sikhs

[Linda Fink]

I don't know why someone else hasn't answered this, Nadja, but sikhs seems
to be used to mean friend of any sex except by the Hudson family here in
Grand Ronde. I had never heard that it was male only. To the Hudson sisters,
and to their friends when they were children, sikhs was boyfriend or
girlfriend in the romantic sense. Since they spoke a mix of jargon and
English, they used the word "friend" to mean friend.

I think sometimes we assume that everyone in the world through all ages has
had a use for the same words we use now, and I don't think that's accurate.
I would think that if there had been a nonambiguous jargon word for
"friend", the Hudson girls would have used it.

But that was then, this is now. CJ is an evolving language. If you are
comfortable using "tillicum" and you are understood, I say go for it.
However, sometimes I think we try to say too much. CJ was beautiful in its
simplicity. Facial expressions and gestures and context added much meaning.
Writing CJ is problematical, since it was first a spoken language.

Hopefully, a linguist on the list will comment further.

Linda Fink


>
>  1. A further question?
>Date:    Sat, 16 Nov 2002 19:01:41 -0800
>From:    Nadja Adolf <yakimabelle at YAHOO.COM>
>Subject: A further question?
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
>Date:    Fri, 15 Nov 2002 02:56:15 -0500
>              From:    "David D. Robertson"
><ddr11 at COLUMBIA.EDU>
>              Subject: "Friend"...was...Re: CHINOOK
>Digest - 9 Nov 2002 to 14 Nov
>              2002
>                       (#2002-162)
>
>Klahowya:
>
>My question is this - Tony once told me that Sikhs was
>always applied only to men. Was this only at GR? Or is
>it acceptable for women to use it to apply to other
>women?
>
>I had used tillikum for a female friend - and received
>suggestions that this was unintelligible, and sikhs
>was suggested - but it is masculine only.
>
>Sikhs opitska was also suggested, but that seems to
>imply sweetheart or paramour.
>
>Or has this information been updated?
>
>Lost in the woods,
>
>Nadja
>
>              Nadja, lhaXayam,
>
>              The sense "paramour" for "sikhs" may be
>most likely if a woman is
>              speaking
>              of a man or vice versa; I may be wrong.
>
>              If not wrong--a woman calling a woman
>"sikhs", or a man calling a man
>              this,
>              might be good ol' neutral "friend".
>
>              Depends on your preference, I reckon.
>
>              --Dave
>
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