Alphabet
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”. | ||