The Salish languages are a subfamily of North American Indigenous languages. The Salish languages are spoken in Canada and the United States, in a geographical area stretching from the Pacific coast to the Rocky Mountains. Salish languages are most commonly spoken in the province of British Columbia, as well as parts of the North-Western United States (1).
The Salish language family is comprised of endangered or highly endangered languages with low rates of fluent speakers. In Canada, a total of 5,305 people reported speaking a language belonging to the Salish language family in 2021. Further, only about 1,095 people in Canada speak a Salish language as their mother tongue. Halkomelem, Shuswap, and Okanagen are the most spoken languages within the Salish language family in Canada (2).
Image: Distribution of Salishan languages at the beginning of the 19th century (3)
