This is the Halq’eméylem word for ‘day’, and it also means ‘sky’. You will often use it when talking about the weather, or talking about how your day is going …
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éy
Éy sounds like the English word “eh”, and it means “good”…
isá:le
‘Isá:le’ is the way you say the number ‘two’, for general counting.
swíyeqe
‘swíyeqe’ is the traditional Halq’eméylem word for ‘man’.
léts’e
‘Léts’e’ (also pronounced ‘léts’a’ is the way you say the number ‘one’, for general counting.
Consonant “x” (soft x)
Video courtesy of UBC Linguistics Dept., used with permission. Examples xálh – road, path xá:ysem – ant skwíx – name Audio: Elizabeth Herrling, Elizabeth Phillips Pronunciation The Halq’eméylem “x” (the ‘soft x’) sounds a lot like the “sh” sound—but “x” is made quite differently. For “x” the tongue touches the roof of […]
Consonant “sh”
Video courtesy UBC linguistics department, used with permission Pronunciation The Halq’eméylem “sh” sound is easy to say: it’s the same as the “sh” sound in English words like ship or shape. You make the sound like this: Tongue touches the top front of the mouth (near the little fleshy bump behind your upper teeth, but a […]
Sound: ’
The Halq’eméylem sound ’ is a kind of “catch in the throat”. You make it by stopping the air in your throat, for a moment, as it moves through your vocal folds.
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Welcome to stoloshxweli.org, where we present daily updates of language from the Elders of the Stó:lō Shxweli Halq’emeylem Language Program, selected from materials housed in the Stó:lō Nation archives. This material is available to members only.