Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
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  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
Talking in Context: Language and Identity in Kwakwaka'wakw Society

Talking in Context: Language and Identity in Kwakwaka'wakw Society

Goodfellow, Anne Marie

Paperback

Series: McGill-Queen's Indigenous and Northern Studies, Book 46

Linguistics

Currently unavailable to order

ISBN10: 0228029937
ISBN13: 9780228029939
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press
Published: Sep 29 2026
Pages: 240
Language: English

Though linguists estimate that hundreds of languages are in danger of extinction, everyday use of Kwak'wala, an Indigenous language spoken in British Columbia, reveals that it has been strategically maintained even among young speakers as a marker of cultural identity. Anne Marie Goodfellow explores the relationship between language, culture, and identity through a case study of the current use of Kwak'wala in two communities, Quatsino and Kingcome Inlet.

Talking in Context demonstrates the importance of cultural contact to the structure of languages and addresses the sociocultural aspects of Indigenous language use in the modern world. Goodfellow's analysis of linguistic data from three generations of Kwak'wala speakers shows that English has greatly influenced grammar and phonology. Even though English is replacing Kwak'wala as the language of communication, Goodfellow found that speakers with varying degrees of fluency use the language tactically to signal Kwak'wala identity and in ceremonial contexts.

Talking in Context shows the ways in which Indigenous languages may one day be restored to broader uses in the communities to which they are significant.

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