Etymology of a few words

[Alan H. Hartley]

James Crippen wrote:

> I'd like to know if anyone can offer source languages for the
> following few words in the Jargon.
> 
> lahál "bone game"
> saplíl ~ saplél "flour, bread"
> íkta "something"
> lháxani "outside"

cf. Sahaptin sapíl [barred i for mid, short vowel] 'high quality root 
cakes' (E. Hunn _Nch'i-Wána_, Univ. Wash. Press, 1990, p. 99). I don't 
know what relationship the Sahaptin word bears to the ChJ.

and Lushootseed seplél/seplíl [e = schwa] 'bread, flour' (from ChJ; D. 
Bates, et al., _Lushootseed Dictionary_, Univ. Wash. Press, 1994, p. 202).

The word probably entered English from ChJ through the Lewis and Clark 
expedition. In November 1805, William Clark wrote, "those beeds the[y] 
trafick with Indians Still higher up this [Columbia] rivers for roabs, 
Skins, cha-pel-el bread, beargrass &c." (G. Moulton, ed., _Journals of 
the Lewis and Clark Expedition_ v. 5, 1988, p. 371). An editor's note on 
p. 380 says, "Cha-pel-el is the Chinookan term a-sáblal, "bread" 
(etymology obscure); the term in Chinook Jargon is saplíl. It is cous, 
Lomatium cous...It was an important foodstuff in this region and eastward."

Alan

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