The Carrier Linguistic Society (CLS), previously known as the Carrier Linguistic Committee, is a First Nations Organization that was incorporated into the Societies Act of British Columbia in 1973.[1] It maintains both an online and physical presence, and is based in Fort St. James in British Columbia. Upon establishment, the Carrier Linguistic Society also included a list of the official aims of the CLS.[1][2]
The Carrier Linguistics Society is credited with the creation and implementation of the Carrier Linguistic Committee writing system, which is influenced by the Latin alphabet and is widely regarded as the most popularly used Dakelh/Carrier writing system.[2] Additionally, the CLS has published various Carrier and English-Carrier bilingual dictionaries and primers intended for both bilingual language learning and classroom language acquisition in several different Carrier dialects. They have also published multiple Carrier-translated short stories, texts, and oral transmissions meant to facilitate language learning that, like the dictionaries and primers, are available in several different Carrier dialects. Many of these texts are available for purchase at the CLS bookstore based in Fort St. James, which also includes multiple Carrier and English-Carrier bilingual workbooks, CDs and DVDs, songbooks, and storybooks.
The Carrier Linguistic Society also worked in collaboration with Nak'azdli Elders and the First Peoples' Cultural Council to establish an online Dakelh language archiving, teaching, and learning platform on the website FirstVoices. The CLS has also played a large role in the curriculum development and the implementation of Carrier language classes being taught at eight local schools and worked in collaboration with the University of Northern British Columbia to establish the Education Diploma in a First Nations Language and Culture (Dakelh / Carrier) at the University of Northern British Columbia.[1][3]