Salishan is a keyboard layout for Salishan and neighboring Indigenous languages of the Pacific Northwest. It extends the standard English keyboard with dead keys for glottalization, acute accent, tilde, and other diacritics, enabling efficient typing of ejective, glottalized, and lateral consonants, as well as special vowels used across multiple Salishan languages. The layout also includes combining diacritics for rare tonal or phonetic markings, making it a comprehensive tool for linguists, language learners, and community members.
A guiding principle behind this keyboard is flexibility. Many people today speak or write in multiple languages at the same time (especially in messaging apps). With this layout, you can type in Spokane Salish, English, or other supported languages without switching keyboards or interrupting the flow of conversation.
For example, you might chat with friends in Spokane Salish while also messaging relatives who use only English. The Salishan Keyboard keeps the transition between both conversations smooth by preserving the full English keyboard and adding Salishan features only when you need them.