A newly installed nsyilxcn street sign on UBC Okanagan’s campus features a QR code that links to student-created audio recordings, helping the broader campus community learn the pronunciation and meaning of Syilx place names.
UBC Okanagan is deepening its commitment to Indigenous language revitalization by adding voices to on-campus nsyilxcn street signs in Kelowna.
New QR codes attached to the signposts link to an online pronunciation guide featuring audio recordings created by students in the Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency program.
“The nsyilxcn language is beautiful and descriptive, which the Syilx people recognize as being generated and given to the people directly from the land,” master’s student Ashley Gregoire writes in a blog post about the project.
“The audio for these signs is equally important, as it provides the opportunity for people to learn proper pronunciation of each word while familiarizing themselves with the sounds of the nsyilxcn language, which is, ultimately, the sounds of this beautiful land.”
The initiative builds on UBCO’s long-standing partnership with the Okanagan Nation Alliance (ONA) and the En’owkin Centre to honour the Syilx Okanagan Nation and promote everyday use of the Nsyilxcn language.
“Language illustrates a connection between people and a place,” says Dr. Christine Schreyer, Professor of Anthropology in the Department of Community, Culture and Global Studies.
“By hearing nsyilxcn spoken aloud, everyone on campus can experience the sounds of the language while learning the meaning behind these words. The recordings are a connection to the Syilx Okanagan Nation, the people and the land.”
Since 2010, UBCO has displayed nsyilxcn translations alongside English names on its campus street signs—the first initiative of its kind in the region.
The project was expanded in 2022 with newly designed signage in partnership with the ONA and En’owkin Centre, featuring a distinctive blue-green colour inspired by Kalamalka Lake and the ONA’s bear-and-salmon logo.
Now, the addition of QR codes lets students, faculty, staff and visitors scan each sign with their phones to hear the nsyilxcn pronunciation.
The recordings were developed by Bachelor of Nsyilxcn Language Fluency students as part of an Endangered Language Documentation and Revitalization course, taught by Dr. Schreyer.
The interactive feature supports UBCO’s truth and reconciliation commitments and its goal to make the Syilx language visible and audible across campus.
Visitors can explore the 11 sign locations through a downloadable map at ok.ubc.ca/about/indigenous-engagement/nsyilxcn-street-signs.
