sp’ótl’em

smoke (also used for ‘cigarette’)

Sp’ótl’em is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘smoke’. Some people also use sp’ótl’em for ‘cigarette’, or ‘tobacco’.  Note that this word is a noun, describing the thing, as for example in Tsel hóqwelexw te sp’ótl’em. – ‘I smell smoke’. …

Pronunciation

Sp’ótl’em sounds like SPOT-lum, except that:

• The p is ‘popped’.  You make it pop by combining it with a catch in the throat (glottal stop).
• The t is also ‘popped’, in the same way.
• Right after the t there is a hissy-l sound, like the lh (tl’ = t’+lh).

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips

Related words

Here are some words related to sp’ótl’em:

• p’ótl’em – to smoke
• sp’ótl’emálá – pipe (for smoking) (-álá is the ‘container’ suffix)
• sp’ótl’emá:tél – smoke hole (-tel here is the ‘tool, device’ suffix)
• tem sp’ótl’em – smoke break, time for a smoke

Plural form

Some elders have a special plural form for sp’ótl’em, like this: sp’óp’etl’em – cigarettes.

You can also just say ye sp’ótl’em – the cigarettes (ye means a or the, and you only use it with plurals).  But please don’t smoke!