Dr. Peter Jacobs (Tnax̱wtn)

Peter Jacobs is a linguist at the University of Victoria and a fluent speaker of his Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Nation language, and one of two elder speakers left in the Nation.

Tiná7 tkwa Wiwiḵ’em ta Peter (Peter comes from a Squamish Nation village, Wiwiḵ’em, near Brackendale, B.C.). Galułi lax̱ Tsax̱is (he is also from the Kwaguł village of Tsax̱is, Fort Rupert, B.C.). His MA thesis was on subordinate clauses in the Sḵwx̱wu7mesh snichim (the Squamish language). His Ph.D. dissertation was on the syntax and semantics of agent control constructions in Sḵwx̱wu7mesh.

Peter worked for over 25 years at the Squamish Nation in language revitalization of the Sḵwx̱wu7mesh snichim, the language of his father’s side of his family. He also conducts research on Kwak’wala, the language of his mother’s side of his family. He taught at the University of Victoria.

At the Squamish Nation, he was co-applicant for SSHRC Aboriginal Research grant. He was also the editor-in-chief for the Sḵwx̱wu7mesh Snichim-Xweliten Snichim Sḵexwts (Squamish-English Dictionary). At the University of Victoria, he was co-investigator on a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant with Dr. Onowa McIvor. They investigated adult language learners in the Mentor-Apprentice Program (MAP) and other MAP-like programs in B.C. He is currently a co-principal investigator with Dr. McIvor on a 6-year SSHRC Partnership Grant. With their partners from 9 First Nations communities across Canada, they are investigating the role of adult learners of their Indigenous languages.