q’emōwlhp

maple tree

Q’emōwlhp is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘maple tree’. It comes from the same root as sq’émel (‘canoe paddle’), because wood from the maple tree makes really good paddles. …

Pronunciation

• Q’emōwlhp sounds like come-OH-elp, except that instead of a c or a k you say the Halq’emeylem q sound, and this q is popped. Also, the last l is the hissy-l (lh).
• To make the q, touch your tongue further back in your mouth, at your uvula.
• To make the q popped, you combine it with a catch-in-your-throat (glottal stop).
• To make the hissy-l (lh), you make the l with heavy, hissy, friction, and no vibration in your throat.

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips

Related words

Here are some words related to q’emōwlhp:

• sq’émél – canoe paddle
• q’emō:lhpíwelh – maple dish (the –íwelh ending means it is a kind of vessel or dish)

Note: the ending –elph or –lhp marks that you are talking about a whole plant/tree (not just the branches, leaves, etc.)

Plural Form

The plural form for q’emōwlhp is like this: q’emq’emōwlhp – maples. (Audio here.)

In this case, as is common in the language, the plural is made by doubling (‘reduplicating’) the first three sounds of the word.