Lesson 1: Laundry - Th'éx̲welwetem
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Lesson 2: Travel - Leq'álqel
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Lesson 3: Work - Syó:ys
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Lesson 4: Health - Shxw'íyem
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Lesson 5: Food and Drink - S'álhtel qas te Sqó:qe
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Lesson 6: Classroom Activities and Instructions - Tháytem te Skwúkwel Syó:ys
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Lesson 7: At the Meal Table - Í te S'álhtel Letám
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Lesson 8: Weather - Xwe'ít te Swáyel
Lesson 9: Travel - Leq'áleqel
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Lesson 10: Health - Shxw'íyem
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Lesson 11: Are you Married? - Líchxw Smámalyí?
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Lesson 12: Food and Drink - S'álhtel qas te Sqó
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Lesson 13: Weather - Xwe'ít te Swáyel
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Lesson 14: Travel - Leq'álqel
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Lesson 15: Health - Shxwe'íyem
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Lesson 16: People - Ye Mestíyexw
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Lesson 17: Food and Drink - S'álhtel qas te Sqóqe
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Lesson 18: School - Skwúl
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Lesson 19: Shopping - Ileqá:ls
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Lesson 20: Health - Shxw'íyem
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Lesson 21: People - Mestíyexw
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Lesson 22: Eating - Í:lhtel
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Lesson 23: Shopping - Íleqels
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Lesson 24: Work - Syó:ys
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Lesson 25: Health - Shxw'íyem
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Lesson 26: Identification - Sx'áts Pípe
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Lesson 27: Meals - S'álhtel
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Lesson 28: Shopping - Íleqáls
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Lesson 29: School - Skwúl
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Lesson 30: Co-workers - Sq'eq'óxel
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Lesson 31: People - Mestíyexw
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Lesson 32: Food and Drink - S'álhtel qas te Sqóqe
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Lesson 33: Laundry - Th'éx̲welwétem
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Lesson 34: Weather - Xwe'í:t te swáyel
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Lesson 35: Classroom Activities and Instructions - Tháytem te Skúkwel Syó:ys
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Lesson 36: Leaving - Le Á:yel
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Lesson 37: Food and Drink - S'álhtel qas te Qó
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Lesson 38: Shopping - Ileqá:ls
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Lesson 39: Commuting - Q'élqéylthet
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Lesson 40: School - Skwúl
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Lesson 41: Introductions - Pípetels
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Lesson 42: Travel - Leq'á:lq'el
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Lesson 43: School - Skwúl
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Lesson 44: Entertainment - Éyósthet
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Lesson 45: Shopping - Íleqals
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Lesson 46: People - Mestíyexw
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Lesson 47: School - Skwúl
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Lesson 48: Theatre - Pekche'áwtxw
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Lesson 49: Visiting - Lálats'éwtxwem
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Lesson 50: School - Skwúl
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Lesson 8: Weather - Xwe'ít te Swáyel

Xwe'ít te Swáyel 8A

A
X̲wém kw'ses me x̲éytl'thet.
It got cold fast.
B
Á:'a. Kw'átset te q'íq'ex̲el shxwe'áthetel.
Yes. Look at the darkening clouds.
A
Líyéxwcha kw'a lhéméxw.
I wonder if it will rain.
B
Éy tw'a ewás. Chó:kw kw'éls la ímex.
It better not. I have a long way to walk.

Xwe'ít te Swáyel 8B

A
X̲wém kw'ses x̲éytl'thet.
It got cold fast.
B
Á:'a. Kw'átset te tsq'éyx̲ shxwe'áthetel.
Yes. Look at the black clouds.
A
Sta'áweltsel kw'ses lhéméxw.
I think it will rain.
B
Éy t'wa ewás. Chókw kw'éls le ímex.
I better not. I have a long way to walk.

Audio Halq'eméylem English
th'ólhem to feel cold, get cooled down, chilled, get cold (of a person)
q'íx̲el to turn black, become black
líqwel get calm (weather), to calm down (of weather)
shxw'áthetel cloud, cloudy
só:tets north wind, east wind, cold wind
spehá:ls wind
x̲wém fast, hurry
slhémexw the rain, rain (n.)
hóleqwem warming up
tellhelhó:s South Wind
lhálatem sprinkling
schéxwem south wind, warm wind, west wind
sth'áth'elh cool, calm [of weather]
telhelhó:s South wind [from down river]
x̲éytl'thet cooling down, getting colder (of things, weather)
yéxw I wonder

Audio Halq'eméylem English
X̲wémcha kw'es x̲éytl'thets. It will get cold fast.
Lá x̲éytl'thet teló látelh. It got cold this morning.
Mícha x̲wém kw'es x̲éytl'thets. It will get cold fast.
Ew mi ó x̲wém kw'es xéytl'thets. It got cold real fast.
Skw'áy kw'éls sta'áwel kw'es lhéméxws. I can't imagine it will rain.
Ewétal lhéq'élexw wás cha lhéméxw. I don't know if it will rain.
T'atsá kw'e ew lhémexw ó. It looks like it will rain.
Skw'áy kw'éls thét kw'es lhéméxwscha. I can't say if it will rain.
Ewéte lheq'élexwtset we líscha lhéméxw. We don't know if it will rain.
Éwe ís lhéméxw tlówáyel. It didn't rain today.
Ts'éts'elew x̲éytl' te spehá:ls. The wind is very cold.
Ts'áts'elew x̲éytl' te slhémexw. The rain is very cold.
Ts'áts'elew x̲éytl' te smómeleqw máqa qas slhémexw. The sleet [lit. mixed snow and rain] is very cold.
Skw'áy kw'ses x̲wéms kw'es mís x̲éytl'thet. It can't get cold fast.
X̲wém kw'ses me x̲éytl'thet. It got cold fast.
X̲wém kw'ses x̲éytl'thet. It got cold fast.
Á:'a. Kw'átset te q'íq'ex̲el shxwe'áthetel. Yes. Look at the darkening clouds.
Á:'a. Kw'átset te tsq'éyx̲ shxwe'áthetel. Yes. Look at the black clouds.
Líyéxwcha kw'a lhéméxw. I wonder if it will rain.
Sta'áweltsel kw'ses lhéméxw. I think it will rain.
Éy t'wa ewás. Chókw kw'éls le ímex. I better not. I have a long way to walk.
Éy tw'a ewás. Chó:kw kw'éls la ímex. It better not. I have a long way to walk.

Nicomen Island is an island in the Fraser river, called Leq'á:mel. The English word sounds pretty different, but it might actually be based on a downriver (or possibly older) pronunciation of that name, which could come out something like Neq'á:men, since 'n's in upriver are all turned into 'l's. 

The reason this place name is important, it that the word Halq'eméylem itself is plausibly derived from the word Leq'á:mel. This works in the following way. First, sometimes there is insertion of an -í:l into a word, to mean the equivalent of English get to.... Applied to Leq'á:mel, this would make Leq'á:melí:l. If there is an -el before the -í:l, that is generally deleted, which gets us to Leq'á:mí:l, meaning Get to Nicomen. As you are probably aware, the equivelent of English -ing is sometimes formed with an ha- prefix (this is normally the case for words staring in l-). so putting the ha- onto Leq'á:mí:l gives us Haleq'á:mí:l, which would mean something like getting to Nicomen. Finally, there is a common ending -em, which means something (very loosely) like get oneself to... . Adding this -em gives us Haleq'á:mí:lem, which is clearly quite close to the modern word. Summarizing:

 

Leq'á:mel              Nicomen Island

Leq'á:melí:l            Get to Nicomen Island

Leq'á:mí:l              (-el commonly drops before í:l)

Haleq'á:mí:l           Getting to Nicomen Island

Haleq'á:mí:lem       Getting oneself to Nicomen Island

Halq'eméylem        Modern pronunciation

 

Of course, one cannot be exactly certain of this, but it seems quite a plausible idea, at least, of the origin of the name. This discussion is closely based on Galloway's Grammar of Upriver Halkomelem, p. 6.

 

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