Spelling game creator aims to revive Shuswap (fwd)

[phil cash cash]

Spelling game creator aims to revive Shuswap

[Karen Longwell photo]

The Shuswap Spelling Game is a new creation from Sugar Cane resident
Winston Alphonse to help people learn the language.

By Karen Longwell
Tribune Staff Writer
Feb 06 2007
http://www.wltribune.com/portals-code/list.cgi?paper=37&cat=59&id=826301&more=

Wéytkp.

If you don’t understand this word — “hello” to a group of people — you
may want to consider the Shuswap Spelling Game, a new creation from
Sugar Cane resident Winston Alphonse.

He says Shuswap, the original language of the Williams Lake area, is
about 90 per cent lost in this region. So he wanted to find a way to
bring it back and get young people interested.

“When I hear a conversation (in Shuswap) between young people, then my
job will be done,” he says.

Alphonse, 40, says his Shuswap is above average for his generation. Many
speakers tend to be elders. He is concerned because there seems to be a
lack of teachers in the area and there are only a few elders left to
give learners the correct pronunciation of the words.

He says his brothers and sisters can speak Shuswap because his parents
spoke it. Also his aunt – Cecilia DeRose is a well-known Shuswap
teacher in the area.

Alphonse says the game has been several years in the making. He put in a
lot of research looking through Shuswap-English dictionaries. He also
tested it with relatives and friends.

“It’s had lots of dry runs,” he says.

The game is comprised of a board with crossword-like spaces. There is a
bag of Shuswap letters complete with accents. The object of the game is
to form words across the squares.

You can play the game with little or no knowledge of Shuswap. Beginners
can rely on the dictionary. Alphonse says it is ideal for four to six
players.

He had help and advice from family members, including DeRose, to make
the game. His father helped him build the letter tile holders. And his
mother made the cloth bags to hold the letters.

Interest is building slowly in the game. He has sold about 15 sets so
far. Mostly teachers are interested. People from as far away as Chase
have purchased the game, he says.

Alphonse has also heard from other First Nations speakers about
producing a game in their language. But Alphonse says he wants to get
the Shuswap game off the ground first.

“I think it is going to catch on,” he says.

If you are interested in the Shuswap Spelling game contact Winston
Alphonse at ShuswapSpellingGame at yahoo.ca or call 296-0034.

The game sells for $60 with a dictionary, or $45 without.

© Copyright 2007 Williams Lake Tribune