Squamish language

Squamish ( SKWAW-mish; Sḵwx̱wú7mesh sníchim, sníchim meaning 'language') is a Coast Salish language spoken by the Squamish people of the Pacific Northwest. It is spoken in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, centred on their reserve communities in Squamish, North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. An archaic historical rendering of the native Sḵwx̱wú7mesh is Sko-ko-mish but this should not be confused with the name of the Skokomish people of Washington state. Squamish is most closely related to the Sechelt, Halkomelem, and Nooksack languages. The Squamish language was first documented in the 1880s by German anthropologist Franz Boas; however the grammar of the language was documented by the Dutch linguist Aert Kuipers in the 1960s. The orthography or spelling system of the language came about in the 1960s, while the first Squamish dictionary was published only in 2011. The language shares certain similarities with languages like Sechelt and Halkomelem which are spoken in similar regions.