Lillooet language

Lillooet
St̓át̓imcets, Sƛ̓aƛ̓imxǝc
Ucwalmícwts, Lil̓wat7úlmec
Pronunciation[ˈʃt͡ɬʼæt͡ɬʼjəmxət͡ʃ]
Native toCanada
RegionBritish Columbia
Ethnicity6,670 St̓át̓imc (2014, FPCC)
Native speakers
120
Salishan
Language codes
ISO 639-3lil
Glottologlill1248
ELPSt̓át̓imcets (Lillooet)
Lillooet is classified as Severely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger

Lillooet (/ˈlɪlɛt/; Lillooet: St̓át̓imcets / Sƛ̓aƛ̓imxǝc, [ˈʃt͡ɬʼæt͡ɬʼjəmxət͡ʃ]) is a Salishan language of the Interior branch spoken by the Stʼatʼimc in southern British Columbia, Canada, around the middle Fraser and Lillooet Rivers. The language of the Lower Lillooet people uses the name Ucwalmícwts, because St̓át̓imcets means "the language of the people of Sat̓", i.e. the Upper Lillooet of the Fraser River.

Lillooet / St̓át̓imcets is a critically endangered language with around 120 fluent speakers and 393 semi-speakers. In 2022, there was a reported 1092 people learning the language.