q’éyt’e

a swing, to swing

Q’éyt’e means ‘swing’. You can use it as a noun (as in ‘a swing’) or as a verb (as in ‘to swing’).

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

• Q’éyt’e sounds like KAY-tuh except that the first sound is not k but the Halq’eméylem popped-q (q’), and the t is also popped (t’).
• To make the Halq’eméylem q you touch the back of your tongue to your uvula.
• To pop the t and the q (and other sounds) you combine them with a catch in the throat (‘glottal stop‘).

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling

Related words

Here are some other words related to q’éyt’e:

• q’éyt’o – orange honeysuckle (Perhaps because the vines on the plants swing.)
• q’íq’et’e – swinging (This is the ‘-ing’ form of q’éyt’e.)