Documentation:RelLex/Sm'algya̱x FirstVoices

Sm'algya̱x FirstVoices

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Language Name

Coast Tsimshian.

Alternate Language Names

sm'álgyax, sm’algya̱x.

Region

British Columbia, Canada; Alaska, United States.

Who

Ts’msyen Sm’algyax Language Authority.

Others Involved

This dictionary has many contributors, and was originally compiled as Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary (https://web.unbc.ca/~smalgyax/). Margaret Seguin Anderson and Larry Hayashi assisted the First Peoples' Cultural Council (FPCC) in migrating content to FirstVoices

A long list of contributors can be found on the Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary website.

Publishing Information

This is a digital dictionary that doesn't display any information on launch dates. As of 2023, it is still actively updated.

How People are Cited

Contributors are cited on the Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary website, rather than on the FirstVoices website.

How Information is Cited

Many entries have an Acknowledgement on the right side of the page which cites the source of the entry, if it is from another publication. Other information is cited on the Learn our Language FirstVoices page, and on the Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary website.

Where is Information Coming from

This dictionary was migrated to FirstVoices from the Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary website.

Information in this dictionary comes from previously published sources as well as current work with speakers. More information can be found on the Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary website.

Some previous sources mentioned on the website include John Dunn’s Sm'algyax: A Reference Dictionary and Grammar of the Coast Tsimshian Language, data from Franz Boas’ publication, and texts by William Beynon from the collection that he sent to Boas in the 1930s.

Tools and Framework used

This is a multimedia website, as it includes both images and audio. It is published on the FirstVoices.

The Sm’algyax Living Legacy Talking Dictionary website details many of the tools and frameworks used to create this dictionary over many stages of its development. Some tools used include Shoebox and SIL’s LinguaLinks Software.

This dictionary is also available as an app on both the Apple App Store and Google Play.

Access

This dictionary is open access.

Included Languages and Directionality

Coast Tsimshian to English. It is searchable in both directions.

Dialects Included

This dictionary does not appear to be of a specific dialect. It can be assumed that the dictionary includes multiple dialects as the FirstVoices home page states that "Sm’algyax is spoken by people from our Ts’msyen communities of Maxlaxaala (Metlakatla), Txałgiu (Hartley Bay), Lax Kw’alaams (Port Simpson), Lax Klan (Gitxaala), Klemtu, Gits’alaasu (Kitselas), Gits’m’Kalm (Kitsmkalum) as well as by Ts’msyen people who live in Prince Rupert, Terrace, Alaska and beyond".

Type of Dictionary

This is a bilingual, digital dictionary.

How are Entries Organised

Entries are organized alphabetically by Coast Tsimshian, and can be filtered by first letter or category.

Entries include a thematic category, part of speech, definition, metadata, and often a related phrase and acknowledgements.

Other Features

Feature	Included	More Information
Guide to use and understand	❌
Audio	✅
Images	✅
Example phrases	✅	Many entries link to related phrases
Speakers marked	❌
Dialects marked	❌

External Links

Visit the Sm'algya̱x FirstVoices here: https://www.firstvoices.com/smalgyax/

Find the app version on the Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/smalgyax/id1537016219

Find the app version on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.fpcc.smalgyax