Emergent spelling patterns in Sm’algyax (Tsimshian, British Columbia)

Efforts to strengthen endangered languages very often involve vernacular literacy. Although the development of written materials can be of benefit to communities, the process of developing a written standard is frequently long and complex. This paper describes the development of writing in Sm’algyax, a Tsimshianic language of British Columbia, Canada. The practical orthography used to write Sm’algyax has now been in use for over twenty years, but the development of spelling conventions for writing the language is still on-going. Using a critical discourse analysis approach, this paper identifies the many factors that influence the development of the Sm’algyax writing system, and describes their interaction.