✨ Updated Dec 2025

17.1 Dialogue

A.	’i ch ’a’lu tstamut?	‘What happened to you?’
B.	ni’ tsun lhuts’tsus.	‘I cut my finger.’
A.	yu stsekwul’ kwun’s ni’ lhuts’tsus?	‘How did you cut your finger?’
B.	ni’ tsun lhuts’tsus ’u kwthu shlumelu kw’unus ’i hwtth’axwwiil’s.	‘I got cut from a bottle when I was washing dishes.’
A.	’aa,  tl’lim’ qul. tl’uyum’t ch p’e’ kw’ sxu’enhween. xwum kw’un’s thuythut.	‘Oh, too bad.’ ‘Put some plantain on it.’ ‘You will heal faster.’

17.2    Vocabulary: body parts.

smustimuhw	‘body’
sxuy’us	‘head’
she’itun	‘hair’
s’athus	‘face’
sqw’umus	‘forehead’
thamun	‘eyebrow’
qulum’	‘eye’
lhuptun	‘eyelash, eyelid’
muqsun	‘nose’
shlhqwun’u	‘cheek’
thathun	‘mouth’
yunus	‘teeth’
tuhwthulh	‘tongue’
shhw’uthqun	‘throat’
stl’upaaythun	‘chin, jaw’
qw’unun’	‘ear’ (Snuneymuhwqun)
qw’oon’	‘ear’
tupsum	‘neck’
ts’xemun	‘chest’
kw’ul’u	‘stomach’
thethi’un’	‘blood’
luwux	‘rib’
slhuq’we’lh	‘back’
qwuqw’ten	‘shoulder’
t’eluw’	‘arm’
kwum’tth’ulexun’	‘elbow’
qwum’xwtsus	‘wrist’
tselush	‘hand’
snuxtsus	‘finger’
sun’tl’a’luw’tsus	‘thumb’
sxun’u	‘leg, foot’
sq’ewum	‘knee’
stth’um’shun	‘shin’
qwum’xwshun	‘ankle’
snuxshun	‘toe’
sun’tl’a’luw’shun	‘big toe’

17.3    Pattern practice.

‘You have beautiful hair.’	’uy’uy’mut tthun’ she’itun.
eyes
mouth
nose
teeth
eyebrows

17.4    Pattern practice.

‘My eyes are red.’	tskwim tthunu qulum’.
hair
nose
cheeks
hand
mouth

17.5    Pattern practice.

‘He broke his rib.’	ni’ lukw tthu luwuxs.
arm
nose
finger
toe
ankle

17.6    Pattern practice.

The doctor said: “Show me your tongue!”	xut’u tthu taktu, “lumstam’sh ch ’u tthun’ tuhwthulh!”
face
hand
finger
leg
throat
shin

17.7    Pattern practice.

‘Is your throat sore?’	’i ’u xuxulh tthun’ shhw’uthqun?
hand
hand
neck
knee
arm

17.8    Translation.

1. ni’ kwunut tthunu qwum’xwshun.
2. ’i’ xuxulh tthunu slhuq’we’lh.
3. ni’ lhuts’nuhwus tthunu sqe’uq tthunu snuxtsus.
4. ni’ ’u lukw tun’ qwum’xwshun?
5. ’uy’uy’mut tun’ qulum’ st’e ’u lhun’ ten.
   
6. Your hands are small.
7. The man’s hair is red.
8. Take my hand!
9. Show me your teeth!
10. Is your shoulder sore?

17.9    Vocabulary: lexical suffixes.

=as ~ =us ‘face’, ‘head’

shqw’aqw’up’us	‘wrinkled face’
sxalumus	‘grey-haired’

=hw= + =as ‘eye’

hwmuqw’alust	‘poke him in the eye’

=tsus ‘hand’

kwe’tsust	‘let go’, ‘drop hands’
kwunutsust	‘take hands’, ‘shake hands’
kwunutsustul	‘hold hands’
kwun’a’tsustul’	‘holding hands’
se’tssum	‘raise one’s hand’
su’a’suqwta’luw’tsus	‘little finger’
t’um’tsus	‘hit hand against something’

=shun ‘foot’

thithushun	‘big feet’
se’shenum	‘raise one’s feet’
su’a’suqwta’luw’shun	‘little toe’

=a’qw ‘head’, ‘hair’

lhits’a’qwum	‘get a haircut’
p’q’i’qw	‘white-headed’

=qun ‘throat’

hwthiqun	‘loud (voice)’
hwtth’ulhqinum	‘quench one’s thirst’
hayuqun	‘finish eating’
hwulmuhwqun	‘speak a First Nations language’

=uyuthun ‘mouth’

sqwini’uthun	‘beard’
quliyathinum	‘swear’
tth’upsi’athun’	‘squirrel’
’uxaythinum	‘shave’

=qsun ‘nose’

thiqsun	‘big nose’
tunuqsun	‘mallard’

=tsun ‘back’

skwa’mutsun	‘humped back’
kw’uyutsun	‘grizzly bear’
xuxp’itsun’	‘chipmunk’ (‘striped back’)

=nuts ‘tail’, ‘bottom’

hwtl’uqtnuts	‘cougar’ (‘long tail’)
lhuthnuts	‘cormorant’ (‘spread tail’)

=exun ‘arm’

mut’exut	‘fold, bend arm, bend a branch down’
lhul’quxut	‘dip arm partly in the water’
pi’pi’e’xun’um’	‘having arms akimbo’
sulexunum	‘raise one’s arm’
q’ule’xut	‘tie a kerchief on the arm to dance with’
slhul’p’ul’exun’	‘bat’ (‘sloppy wing’)
tl’ekw’uxun	‘goose’

=nis ‘chest’

lhuqnistun	‘button’
ts’uqw’nistun	‘blanket pin, brooch’

=upsum ‘neck’

tumulhupsum	‘woodpecker’ (‘ocre neck’)

=ul’qun ‘fur’, ‘skin’

p’q’ul’qun’	‘mountain goat’ (‘white fur’)

17.10  Using lexical suffixes on verbs.

Here are some examples of verbs used with different lexical suffixes.

tth’xwat	‘wash it’
hwtth’xwasum ch!	‘Wash your face!’
hwtth’xwast tthu qeq!	‘Wash the baby’s face!’
tth’xwatssum tseep!	‘You all wash your hands!’
ni’ tsun tth’uxwshenum.	‘I washed my feet.’
tth’xwul’qun	‘wash wool’
tth’xwinusum	‘brush your teeth’

lhits’ut	‘cut it’
lhuts’tsus	‘cut hand, finger’
lhuts’shun	‘cut foot, leg’

kw’esut	‘burn it’
kw’ustsus	‘burn hand’
kw’usshun	‘burn foot’
kw’siyathun	‘burn mouth’

lukwat	‘break it’
lukwshen	‘break foot, leg’
lukwtsus	‘break finger, hand’
lukwexun (lukwul’exun’)	‘break arm’
lukwinus	‘break collarbone’
lukwuwi’ts	‘break back’
lukwulwulh	‘break ribs’

xulha’qw	‘have a headache’
xlhiw’s	‘sore body’
xlhinus	‘pain in the chest’
xulhulnus (xlhulnus)	‘toothache’
xulhuqun	‘sore throat’
xulheen’u	‘earache’
xulhshun	‘sore foot’
xulhxulhshun	‘sore feet’
xulhtsus	‘hurt hand’
xulhuwi’ts	‘sore back’

qwuya’tsus	‘sprained hand’
qwuya’shun	‘sprained foot’

17.11  Pattern practice.

‘I broke my hand.’	ni’ tsun lukwtsus.
burned
cut
sprained
hit
wash

17.12  Pattern practice.

‘John burned his hand.’	ni’ kw’ustsus tthu John.
foot
head
face
mouth
bottom

17.13  -u’lqun “fur”, “skin”

What do you think these words mean?

• pishul’qun
• sqwumey’ul’qun
• moosmusul’qun
• ’es-hwul’qun
• shesul’qun
• squl’ew’ul’qun
• ququwethul’qun
• sq’eetl’ul’qun
• tumusul’qun

17.14  Translation.

1. ’i’ ’u ch xulhunus?
2. ni’ hwtth’ulhqinum tthu swuy’qe’.
3. ni’ tsun hwtth’xwast tthu Mary.
4. tl’lim’ tsun ’uw’ xulha’qw.
5. qulstuhw tsun kw’un’s quliyathinum.
   
6. Raise your arm!
7. John has big feet.
8. The children were holding hands.
9. You (pl) go wash your hands!
10. My little brother cut his foot.

17.15  Vocabulary: body processes.

shakw’um	‘bathe’
thhwam	‘bleed’
lhupxnuhw	‘blink one’s eye, close one’s eyes’
hetth’um	‘breathe’
’itth’um	‘put on clothing’
taqw’um	‘cough’
xeem	‘cry’
xunuq’t	‘open one’s eyes’
kw’ey’	‘be hungry’
suyum	‘hurt’
hesum	‘sneeze’
lhat’uqw’um	‘snore’
ye’ut	‘vomit’
wiqus	‘yawn’
kw’es	‘sweat’
qtl’um	‘hair falls out’
muq’um	‘swallow’
lhxwulhtsu	‘spit, saliva’  cf. lhxwat  ‘spit it out’

17.16  Pattern practice.

John bathed.	ni’ shakw’um tthu John.
breathed
cough
yawned
opened his eyes
got dressed

17.17  Reading lesson.

ni’ tuqwtul tthunu snuhwulh. ni’ tsun kwu’elh me’kwulh. ni’ tsun t’uma’qw. ni’ lukw tthunu sxun’u. ni’ tsun tl’uw lukwinus tl’lim’ tsun ’i’ ’uw’ xulhuluw’s ’u tthunu sxuy’us, tthunu t’ult’eluw’, tthunu ts’xemun, tthunu slhuq’we’lh, ’i’ tthunu sxuxi’nu. hith tse’ ’i’ yelh nus thuythut.