top of page

To watch how our songs are being shared in classrooms, please view our videos on our Facebook page and YouTube channel.
             
Click on the links below in this box.

  • Happy Friends/'Iiyus Siiye'yu Songs & Activities in Hul'q'umi'num' and English
  • YouTube

To watch videos of the Hul'q'umi'num' sounds, scroll down. For a more in-depth description with the videos, plus a word example and additional audio, go to the tool bar then, click on "Additional Recordings (Sounds & Songs)," then, scroll down.

Please note: This page is under construction, more sounds coming soon!

a

Is pronounced, ah, like in the English words, ball, call, mall & father.

a'

In Hul’q’umi’num’ the letter  a  is pronounced  ah, similar to the a sound in the English words, ball, call and father, but in this example, because it has an ‘unuhw after it, the a sound is glottalized (a’), so, the sound is cut off by a sudden aspiration/release of breath.

aa

Similar to the pronunciation for letter  a  (like the ah sound in the English word for father) but held longer (stretch out the sound).

     ‘aa


  When you see an ‘unuhw before a vowel at the beginning of a word, the ‘unuhw just tells us that the sound comes from a stopped position in the throat - it does not change the sound of the vowel.
  When two vowels are seen together the vowel sound is stretched out/elongated.

ch

The Hul'q'umi'num'  ch  sounds like the ch in the English word,
church or cheap.

ch'

The Hul'q'umi'num'  ch'  
sounds like the ch in the English word for church, but with a slight popping sound. 
- It is rarely used in Hul’q’umi’num’  - it seems to be only used for terms about frying.

There are three pronunciations for the letter  e in the Hul'q'umi'num' language.  It is pronounced like the vowel sounds in the English words: bet, bat and bait, depending on the word being pronounced. It is demonstrated here, in this video, as it is pronounced like in the word for bet.

e

When an ‘unuhw is added after the letter e’, it reminds us to stop our sound with an aspiration (release of breath) and brings it to an abrupt stop.
- Note: There are three pronunciations for the letter  e.  It can be pronounced like the vowels in the English words: bet, bat or bait depending on the word being pronounced - in this video example, it is pronounced similarly to the sound in the English word, bet (but with the abrupt stop on the sound).

e'
'e

The letter e is most often pronounced like the vowels in the English words: bet, bat and bait.
When a vowel is the first sound in a word it is preceded by an ‘unuhw to indicate that the sound comes from a stopped position.
This does not change the letter sound, it just signals that a vowel sound is coming.

ee

 ee  is similar to the sound for letter e, but just held longer.

Note: There are three pronunciations for the letter  e.  It can be pronounced like the vowels in the English words: bet, bat or bait depending on the word being pronounced.

'ee

The ‘unuhw appears here when the ee sound is at the beginning of a word (for example, in the word, 'eenthu. When a vowel is the first sound in a word it is preceded by an ‘unuhw to indicate that the sound comes from a stopped position. This does not change the letter’s sound, it just signals that a vowel sound is coming.

h

The Hul'q'umi'num'  h  
Is a light huff of breath and sounds similar to the h in the English word for heat or happy.
When listening to an Elder, listen carefully, it can be mistaken for the  x  sound.

The Hul’q'umi'num'  hw is a light huff of breath, while rounding your lips.
 It is like describing how the sound of wind is blowing and is made by blowing air through your lips. It is an unvoiced labial (rounded) sound. Some describe it as having your mouth rounded and ready to make a whistling sound.
For a deeper understanding of “unvoiced labial” please see our charts under, "Additional Recordings: Sounds & Songs."

hw
i

is pronounced like the
ee in the English word meet.

ii

is pronounced like the ee in the English word meet, but it is held longer.

k

The Hul'q'umi'num'  k  is like the hard c in the English word, cat or, K as in king. It mostly appears in borrowed words that  describe things from settler’s language. For example, kupou (coat) is borrowed from the French language.

kw

The Hul'q'umi'num'  kw  
is an unvoiced labial sound made by rounding your lips when you pronounce the hard c sound or the k sound (as in cat and king).
 We hear this sound in English in the words queen, quiet or quick.

kw'

kw’  is an unvoiced harder sound than plain kw and “pops” when air from the wind pipe that is blocked at the place of articulation is forcefully released.

The Hul’q’umi'num'  L  is generated by curling the tongue up and putting the tip of the tongue to the ridge behind the upper teeth, and 
sending the “hum” through the tongue (like when saying the English word long).

Note: Glottal L’ is made the same way, but remember to cut off the sound with a sudden aspiration (release of breath).

L
LH

The Hul’q'umi'num'  LH is a tricky unvoiced sound.
 Some describe it as an angry cat sound.
 Make this sound by placing the tip of your tongue as though to make a plain L sound, but don’t voice it. This is the place in your mouth where the LH sound is pronounced, but it is an unvoiced sound. Now, allow the air to release against the sides of the cheeks and out the sides of the mouth. 
It may help to smile while you do it.
 It may help to fill your lungs with air and bring in your belly while you blow air out. 
 It may help to have a drink of water first, so that the mouth is not dry.
Sometimes it is mistaken for the English TH or SH sound, but it is not the same.

 

m

The Hul'q'umi'num' m  
is generated by putting the lips together, and basically, humming. The m is pronounced like the  m  in the English word, meet.

m'

The Hul'q'umi'num'   m'   is made the same way as plain m, but remember to cut off the sound with a sudden aspiration (release of breath).

n

The Hul’q'umi'num'  n  
is generated by putting the tongue to the ridge behind the upper teeth (like the n sound in English), and sending the “hum” through the tongue. The n sound is much like the one in the English word, neat.

n'

The Hul'q'umi'num' sound for  n'  is made the same way as  plain  n, but remember to cut off the sound with a sudden aspiration (release of breath).

o

The sound for letter o is pronounced like the English word, "oh" with lips rounded; as in the English words,
go or low.

o'

Glottalized o' ends abruptly with a glottal stop; the sound is cut off by a sudden aspiration (release of breath).

oo

The Hul'q'umi'num' sound for  oo  is elongated - it is held longer than the  o  sound.
It is more like the English words: too, boo, zoo, moon

ou

There are some since-contact words that required the use of a different sounding vowel to match the English sound. 

The s'ul'eluhw (elders) came up with the  ou  for some hul'q'umi'num'ized English words, for example, mousmus, for cow.

It is pronounced like the oo in the English word, hoot. The Hul’q’umi’num’ ou sound is not held as long as the Hul’q’umi’num’ oo sound.

p

- The Hul'q'umi'num'  p  never says the letter name, pee.
- English words that have a similar sound are: pond, point, pop.


- The sound is made by making a small release of air through closed lips.

p'

The Hul'q'umi'num'  sounds for p and p' never say the letter name, pee.
p' is made by a small, sharp release of air through closed lips. It is similar to the plain p  sound, but with a popping sound. English words with this sound are: nope & yup.
Glottalized p’ ends abruptly with a glottal stop - the sound is cut off by a sudden aspiration/breath.

More sounds coming soon

© 2023 by Sunshine Lab. Proudly created with Wix.com

bottom of page