Lhq’á:lets is the Halq’eméylem name for ‘Vancouver‘. Literally it means ‘widening at the bottom‘, referring to the Fraser river delta.
Pronunciation
Lhq’á:lets sounds luck-AL-itts, except that:
- Instead of a regular l, the first sound is the Halq’eméylem hissy-l (lh). You make this with more friction, and no vibration in the throat.
- Instead of a k, you say the Halq’emeylem q sound, which you make further back in your mouth, touching the back of your tongue to your uvula. This q is also popped (q’), by combining the q with a catch in the throat (glottal stop)
Audio: Elizabeth Herrling
Word structure
The root appears to be lheq’, meaning ‘wide‘ , as in lheq’át – be wide or lheq’átses – five (literally ‘wide hand‘, since the hand is wide when counting ‘five’ on the hand).
The –á:lets ending means ‘at the bottom‘.
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