Xwelált means ‘become evening, get dark’. Note that there is also an unrelated word for sunset, which is: sóyéx̲el.
Pronunciation
Xwelált sounds like this: shwuh-LALLT, except that instead of a sh at the beginning you say the Halq’eméylem soft-x (x), in this case with rounded lips (xw).
Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips
Structure and Related words
Xwelált is based on two parts:
- xwe – to become
- lát – (to be) night, get dark
Elders use xwe (also pronounced xwa) before many verbs describing a change of state.
Lát is the base for a number of other words, including lálàt (getting dark), and látelh (which means morning, but comes literally from darkness past).
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