Quinault (Kʷínaył) is a member of the Tsamosan (Olympic) branch of the Coast Salish family of Salishan languages.

Phonology

Consonants
Bilabial Alveolar Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
central sibilant lateral plain lab. plain lab.
Plosive/
Affricate 		plain p t ts tʃ k kʷ q qʷ ʔ
ejective pʼ tʼ tsʼ tɬʼ tʃʼ kʼ kʷʼ qʼ qʷʼ
Fricative voiceless s ɬ ʃ x xʷ χ χʷ h
voiced ɣ[a]
Sonorant m n l j w
  1. ^ A voiced fricative sound /ɣ/ may also be heard as a voiced stop [ɡ].

Vowels are represented as /i ə u a/ and /iː uː aː/.[3]

Vowels
Front Central Back
Close i iː u uː
Mid ə
Open a aː

References

  1. ^ a b c d Quinault at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  2. ^ "Language Department | Quinault Indian Nation, WA". www.quinaultindiannation.com. Retrieved 2024-05-20.
  3. ^ Hajda, Yvonne (1990). "Southwestern Coast Salish". In Suttles, Wayne (ed.). Northwest Coast. Washington: Smithsonian Institution. pp. 503–517.

Further reading

  • Modrow, Ruth (1967). Introduction to the Quinault language. Taholah: Quinault Indian Tribe of Washington. LCCN 68000947. OCLC 430013.
  • Modrow, Ruth (1971). The Quinault dictionary. Taholah: Quinault Indian Tribe of Washington. OCLC 1023433458.