evidence available

50-100

Endangered

20 percent certain, based on the evidence available

200

73 fluent and 114 semi-speakers. 634 language leaners

Discussion

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