Breathing Life Back into Their Language: A Collaborative ʔayʔaǰuθəm E-dictionary Project

Today, fewer than 47 native speakers of ʔayʔaǰuθəm remain, all of whom are over the age of 60. To help preserve their traditional language, four sister nations—Klahoose, Tla'amin, Homalco, and K'ómoks—are working alongside researchers from UBC and the University of Alberta to develop an ʔayʔaǰuθəm e-dictionary. In the pilot episode of the UBC Community Engagement Podcast, we speak with Koosen Pielle of the Tla'amin Nation, located in the tiskʷət region, and Dr. Marianne Huijsmans, an Assistant Professor at U of A. In their conversation, Koosen and Marianne discuss how their project is uniting the nations and how the e-dictionary is making their language more accessible.