Mosan languages

Mosan
Geographic distribution:	British Columbia, Washington
Linguistic classification:	Algonquian–Wakashan ?
Subdivisions:	Chimakuan Salishan Wakashan

Mosan is a hypothetical language family consisting of the Salishan, Wakashan, and Chimakuan languages of the Pacific Northwest region of North America. It was proposed by Edward Sapir in 1929 in the Encyclopædia Britannica. Little evidence has been adduced in favor of such a grouping, no progress has been made in reconstructing it, and it is now thought to reflect a language area rather than a genealogical relationship. It persists outside the professional linguistic literature due to Sapir's great stature.

See also

• Almosan

References

• Campbell, Lyle. (1997). American Indian languages: The historical linguistics of Native America. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-509427-1.
• Beck, David (1997). Mosan III: a problem of remote common proximity. International Conference on Salish (and Neighbo(u)ring) Languages.