Talk:Chilcotin language

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[edit] Chilcotin placenames?

I don't make a habit of contributing to language pages, other than Chinook Jargon, Canadian English and Canadian slang, but I have a peripheral interest in Chilcotin toponymy because of its presence in the local landscape in the area where I'm from which is part of St'at'imc territory, but with a historical Chilcotin presence to the north and west. I noticed the linguistics input on this page and dropped by looking to see if there were any examples of Chilcotin words and phrases. Nope, not in a lexicographical fashion anyway.

What few I know are in anglicized placenames or, more famously, certainly individual names - Klatsassan/Klatassine, Tlell, Klymtedza being the three from the story of the Chilcotin War that pop to mind right away. Tlell may be Chinook Jargon in origin - tlale or klale is "black", but there may be a Chilcotin name/word that this is based on (spelling is from the Rev. Lunden Brown); Klymtedza was, IIRC, Donald MacLean's wife and a kinsman of Klatsassan - whose "name" is supposed to mean "we don't know who that is".

It's a couple of placenames, though, I was prepared to add here, but I don't know the proper orthography to give their correct Chilcotin forms:

• Shulaps Range - shulaps is from the Chilcotin word for the ram of the mountain sheep (the second-highest peak in this range is Big Dog Mountain, supposedly from the Chilcotin word for "big dog", meaning "horse"; there is a Big Sheep Mountain, of much lower elevation, on a spur from the range, which begins about 20mi WNW of the town of Lillooet)
• Yalakom River - yalakom is from the Chilcotin word for the ewe of the mountain sheep; this river flanks the northern flank of the Shulaps Range; its valley is commonly known locally simply as "the Yalakom". A particular polystriated rock found in this basin is known as yalakomite, which might be one of the only English technical words with a Chilcotin word as the root.
• Tyaughton Lake - an anglicization of a Chilcotin word also rendered into English as Tyoax or Tyax (the latter is a modern resort name, simplified from the former which was the common version 40 years ago). Tyaughton or, perhaps, TyaxtEn (?), is supposed to mean "jumping fish"

Chilcotin placenames I don't know the meaning of:

• Nemaia
• Yohetta
• Tchaikazan
• Chilanko
• Taseko
• Chilko
• Tatla; Tatlayoko
• Puntzi
• Anahim (different, I think, from Anaham)
• Itcha
• and, of course, lots more

• Tsi'lo7s is the Chilcotin name for Mount Tatlow. The Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia uses Tsy'los, which is intentionally simplified to omit the '7' (glottal stop) for English speakers, similarly the 'y' is intended to encourage the right pronunciation rather than to be orthographically correct.
• Xeni Gwet'in - think I got that spelled right; it's the proper name for the Stony Chilcotin subgroup, also known as the Nemaia Valley people.....Am I right in thinking that Gwet'in is a cognate of Gwichin?Skookum1 07:35, 30 March 2006 (UTC)