Canoe Creek, 1894: English loans

[Dave Robertson]

Here are three selections from a really expressive letter that came from 
Canoe Creek in Secwepemc country, summer of 1894.  

This man's Jargon is very skillful and very clear without the English-
looking words that he tastefully mixes in.  These loans are kind of 
interesting in resembling items in pidgin Englishes known elsewhere in the 
world.  Have a look...

By the way, the spelling <yu> in <syum> is meant to suggest a schwa sound, 
just like in English "some".  And NULL indicates a spot where you could use 
an object 'iaka' ('it / them') or preposition 'kopa' ('in').  

--  Dave R.


"Naika ilo tlap ukuk maika mash kopa <8> Shulai.  Pi tataim [sic] naika 
aiak mamuk tsim kilapai kopa iawa NULL Kamlups."
"I didn't get what you sent on the 8th of July.   And all the time (?) I 
write right back to [you] over there [in] Kamloops."  

"Ukuk buks maika mash iakwa pi lost...klonas iaka klatwa syum plis; kopa 
Alkala Liik, kopa Shukokin... Alta naika nanish Alkala Lik taii pi naika 
askam NULL pus ukuk buk klatwa iawa kopa Alkala Lik."
"You sent those books here but they're lost...who knows but they went off 
some place; to Alkali Lake, to Sugarcane... I just now saw the Alkali Lake 
chief and I asked [him] if those books had gone to Alkali Lake."  

"Wiht naika tiki wawa kopa maika pus maika mamuk kopa kanawi ukuk iakwa 
ilihi styuil...kopa iht buk... Pus maika pinist, maika mash NULL iakwa pi 
maika mamuk tsim pus kansih shikmin."  
"I also want to ask you to work out all those prayers from this country [in 
the local language]...in a single book... When you finish, send them here 
and write [me] how much money [you want]."

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