Kw’átset means ‘to look at’.
Pronunciation
Sounds like KWA-tsutt, except that the kw is ‘popped’ by combining it with a catch in the throat (‘glottal stop’).
Audio: Elizabeth Herrling
–ing form
Kw’átset has a special ‘-ing‘ form, for describing an ongoing action, like this: kw’ókw’etset – looking at (audio here).
Elders make this type of –ing form by partly doubling (‘reduplicating’) the basic form. In this case, as is common (though not always found) with Halq’eméylem reduplication, there is also a vowel change.
Related words
A number of words come from the same root as kw’átset, including:
- kw’étslexw – to see
- skw’áts – eyesight, vision
- skw’echóstel – widow, mirror (lit. ‘device for looking at the face with’)
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