What's a bit worth? Re: "-er" / "-est" in a letter from Lillooet

[Dave Robertson]

By the way, "6 bits" in the Jargon of the BC Interior just as likely 
meant "60 cents" as "75 cents".  

Probably the same situation was true elsewhere.  

When folks meant "75 cents" they were likely to say <tlun kwata>, "three 
quarters".  

One sign of the, um, currency of that expression is that it's a loanword 
in some of the First Nations languages.  

Kwak'wala as documented in Grubb's dictionary has <lhungwada> for that 
amount.  A native speaker recently gave that word to me as /LEngwada/.  
(Barred-l + schwa in the first syllable, which is stressed.)  

--  Dave R.


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

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