cataract, have a cataract
P’eq’ó:les is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘cataract’. Literally it means ‘white eye’. P’eq’ó:les is also the name of a place, across the Fraser river from Deroche, B.C.
Pronunciation
P’eq’ó:les sounds like puck-ALL-us, except that:
- The p is ‘popped’, by combining it with a catch in the throat (glottal stop).
- The q sound is similar to k, but you make the q further back, touching the back of your tongue to your uvula. This q is also popped (q’).
Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips
Related words
The root for p’eq’ó:les is p’éq’, which means white.
The -ó:les ending means on/of the eye. This ending occurs in many words, including:
- Tsmeth’ó:les – blue eyes (tsmeth’ means ‘blue’)
- Qe’ó:les – tear (literally ‘water of the eye’))
- Skw’echó:steló:les – eyeglasses (literally ‘windows of the eyes’ suffix)
- St’elmexwó:les – eye medicine
- Kw’qwó:les – get hit in the eye
No comments yet.