* Some dialects say tey’ instead of tthey’. ** Many people pronounce kw’un’s as kw’us.
3.2 Vocabulary: things around the classroom.
poukw
“book”
lutem
“table”
li’luteem’
“desk”, “little table”
pipu
“paper”
xul’tun
“pen”, “pencil”
xthum
“box”
shts’e’nutstun
“chair”
t’amun
“wall”
shelh
“door”
lhxunuptun
“floor”
wech
“clock”, “watch”
shhwul’mastun’
“window”, “mirror”
shkw’tsastun’
“window”
huy’qwoon’
“light”
huy’qwiin’
“light” (Snuneymuhw)
3.3 -tun instrument.
The suffix -tun appears on many nouns that name objects that are used as instruments.
xul’um
“write, mark”
xul’tun
“writing utensil” = “pen”, “pencil”, “chalk”
hwts’e’nutsum
“sit”
shts’e’nutstun
“chair”
p’etth’ut
“sew it”
p’utth’tun
“needle”
luxwut
“cover it”
luxwtun
“blanket”
p’ukw
“float”
p’ukwten
“float”, “buoy”
q’uluts’t
“shelter him”
q’uluts’tun
“umbrella”, “shelter”
paat
“blow it”
patun
“sail”
lhulut
“bail it out”
lhulutun
“bailer”
qw’aqwust
“club him/her on the head”
qw’aqwustun
“club”
3.4 p’e’ “indeed”.
Use the particle p’e’ to express certainty. In casual speech, this gets pronounced p’u or even just p’.
John p’e’ tthey’.
“That’s indeed John.”
Mary p’e’ they’.
“That’s indeed Mary.”
luplit p’e’ tthey’.
“That’s indeed a priest.”
taktu p’e’ they’.
“She’s indeed a doctor.”
3.5 Pattern practice.
Q: What is this?
stem ’a’lu tu’i?
A: That’s (indeed) a book.
poukw p’e’ tthey’.
pen
table
chair
box
paper
desk
watch
3.6 Pattern practice.
Q: What’s that called?
stem ’a’lu kw’un’s hun’ut tthey’?
A: That’s called a clock.
wech p’e’ kw’un’s hun’ut tthey’.
wall
window
door
table
floor
light
book
You might also want to practice:
stem’a’lu kws hun’ut-s tthey’? What do they call that? wech p’e’ kws hun’ut-s tthey’. They call that a watch.
3.7 Translation.
stem ’a’lu kw’un’s hun’ut tu’i?
stem ’a’lu kwu’elh tthey’?
shts’e’nutstun p’e’ tthey’.
shhwul’mastun p’e’ kw’un’s hun’ut tthey’.
shelh ’u kwu’elh tthey’?
What’s this?
This is a pen.
That’s a book.
That’s called a wall.
This is just a paper.
3.8 Vocabulary: People
skwoolstunuq
“teacher”
t’it’um’el’s
“teacher”, “trainer”
hwuy’athun’uq
“language teacher”
hw’iw’tsusun’uq
“teacher of how to do things”
t’it’umathut
“student”
le’lum’el’lh
“babysitter”, “day care”
ts’uw’tun
“assistant”, “helper”
takta
“doctor”
shneem, shne’em
“Indian doctor”
nu:s
“nurse”
luplit
“priest”
sista
“nun” (“sister”)
shsi’em
“chief”, “boss”, “shopkeeper”
xwuxwi’eem’
“storyteller”
shqwu’qwel’, shqwi’qwal’
“speaker”
3.9 lhwet/wet “who”.
Use lhwet (in Chemainus or Nanoose) or wet (in Nanaimo or Nanoose) to ask the question “who?”. Placing the particle ’a’lu after lhwet/wet expresses the idea of “whoever”. That is, the speaker is really curious and has no idea who the person is.
lhwet/wet ’a’lu tu’i?
“Whoever is this?”
lhwet/wet ’a’lu tey’?
“Whoever is that (male)?”
lhwet/wet ’a’lu they’?
“Whoever is that (female)?”
3.10 Substitution drill.
Q: Who is that (male)?
lhwet tey’?
A: That’s John.
John p’e’ tey’.
a doctor
an Indian doctor
Mary
a nun
Bill
a priest
3.11 Fill in the blanks. Translate.
a.
__________ ’a’lu they’?
Mary p’e’ __________ .
__________ p’e’ they’.
b.
lhwet ’a’lu __________ ?
John p’e’ __________ .
__________ p’e’ __________ .
c.
wet __________ tu’i?
__________ tu’i.
3.12 Emphatic pronouns.
’een’thu
“I”
nuwu
“you”
nilh
“he, she, it”
lhnimulh
“we”
lhwulup
“you (pl)”
ne’ellh
“they”
Use the emphatic pronouns for identifying people.
’een’thu p’e’ Mary.
“I’m Mary.”
nilh ’u John?
“Is he John?”
nilh p’e’ John.
“He’s John.”
lhnimulh p’e’ John ’i’ Mary.
“We are John and Mary.”
3.13 Pronunciation tip.
Speakers in Nanaimo contract nuwu and ’u to nuwee.
