11 thoughts on “Language Quiz

  1. I thought the same as Rauli. That “liuhtit” sounds like some Sami language but those guttural sounds were strange.

  2. I feel fairly certain that it’s a First Nations language from B.C. Canada, possibly a Coast Salish language.

  3. I don’t think it has the consonant clusters one would expect from the Salishan family.

  4. It certainly isn’t Welsh. The “LL” sound in Welsh is there but I hear an “SH” sound too. Toward the end I heard “Looleeoot” so I wonder if it isn’t a native langue from the the US Pacific Northwest of the coast of British Columbia.

  5. It really reminds me of some of the native words written out in IPA-like format in artwork in Vancouver, British Columbia. So I’m guessing a Salish language.

  6. I’m fairly certain that it’s a Salishan language or another nearby indigenous language from the Pacific Northwest of the Americas. Alex’s guess of Lushootseed is a definite possibility. The many [xʷ] and [x] sounds, taking on vowel-like positions in the nucleus of the syllable, are the main clue for me. The [ɬ] and [tɬ] also help. I’m only surprised that I don’t hear any obvious ejectives, which is giving me pause.

  7. The answer is Gitxsan (Gitx̱sanimx̱), a Tsimshianic language spoken in parts of British Columbia in Canada.

    The recording comes from YouTube:

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