Family division The Wakashan language family consists of seven languages: •
Wakashan • Northern Wakashan (Kwakiutlan) languages •
Haisla (also known as Xaʼislak'ala, X̌àh̓isl̩ak̓ala or Haisla-Henaksiala, with two dialects, spoken by the
Haisla) – about 200 speakers (2005) • C̓imo'c̓a/Cʼimaucʼa (Kitimaat/Kitamat) - X̄a'islak̓ala dialect (spoken by the Haisla/x̣àʼisəla) • Gitlo'p (Kitlope) - X̄enaksialak̓ala dialect (spoken by the Henaaksiala/X̄enaksiala) • '''
Kwak'wala''' (also known as Kwakiutl and Lekwala /
Liq̓ʷala, with four dialects, spoken by and
Kwakwaka'wakw or Northern Kwakiutl and the
Laich-kwil-tach or Southern Kwakiutl) – 235 speakers (2000) • Northern Kwakiutl or Kwak'wala • G̱ut̕sala / G̱uc̓ala / Quatsino Sound dialect (Bands of Quatsino Sound, today by the Gwa'sala people from Smiths Inlet and the 'Nakwaxda'xw people from Blunden Harbour) • Kwak̕wala / Kwaḵ̓wala dialect (Bands of Gilford Island, Knight Inlet, Kwakiutl, Nimpkish, Alert Bay, Kincome Inlet) • 'Nak̕wala / Bak̓wa̱mk̓ala dialect (also known as Northern Kwak̓wala dialect, spoken by the Northern Bands or 'Nak̕waxda'x̱w and Gwa'sa̱la peoples) • Gwa’cala subdialect • ‘Na‘kwala subdialect • T̕łat̕łasik̕wala / Nahwitti dialect (Bands of today's T̕łat̕łasiḵ̕wala people on
Hope Island) • Southern Kwakiutl •
Lekwala / Liq̓ʷala / Lekwiltok dialect (Bands of the
Laich-kwil-tach (Lekwiltok), they were oft called
Southern Kwakiutl but identify as a separate people from the Kwakwaka'wakw and their dialect is sometimes considered a separate language) •
Heiltsuk-Oowekyala (also known as Bella Bella) – about 200 speakers (2005) •
Heiltsuk dialect (also known as Bella Bella and Haihais, Haiɫzaqvla, Haíɫzaqv/Híɫzaqvḷa, with two subdialects, spoken by the
Heiltsuk people, once incorrectly known as the Northern Kwakiutl) • Haíɫzaqv/Híɫzaqvḷa or Bella Bella (Wágḷísḷa) subdialect (spoken by the Heiltsuk (Haíɫzaqv / Híɫzaqv) in Bella Bella) • X̌íx̌íc̓ala/Haihais or Klemtu (Ɫṃ́du̓ax̌sṃ) subdialect (spoken by the X̌íx̌ís (Xixis / Xai’xais / Haihais) in Klemtu) •
Oowekyala dialect or ’Wuik̓ala dialect (also known as 'Uik'ala, Ooweekeeno, Wuikala, Wuikenukv, Oweekeno, Wikeno, Owikeno, Oweekano, Awikenox, Oowek'yala, Oweek'ala) (spoken by the
Wuikinuxv (Oowekeeno or Rivers Inlet) People, once incorrectly known as the Northern Kwakiutl) • Southern Wakashan (Nootkan) languages •
Nuu-chah-nulth (also known as Nuučaan̓uł, Nootka, Nutka, Aht, West Coast, T'aat'aaqsapa, spoken by the
Nuu-chah-nulth, 12 different dialects) – 510 speakers (2005) •
Nitinaht or (also known as Diidiitidq, Diitiidʔaatx̣, Nitinat, Ditidaht, Southern Nootkan, spoken by the
Ditidaht or Southern Nootka,
Pacheedaht, and
Ts'uubaa-asatx (Lake Cowichan), located in southwestern Vancouver Island – 30 speakers (1991) • or DiiɁdiitidq/Diidiitidq dialect (spoken by the
Ditidaht (Diitiid7aa7tx / Diitiidʔaaʔtx̣) - "People of Diitiidaʔ" or "People along the Diitiidaʔ, i.e. Jordan River") • Pacheedaht dialect (once spoken by the
Pacheedaht (P'a:chi:da / P’a:chi:da?-aht) - "People of the Sea Foam" or "People along the San Juan River") • Ts'uubaa-asatx dialect (once spoken by the
Lake Cowichan (Ts'uubaa-asatx) - "People of the Lake, i.e. Cowichan Lake") •
Makah (also known as Qʷi·qʷi·diččaq, Q'widishch'a:'tx, spoken by the
Makah together with the now extinct Ozette people) – Last fluent speaker, where it was their first language, died in 2002 • Qʷi·qʷi·diččaq/Q'widishch'a:'tx or Makah dialect (spoken by the
Makah (Kwih-dich-chuh-ahtx (Qʷidiččaʔa·tx̌) - "People who live by the rocks and seagulls") • 'Osi:l-'a:'tx/ʔuseeʔłaʔtx̣ or Ozette village dialect (once spoken by the Ozette people (Osi:l-'a:'tx/ʔuseeʔłaʔtx̣ - "People of ʔuseeʔł, i.e.
Ozette Village")
Possible relations to external language families As first proposed by
Edward Sapir and
Leo J. Frachtenberg, and later elaborated by
Morris Swadesh, the Wakashan languages were grouped together with
Salishan and
Chimakuan languages in a
"Mosan" macrofamily. This proposed macrofamily is now generally rejected as a genealogical grouping. Structural similarities and shared vocabulary are best explained as the result of continuous intensive contact; the Mosan languages thus represent a
sprachbund within the wider
Pacific Northwest typological area. In the 1960s, Swadesh also suggested a connection of the Wakashan languages with the
Eskimo–Aleut languages. This was picked up and expanded by Holst (2005).
Sergei Nikolaev has argued in two papers for a systematic relationship between the
Nivkh language of Sakhalin island and the Amur river basin and the
Algic languages, and a secondary relationship between these two together and the Wakashan languages. ==Name and contact==