q’eyx̲óles

pupil of the eye

Q’eyx̲óles is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘pupil of the eye’. Literally it means ‘black of/in the eye’.

Pronunciation

Q’eyx̲óles sounds like kay-HALL-us, except that:

• The first sound is the Halq’eméylem q’. You make this sound by touching the back of your tongue to your uvula.
• The q’ is also ‘popped’, by combining it with a catch in the throat (glottal stop).
• Instead of an H, you say the Halq’emeylem hard-x (x̲). You make this also at your uvula, but instead of stopping the sound you create heavy friction.

Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips

Plural form

Q’eyx̲óles has a special plural form, like this: q’eyq’eyx̲óles (audio here).

Elders make this type of plural by doubling (‘reduplicating’) the first part of the word. Some elders also add an initial s- in the plural form—in this case, the s– prefix is just an optional noun marker.

Related words

The root for q’eyx̲óles is q’eyx̲. This root appears in many words for black, including the color term tsq’éyx̲  – black (the ts- prefix appears on most color terms when you use them as words  by themselves).

The -óles ending means ‘in/of/on the eye’. This ending occurs in many words related to the eye, for example:

• P’eq’ó:les – white eyes, cataract (p’eq’ means ‘white‘)
  

  cataract, have a cataract

• Tsmeth’ó:les – blue eyes (tsmeth’ means ‘blue’)
  

  blue eyes

• Skw’echó:steló:les – eyeglasses (literally ‘windows of the eyes’)
• St’elmexwó:les – eye medicine
• Kw’qwó:les – get hit in the eye