Alphabet

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The following chart introduces the sounds of Hul’q’umi’num’ and the new alphabet.

Press the symbol for the sound and you will hear the key word play twice.

’unuhw glottal stop
’unuhw is a catch in the throat, a sudden beginning or end.
thathun mouth
a is pronounced much like the a in the English word “father”.
spaal’ raven
aa is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ a, but it is held longer.
chukuns chicken
ch is pronounced as in the English word “chicken”.
ch’ekwxul’s frying
ch’ is pronounced like ch, but it is glottalized, so it is made with a popping sound. This sound is quite rare in Hul’q’umi’num’.
sq’ewum knee
e has three main pronunciations. It is often pronounced like the vowels in the English words “bet” or “bait”. When it is at the end of a word, or followed by q, q’, x, or ’ (’unuhw), e is pronounced like the vowel in the English word “bat”.
smeent mountain
ee is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ e, but it is held longer.
hilum to fall
(from a height)
h is pronounced as in the English word “hat”.
hwulmuhw First Nations
The back of the tongue is in the position for k, but it does not quite touch the roof of the mouth, so a rough sound is produced. The lips are rounded as in making a w sound.
suplil bread
i is similar to the i vowel sound in the English word “machine”.
siiye’tun widows
ii is similar to the Hul’q’umi’num’ i, but it is held longer.
kupou coat
k occurs in borrowed words such as kupou ”coat” (from French), and is pronounced as in the English word “key”.
kwasun star
kw is pronounced the same as qu in the English word “queen”.
kw’aant’ dolphin, porpoise
kw’ is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ kw, but it is glottalized, so it pops.
lelum’ house
l is pronounced like the l in the English word “long”.
lhqelts’ moon
lh is made by holding the tongue as in l but spreading and flattening it out more against the roof of the mouth. You let some air pass by, making a hissing sound.
mumuxelh caterpillar
m is pronounced as in the English word “meet”.
nuts’a’ one
n is pronounced as in the English word “neat”.
pous cat
The letter pair ou is pronounced like the oo in the English word “hoot” (but without the w sound at the end). Hul’q’umi’num’ words with this sound have come in from French, Chinook Jargon, or English.
qw’oon’ ear
oo is pronounced as in the English word “moon”, but it is held longer. It is the long version of ou.
putenum to sail
p is pronounced like the p in the English word “put”.
p’utth’tun needle
p’ is pronounced like p, but it is glottalized, so it pops.
qeq baby
q is pronounced a bit like the English k sound, but the tongue is pulled much farther back in the throat. The back of the tongue touches the soft palate near the uvula.
qwal speak, talk
qw is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ q, with the lips rounded as when making the w sound.
q’e’mi’ girl (teenage)
q’ is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ q, but it is glottalized, so it pops.
qw’uyulush to dance
qw’ is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ qw, but it is glottalized, so it pops.
s’axwa’ butterclam
s is pronounced like the s in the English word “sit”.
shuptun knife
sh is pronounced as in the English word “shore”.
telu money
t is pronounced as in the English word “take”.
t’xum six
t’ is pronounced like t, but it is glottalized, so it pops.
thqet tree
th is pronounced as in the English word “thin”.
tl’elhum salt
tl’ is made by holding the tongue in the place for making a t sound, but then releasing as an l sound and making a sort of clicking sound by releasing the side or sides of the tongue.
tselush hand
ts is pronounced as a single sound: much like in the ts English word “bats”.
ts’e’wi’ dish, bowl, plate
ts’ is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ ts, but it is glottalized, so it pops.
tthu si’lu the grandfather
tth is pronounced as a single sound which is much like the English t plus th pronounced in a quick sequence. This sound only occurs in Hul’q’umi’num’ in a small number of determiners, e.g. the masculine in view determiner tthu as in tthu swuy’qe’ “the man” Some speakers use a plain t sound for this determiner instead, as in tu swuy’qe’.)
tth’upsi’athun’ squirrel
tth’ is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ tth, but it is glottalized, so it pops.
yunus teeth
u is pronounced much like the u in the English word “butter”.
wech watch
w is pronounced as in the English word “watch”.
xul’tun pen, pencil
x is pronounced with the back of the tongue near the back of the roof of the mouth. The tongue does not actually touch the roof of the mouth, so a rough sound is produced.
xwi’lum’ rope
xw is pronounced like the Hul’q’umi’num’ x, but with the lips rounded as when making the w sound.
yunus teeth
y is pronounced as in the English word “yellow”.