Chinook Jargon

[ shi-nook jahr-guhn, -gon, -nook, chi- ]

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.

Chinook Jargon

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of Chinook Jargon¹

First recorded in 1830–40

Example Sentences

The tribe is practically extinct, but the name survives in the trade language known as “Chinook jargon.”

From Project Gutenberg

In the mean time Serge was talking to the natives in Chinook jargon.

From Project Gutenberg

Now and then when the Indian's sense of humour got the best of him he varied his Chinook jargon with Wild shrieks of laughter.

From Project Gutenberg