"-er" / "-est" in a letter from Lillooet

[Dave Robertson]

In an 1894 letter from Lillooet I find a way of comparing that I haven't 
noticed in the other shorthand letters so far.

This writer has:

"ukuk Liluit ilihi iaka drit klaawiam kupa kanawi ilihi"
THIS LILLOOET PLACE IT VERY POOR than ALL PLACE
"this Lillooet country is poorer than other countries"
/ "this Lillooet country is the poorest of all"

The only kind of comparison or superlative I've found before uses the old 
standby word, "ilip" (literally "before / in front of").  The "ilip" 
construction is pretty mooshy, I mean you can't always tell if the person 
meant "more than" or "the most".  

So the "very X than" form is nice to find.  It's very clear than everything.

Here's a reading selection for you from the Lillooet letter, with most of 
the spellings left as found:

"Maika komtaks ukuk Liluit ilihi iaka drit klaawiam kupa kanawi ilihi."
YOU KNOW THIS LILLOOET COUNTRY IT VERY POOR THAN ALL COUNTRY
"You know this Lillooet country is the poorest."

"Wik-kata nsaika tlap mamok."
NOT-HOW WE GET WORK
"We can't get work."

"Kakwa nsaika klaawiam."
SO WE POOR
"So we're poor."

"...Kupit iht tanas man iaka piii kopa iaka pipa."
ONLY ONE YOUNG MAN HE PAY FOR HIS NEWSPAPER
"...Only one young man has paid for his newspaper."

"...Iaka nim Bisil Klak Liluit."
HIS NAME BASIL CLARK LILLOOET
"...His name is Basil Clark, Lillooet."

"Alki wiht iaka piii sks  pitc."
LATER MORE HE PAY 6 BITS
"Later, he's going to pay you six bits more."

"...Alki pus Nu Ii mun iawa maika tlap shikmin kupa kanawi nsaika kupa 
Liluit tilikom."
LATER WHEN NEW YEAR MONTH THEN YOU GET MONEY FROM ALL US OF LILLOOET PEOPLE
"...When it's the New Year (January), you'll get money from all of us in 
the Lillooet tribe."

--Dave R.

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