Interior Salish
/ɪnˈtɪəriər səˈlɪʃ/noun
A linguistic grouping of Salishan languages spoken chiefly in the interior regions of British Columbia, Washington, Idaho, and Montana.
Did you know?“Salish” ultimately comes through French and English usage from Séliš, a name associated with the Flathead people, while “Interior” distinguishes these languages from Coastal Salish languages.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*en-ter-
“Within or on the inside; the root underlying Latin comparative forms related to “inner.””
Classical Latin
Latin
interior
“The inner or farther-in part; comparative of inferus, “low” or “below.””
Middle French
French
intérieur
“Interior or situated within; borrowed from Latin interior.”
17th–18th Century
English
interior
“The inside or inner part of something; adopted from French and Latin.”
19th Century
French/English
Salish
“A name used for Indigenous peoples and languages of the Pacific Northwest, derived through French and English from Séliš.”
20th Century
Linguistics
Interior Salish
“A scholarly classification for the inland branch of the Salishan language family, contrasted with Coastal Salish.”