thunderbird
Shxwexwó:s is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘thunderbird’…
Pronunciation
- This word sounds shxwuh-XWOSS.
- The “xw” stands for the soft-x sound. This sound is imilar to a “sh“, but it is made with the tongue at the back of mouth (back of tongue touches top of back of mouth).
- The lips are also rounded for “xw“.
Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips
Usage
Shxwexwó:s is a supernatural creature whose actions create thunderstorms and similar weather. Galloway’s dictionary includes these examples:
- Xéleq’t te shxwexwó:s – Shxwexwó:s is opening his eyes (=lightning)
- Lómetes te shxwexwó:s – Shxwexwó:s is hitting it (=lightning striking something)
- Me séxwe te shxwexwó:s – Shxwexwó:s is urinating (=rain)
This has shaped the Halq’eméylem language, so that now the normal way to talk about lightning is to say the above (though fortunately there are other words for to rain).
Linguistic Notes
- There is no clear internal structure to shxwexwó:s, though the =ó:s ending looks like the ending for ‘face‘.
- Elizabeth Phillips gave shxwalexwó:s as the plural form. Since plural marking is optional in the language, you can use either or just say ‘ye shxwexwos’, using the plural determiner ye.
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