purse, wallet
Shxwtále’álá is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘purse’, or ‘wallet’. Literally it means ‘container for money’…
Pronunciation
Shxwtále’álá sounds like sh-TAL-uh-A-LAH, except that:
- After the first sh sound, there is a Halq’emeylem soft-x.
- To make the soft x, create gentle friction on the roof of your mouth (see here for more information).
- In this word, the x also has lip-rounding (xw).
- Note that there is also a glottal stop sound before the -álá ending, marked with the apostrophe.
Audio: Elizabeth Phillips
Plural Form
As for many words in the language, the Elders do not have a special plural form for shxwtále’álá.
If you want to talk about purses or wallets, you can say ye shxwtále’álá – the purses, wallets. (Ye means a or the, and you use it only with plurals.)
Related words
The root word for shxwtále’álá is tále – money.
money
The shxw- prefix is a noun marker. Elders often use shxw- with tools and other useful devices.
The -álá ending marks containers, and occurs in many other words in the language, as for example:
- Sp’ótl’emálá – tobacco pipe (literally ‘smoke container’)
- Sex̲we’álá – bladder (literally ‘urine container’)
- Shxwlámálá – bottle (literally container for liquor)
No comments yet.