Chinook Jargon

American  

[shi-nook jahr-guhn, -gon, -nook, chi-] / ʃɪˈnʊk ˌdʒɑr gən, -gɒn, -ˈnuk, tʃɪ- /

noun

1. a pidgin based largely on Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka), Lower Chinook, French, and English, once widely used as a lingua franca from Alaska to Oregon.

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Chinook Jargon British  

noun

1. a pidgin language containing elements of Native American languages, English, and French: formerly used among fur traders and Indians on the NW coast of North America

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Etymology

Origin of Chinook Jargon

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

But Charles Terry remained and dubbed the site “New York,” appending “Alki,” from Chinook jargon for “by and by.”

From Seattle Times • Aug. 12, 2022

With the rest of his 18-member class of ’97, displaying the school colors of purple and gold, he enthusiastically chanted the school cheer based on Chinook jargon that conveyed bravery and strength:

From Seattle Times • Jun. 9, 2022

On a document twice translated, first from English to Chinook jargon, a limited trade language, and then to Native dialects, the treaty’s terms were laid out.

From Seattle Times • May 29, 2022

During the negotiations “English words were translated into Chinook jargon … although that was not the primary language” of the Tribe.

From Slate • May 20, 2019

Thus began and ended our first lesson in the Chinook jargon, and our first experience with a clam bake.

From Ox-Team Days on the Oregon Trail by Wilson, F. N. (Frederick N.)