Another tiny CJ lesson

[David D. Robertson]

>From "Kamloops Wawa", Dec. 1894, #123, page 200...


<17o.  Pavilion.>  Moris Saksi kopa Pavilion kwanisim skukum-tomtom
kopa Chinuk pipa.  Iaka tiki nanich Kamlups Wawa pipa kanawi sondi.


<17o.  Pavilion.>  Maurice Saksi(?) from Pavilion always strong-spirit
PREPOSITION Chinook paper.  He want see Kamloops Wawa paper every week.


<17o.  Pavilion.>  Maurice Saksi from Pavilion is always delighted
with the Chinook paper.  He would like to see the "Kamloops Wawa" paper
every week.


NOTES:
-- Remember, the "Kamloops Wawa" shorthand is an attempt to record words as
they sound to the person who's doing the writing.  In this case, a native
speaker of French is attempting to render a Salish (probably Shuswap)
native name, in an alphabet that lacks a number of Salish sounds such
as /7/ glottal stop, /q/, /q'/, /qw/, /kw/, and so on.  It remains to be
seen just how Maurice's last name was pronounced.

-- <skukum-tomtom> is an adjective ilke the ones mentioned 1 or 2 lessons
ago, referring to a person's characteristic temperament.  In this case,
<skukum> "strong" + <tomtom> "spirit" ==> "strongly favorable; delighted".

-- Notice how we say "he wants *TO* see".  There is no word for "to" in
this expression, and we literally say just "he want see".  The word we have
seen before for "to", <pus>, has more of a meaning "in order to; for", so
it's used in completely different circumstances, like "Iaka wawa pus naika
klatwa" which would mean "She told me to go" (literally "She say for me
go").  Can you see the difference between these 2 kinds of "to"?

-- As in many other languages of the world, the same word <sondi> can mean
either "Sunday" or "week".  In this lesson, there's nothing in the context
to suggest that specifically "Sunday" is meant, so it's reasonable to read
the word as "week" here.  In other words, it might seem pretty strange if
someone were demanding to get their Chinook newspaper every Sunday (or
Monday, or Friday...)!