méqsel

nose

This is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘nose’. It’s great for TPR language-learning games …

Pronunciation

• Méqsel sounds like MUCK-sull, except that instead of a “k” sound you say the Halq’eméylem “q”.
• For Halq’eméylem “q”, the tongue touches further back in the mouth, at the uvula.  Click here for a ‘moving mouth’ diagram of “q”.

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips

Examples for Usage

Here are some examples of how you can use this word:

• Tesachsem la te’ méqsel! — Touch your nose!
• Motest te’ méqsel! — Point to your nose!

Plural Form

Elders vary in the plural form for méqsel:

• Some say meqméqsel — noses (this has duplication of the first three sounds)
• Some say melméqsel— noses (this has some doubling, and also insertion of an “l“)

Audio of both versions of the plural is here. Both these ways of saying noses are ‘correct’.

Related Words

Here are some related words:

• meqsélem — to clean one’s nose
• sméqsel — to have a big nose
• smetéqsel — snot