Dakelh (Carrier)

Carrier is the general term for a complex of Athabaskan dialects in central British Columbia, adjoining (but clearly distinct from) Babine on the northwest and Chilcotin on the south. Carrier (locally called Dakelh) is spoken in a number of local varieties, traditionally divided into “Upper Carrier” (the communities to the north of Fort St. James, around Stuart and Trembleur Lakes) and “Lower Carrier” in communities to the south. More recent research indicates that Lower Carrier should be split into a Fraser/Nechako dialect group (Prince George, Cheslatta, Stoney Creek, Nautley, and Stellakoh) and a Blackwater dialect group (Ulkatcho, Kluskus, Nazko, Red Bluff, and Anahim Lake). A Carrier lingua franca was established by Catholic missionaries (most notably Father A. G. Morice) in the 19th century, based on the dialect around Fort St. James, and a syllabic writing system was introduced.Ethnologue distinguishes Carrier [crx] from Southern Carrier [caf], not distinguished by other scholars.