Tahlklie and Polaklie/TALAPUS AND POLAKLI

[Mike Cleven]

"Scott Tyler, M.D." wrote:
>
> LaXayam wawa chakinac(jargonauts)
> THE TOPIC LATELY HAS BEEN TALAPUS AND POLAKLI
> I REWORKED A POEM DO NOT KNOW IF IT FLOWS ANY DIFFERENTLY,
> OR MEANS ANY MORE OR LESS.
> AN ODD WORD OR TWO COMES FROM GILL'S--WHOM I WAS TOLD IS NOT
> A REAL ACCURATE SOURCE.
> I DEBATE WITH MY SELF ABOUT SHORTENING YAKA  TO YA, ETC.
> SEE BELOW--CONSTRUCTIVE OR DESTRUCTIVE FEED BACK MUCH APPRECIATED.
> tloosh nanich
> scott
>
> ta.lapas
>
> ta.lapas
>    tlu.sh mayka sha.ntey
>                 coyote you'd better sing
> mayka munk cha.ku. tla.x cilcil
>                 you make the stars appear
> na ta.lis sha.ntey
>                 my darling sing
> mayka munk mitxwit u.tlam
>                 you make the moon rise
> o.pica sha.ntey
>                 beloved sing
> mayka ma.mu.k cha.ku. win'
>    ya ko.l
>                 you make the cold winds
> o. ta.lapas ya.wa
>    alta deleyt si.ya
>                 O coyote so far away
>
>                 * hilu hihi na tamtam  Do not play with my heart
> hi.lu. munk la.la. nayka ta.mta.m
>    spu.s wik' e.na. ka.kwa
>                 don't torment me
> mayka mayi.na oqoq
>    ya tenas la.tla.
>         your soft song
>    spu.s yaka tla.wa alta
>    pi. tla.wa ma.mu.k mu.sam nesayka
>                 lulls us to sleep
>    pi. pa.hl kwa.n ki.wa mayka wa.wa.
>                 peaceful because you call
> mayka ma.mu.k sku.kam wa.wa.
>    spu.s cha.ku. pole.tli
>    spu.s daka. ya ko.
>                 you announce night fall and dawn tide
> ta.lapas
>   ma.si. mayka sha.ntey
>                 coyote thank you for singing
> ooshtaqi
>
> * san = sun = daka in Makah

I ilke your poetry, including the aural poetics in your Wawa; I'm not
familiar with this orthographic system; is this something that came out
of last years' Workshop or is it a way that Makah is transcribed?  Is
the . meant to be a glottal stop or an ejective, or something to do with
vowel length?

 And are there coyotes out on the Olympic Peninsula?  I know they've
gotten nearly everywhere in recent times (they're more common than
raccoons as urban pests in some part of Vancouver); the Vanc paper
carried one from the Portland papers showing one that had hitched a ride
on a Portland transit-streetcar; damn clever little beasts, that's for
sure.

Early in the poem you use munk, later you use mamuk for the same
purpose, i.e. "to do", "to make"; just recommend consistency here; as
far as Straits Jargon goes munk was unknown kopa stowbelow, but in
modern CJ application I suppose either is now acceptable (except for
mamuk in GR).

I'd go for the "naika" vs. "na" and "yaka" vs "ya"; the latter is more
obvious, but since "nah" can also be an exclamation or punctuatory
particle using it for a possessive could be confusing; again unless you
pick one or the other for consistency.

ta.lis = darling - Makah or GRCJ?
la.la = ?  Makah or GRCJ (i.e. lolo or lo'lo)?
la.tla = song? Makah or GRCJ?  Or is this your version of "latleh" -
"noise"?
u.tlam = moon? etc.



--
Mike Cleven
http://www.cayoosh.net (Bridge River Lillooet history)
http://www.hiyu.net (Chinook Jargon phrasebook/history)