líqw’em

soft

Líqw’em is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘soft’. You can use it to talk about how different things are soft, like ‘the snow is soft’, ‘the shirt is soft’, ‘her skin is soft’. You can also use líqw’em to talk about a soft voice or a soft sound …

Pronunciation

• Líqw’em sounds like LEEK-wuhm, except that instead of a k you say the Halq’eméylem q sound.  For this word, the q is both rounded and popped.
• For q the back of the tongue touches far back in your mouth, at your uvula.
• For rounded sounds, you round your lips as you say it, i.e. stick them out like when saying ‘ooo’.
• For popped sounds, you combine the consonant with a catch in the throat (‘glottal stop’).  Once you get the hang of it, this will produce an extra pop as the consonant releases.

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips

Examples

Here are some examples of how you can use líqw’em:

• Líqw’em te máqe. – The snow is soft. [This is the word for talking about snow on the ground]
• Líqw’em te kw’elōs te sqáqele. – The baby’s skin is soft.
• Líqw’em kw’es qwóqwels thútl’ò. – She is speaking very softly.