Chinook Language Champions
A resource for those working on the
Chinook Jargon dictionary
and other language projects
Chinook Project Big Picture
The Chinook Dictionary Project consists of three main parts: Gathering, Growing, and Sharing words.
These steps contribute not just to the dictionary, but to the Language Cloud Database, and the growing collection of cultural educational materials.
Dictionary Tools
There are many tools involved in gathering, growing and sharing words. Click on the logo of a program to visit its tutorial page.
Chinook Big Picture.pdfGathering Words
Chinook is a well-documented and studied trade language, so there are many sources to gather words from. The Dictionary Team will keep collecting words, stories, sentences, and information about words. Much of the continued work of foraging for words will happen in Language Forge, a versatile and portable web-based program.
Growing Words
Helping words grow involves two crucial activities: adding more information about them and keeping all of the information well organized. Pictures, audio recordings, example sentences, connections between words, and semantic domains all help teach people what words mean and how to use them. Language Forge downloads all of the information that has been gathered into the Main Fieldworks Hub, with the help of Language Depot. In the Main Hub, words are kept safe, organized, and ready to be shared with others.
Sharing with Others
There are many ways to share Chinook words with people who want to learn and speak the language. The Dictionary Team will focus on sharing the words with people through websites and apps, since they are easy to access and update as new words come in. The main tools used for sharing words are Webonary, FirstVoices, and the Dictionary App Builder.
How to get started
This site is meant to guide you while using the tools available for working on the Chinook dictionary. Ideally, you have received in-person training on how to use tools like Language Forge, Language Cloud and/or FLEx, but you can still use this site if you haven't yet!
The best way to use this site is to start with the tool you want to use, then find the task you want to perform with that tool. For example, maybe you want to use Language Forge to Record Audio of a Chinook speaker saying a words that have not been recorded yet. You can go to the "LF Workflows" tab, then select "Adding Audio."
Finally, it may be helpful to use this site side-by-side with the browser where you are working. For a brief tutorial on how to set up this side-by-side view, you can check out How to Use this Site.