Straits Salish
/streɪts ˈseɪlɪʃ/noun
A linguistic and ethnographic term for Salish-speaking Indigenous peoples and languages associated with the waterways of the northeastern Strait of Juan de Fuca and the southern Salish Sea.
Did you know?“Straits Salish” is a scholarly label, not necessarily the community’s own preferred collective name; it groups languages including Klallam and Northern Straits varieties.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*sterk-
“To be rigid, tight, or narrow; the proposed deep root behind the Latin family associated with “strait” and “strict.””
Latin
Latin
strictus
“Drawn tight, compressed, or narrow; the past participle of stringere, “to draw tight.””
Old French
Old French
estreit
“Narrow, confined, or difficult to pass through.”
Middle English
English
streit
“A narrow passage or difficult situation; later also a narrow body of water.”
18th–19th Century
English
Straits Salish
“An ethnolinguistic label formed in English for Salish languages and peoples living around the regional straits.”
Modern English
English
Straits Salish
“A term used in linguistics and anthropology for related Salish languages and their communities in the Strait of Juan de Fuca and neighboring waters.”