to feel hurt, be in pain
X̲élh is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘to feel hurt’, ‘be hurt’.
Pronunciation
- X̲élh sounds like HUSH, except the first sound is not an H but the hard-x (x̲), and the last sound is not SH but the Halq’eméylem hissy-l (lh)
- To make the hard-x̲, you create heavy friction with the back of your tongue against your uvula.
- To make the hissy-l (lh), you say a regular l, but with more friction and no vibration in the throat, to give a ‘hissy’ sound.
Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips
–ing form
X̲élh has a special –ing (‘continuative’ or ‘ongoing action’) form, like this: x̲éx̲elh – feeling hurt, being in pain. (Audio and more info here.)
Elders make this type of –ing form by partly doubling (‘reduplicating’) the first part of the word.
Related words
Here are some other words that come from the same root as x̲élh:
- x̲lhét – to hurt (for an action that hurts someone else)
- sx̲élh – a wound
- x̲lháleqel – headache, have a headache, lit. ‘hurting in the head’
- x̲lhálwes – stomach-ache, have a stomach-ache, lit. ‘hurting in the stomach’
No comments yet.