A couple of suggestions about pre-CJ "Nootka Jargon" (fwd)

[David Robertson]

Henry, I've taken the liberty of reposting this to the list.  A small
comment is added to your message.  Klahowya, Dave



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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 18 Jan 1999 11:48:10 +0100
From: Henry Kammler <henry.kammler at stadt-frankfurt.de>
To: David Robertson <drobert at tincan.tincan.org>
Subject: Re: A couple of suggestions about pre-CJ "Nootka Jargon"

Tlush san,

> Briefly:  the words in Sproat,
>
> ka^a^, "'hand it to me', 'let me look at it'"
This is  kaa?a
like
kaa?a aHkuu "gimme that"

> klah-oh-appi, "something instead of that (a word used in bartering)"
tla?uu?ap?i = "make it (be) another"
tla?uu "another"
-?ap  CAUSATIVE
-?i   IMPERATIVE 2 Sing.


> mah, "equivalent to 'take it', when you wish to hand a person anything"
maa "here you are" "take it", usually answers the kaa?a request (see
above)

> klyemmi, "equivalent to 'give more' (often used in sale or barter)"
tlayim "an extra amount"
maybe Sproat heard tlayim?i "the extra amount (previously) referred to"


> kah-ah-pah-chilt, "give me something" and
Well, Jewitt's fluency must have been rather limited, he probably pulled
some words out of his memory to include with the narrative. The above is
kaa?a  p'achitl [p'ac^itl]
I can't consult native speakers (of Nuuchaahnulh <g>) here in Germany
but this expression looks awkward because p'achitl means "give presents
on a ceremonial occasion (potlatch, feast)" and with kaa?a this sounds
entirely impolite and out of context.

[...Dave here:  Thus the Jargonlikeness of the phrase!  Eh?.....]

> kah-ah-coh, "bring it"
= kaa?a aHkuu (see above)

> And Mozin~o has
>
> ca-a-tli, "to receive"
Here I could only give a *very* tentative opinion.


> [While I'm talking about this subject, may I mention, probably for Henry
> Kammler's benefit, that Mozin~o has amiti-amita, "to learn".  Is this
> perhaps cognate with CJ kEmtEks?]
In my humble opinion definitely yes. The root is kamat "know, learn,
consult". kEmtEks looks pretty much like Northern Nootka kamataks "I
know".

Henry