Ruby & Delores chat about language work

Print Friendly, PDF & Email


Carol Louie recorded a conversation between Delores Louie and Ruby Peter at Donna’s place on May 22, 2017. The ladies are talking about teaching the language. Thanks to Delores for translating, Donna for transcribing, and Margaret Seymour for sound editing.

RP:
’een’thu sti’tum’at, Ruby Peter tthu sh-hwunitum’a’lh nu sne. tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ kwa’mutusn.
I’m Sti’tum’at, Ruby Peter is my English name. I’m from Quamichan.

DL:
’een’thu swustanulwut, tun’ni’ tsun ’utl’ shts’uminus. tthu s-hwunitum’a’lh nu sne’ Delores Louie.
I’m Swustanulwut from Stz’uminus. Delores Louie is my English name.

DL:
stem kw’u ’i ’un’s yaay’us, ’a shuyulh? ni’ ’u ch ’uw’ hwun’ yaay’us?
What are you working on, sister. Are you still working?

RP:
’i tsun ’uw’ hwun’ yaay’us ’u tthu hul’q’umi’num’ sqwal ’i xuxul’uteen’.
I’m still working on the Hul’q’umi’num’ language, which I am writing down.

DL:
ni’ stsekwul’ … ni’ ’u mukw’ skweyul ni’ ’uw’ kw’in ’ul’ tintun?
Are you working every day and how many hours?

RP:
mukw’ skweyul ’i’ nuw’ lhihw ’ul’ tintun kwunus yaays.
Every day I’m working for three hours.

DL:
suw’ tuw’ stems tthu ni’ ’un’s yaay’us ts’twa’?
So what are working on perchance?

RP:
nilh tthu stl’ul’iqulh skwoulkwul’….
It’s the school children…

DL:
stl’ul’iqulh?
children?

RP:
thuyt tthu … xuxul’ut tthu hul’q’umi’num’ sqwal, hw’uw’tsust tthu mum’un’lh stl’ul’iqulh.
Making the, writing the Hul’q’umi’num’ wordings , teaching the young children.

qux kwus yu nuts’tul ni’ kwthu ’unhwulh, ni’ ’u kwthu …high school, ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’.. ni’ tsun mel’q.
There are a variety of sayings, that’s over at the high school, and sometimes I forget….

DL:
ooo ni’ t’en.
Oh, it slipped your mind. (it got shaded)

sus tuw’ stsekwul’ tthu ni’ ’un’ …ni’ ’u ch yu qwaqwul’ ni’ ’u ch yu xuxul’ut?
So how are you working this out? Is it the written word or the spoken word?

RP:
ni’ tsun yu xuxul’ut.
So I am writing it.

DL:
ni’ ts’twa’ ’ayum syaays, ’a? ni’ ’uw’ xwum?
It must be slow work, eh? Or is it fast?

RP:
ni’ st’e ’u kw’u lhsuq’ tintun tthu nuts’a’ page.
Half an hour for one page.

thu’it ’ayum syaays.
Yes it is a real slow job.

ni’ ts’uhwle’ ’i’ ni’ tsun kwunus ni’ tun’ni’ ’u tthu hwunitum’qun hwu hwulmuhwqunstuhw, ’i’ nilh ni’ tl’i’.
And at times I’m translating from English to Hul’q’umi’num’. That’s the most difficult.

DL:
aaa, thu’it ts’twa’.
Yes, truly it must be.

ni’ tthu ni’ skw’ey kwun’s thuynuhw tthu hul’q’umi’num’ sqwal.
It can be quite impossible to fix the Hul’q’umi’num’ wordings.

’uwe ’u?
Isn’t that right?

RP:
tl’i’. nilh kwus yu slhq’il’s nilh ni’ yath ’uw’ nu shtth’etth’uyukw ’uw’ niin’ ’uyq.
Yes, it’s hard to get it fluent, and it’s always is my worry that I will go astray.

’uwu nu stl’i’us hwu nuts’quns tthu slhi’a’uqwt tst, stl’ul’iqulh.
I do not want the young people following behind to be saying the sound wrong.

nilh xut’ust-hwus tthu s’ul’eluhw shipmunqun.
This is what our Elders meant by shipmunqun.

’i’ ni’ kwthu ni’ t’ut’a’thut hwunitum’qun ’i’ ’uwu niis tl’lim’ ’uw’ slhq’il’.
For those that are trying the Hul’q’umi’num’ that they are speaking clearly/fluently.