Every school child in our neck-of-the-woods knows the word “chinook.” They may know it as the name of a salmon or as the name of an Indian tribe. They may even know it as the name of a wind and, most certainly, they know it as a town along the river between Ilwaco and the tunnel. But, as familiar as the word is, they may not agree on how to pronounce it.
I grew up hearing Chinook said with a hard ‘ch’ at the beginning as in cherry and chase and cheese. But, more and more frequently, I hear it pronounced with a soft ‘ch’ as in chemise and chateau and Chevrolet – what I think of as the French sound of ‘ch.’ I’ve never heard it said with the ‘k’ sound of ‘ch’ like chemistry or choir, but I suppose that might also be a choice.
In the book, Chinook: A History and Dictionary Of the Northwest Coast Trade Jargon written in 1935 by Edward Harper Thomas (and still the definitive guide to the pronunciation of the Chinook jargon, as far as I know), the respelling is chin-oo’k (ch as in church) or tsin-uk. On the other hand, my Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary gives sh[schwa e]-‘nuk as the first pronunciation choice and ch[schwa e]-‘nuk as the second.
I’ve read that Chinook is pronounced differently depending upon geographic region of the speaker. In the Pacific Northwest and parts of British Columbia, the hard ‘ch’ is used but in Central Washington, Alberta, and the rest of Canada, the soft ‘ch’ is used. This was explained as a change to the original Salish pronunciation made by the French fur traders of the Hudson’s Bay Company. (See! I knew that soft ‘ch’ had a French spin!)
I’ve also read that the pronunciation is different depending on what you are talking about – hard ‘ch’ for the tribe, the town, and the fish; soft ‘ch’ for the wind. I don’t know what the authority for that rule might have been. For me, at least, it only confuses the issue.
Until recently, my only “authority” for my hard ‘ch’ choice was oral tradition in my family and among my friends when I was growing up. But recently I heard Ray Gardner answer the pronunciation question like this. “Just remember that the Sherokees did not go to shurch on Sunday.” So if the Chairman of the Chinook Nation says it’s a hard’ ch,’ that’s authority enough for me!
Thank you for setting the record straight! As a 4th generation Chinook-ian, it drives me batty to hear it pronounced with a ‘soft’ ch sound. Dad always said the sound should more closely resemble the Chinook jargon, as you referenced.
I can always tell people from other regions (even other parts of the peninsula) by their pronunciation. I think the dividing line is just north of Ilwaco (lol)
Chinook is an interesting village no matter how you say it. When we moved there in ’87 residents were in the habit of taking down signs indicating how to get there. My beach native friend Christopher said it was because they didn’t like outsiders. We didn’t find that to be true, but I do know that the school bus that ran that route had trouble with the kids who liked to disable the school bus. In those days the spark plug wires could be accessed by lifting the very back seat on the bus.
I’ll believe Ray, even if the Feds can’t figure it out (shame on the Feds!).
I agree with Kathleen — how’s it possible not to recognize a tribe who has the following named after it: a salmon, a wind, and a trade language. As for the pronunciation, I’ll mend my ways.