TSIMSHIAN 



By Franz Boas 



§1. DISTRIBUTION OF LANGUAGE AND DIALECTS 



The Tsinishian (Chimmesyan) is spoken on the coast of northern 

 British Columbia and in the region adjacent to Nass and Skeena 

 rivers. On the islands off the coast the Tsimshian occupy the region 

 southward as far as Milbank sound. 



Three principal dialects ma}' be distinguished: The Tsimshian 

 proper, which is spoken on Skeena river and on the islands farther to 

 the south; the Nisqa'^ which is spoken on Nass river, and the 

 G'itkcan (Gyitkshan), which is spoken on the upper course of Skeena 

 river. The first and second of these dialects form the subject of the 

 following discussion. The description of the Tsimshian proper is set 

 off b}^ a vertical rule down the left-hand margin of the pages. 



The Tsimshian dialect has been discussed by the writer^ and by 

 Count von der Schulenburg.^ I have also briefly discussed the dialect 

 of Nass river,^ and have published a collection of texts ^ in the same 

 dialect. . References accompanying examples (like 290.2) refer to page 

 and line in this publication; those preceded by ZE refer to a Tsimshian 

 text with notes published by me.^ 



PHONETICS (§§2-4) 



§ 2. System of Sounds 



The phonetic system of the Tsimshian dialects is in many respects 

 similar to that of other languages of the North Pacific coast. It 

 abounds particularly in ^-sounds and Z-sounds. The informants from 



1 Fifth Report of the Committee on the Northwestern Tribes of Canada (Report of the 59th Meeting 

 of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1889, 877-889) . 



'Dr. A. C. Graf von der Sehulenburg, Die Sprache der Zimshian-Indianer (Brunswick, 1894). 



'Tenth and Eleventh Reports of the Committee on the Northwestern Tribes of Canada {Reports of 

 the 65th and 66th Meetings of the British Association for the Advancement of Science, 1895, 583-586; 1896 

 586-591). 



« Tsimshian Texts [Bulletin 27 of the Bureau of American Ethnology, Washington, 1902). 



* Eine Souuensage der Tsimschiau, Zeitschriftfiir Ethnologic, 1908, 776-797. 



287 



