x̲ét’kw’els

X̲ét’kw’els means ‘to carve wood’.

Pronunciation

X̲ét’kw’els sounds HUTT-kwills, except that:

• Instead of an H, the first sound is the Halq’éylem hard-x (x̲), which you make with your tongue touching your uvula.
• The kw is also ‘popped’ (‘ejective’). You make popped sounds by combining them with a catch-in-the-throat (glottal stop).

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips

-ing form

X̲ét’kw’els has a special ‘-ing’ (‘progressive’) form, which you can use to describe an ongoing action. The –ing form is like this: x̲át’kw’els – carving wood (audio here).

Elders make this type of –ing form with a vowel change.