Activity:
Students find pairs and practice the Territorial Acknowledgment and common greetings and sayings in Secwepemctsin. After the activity, bring the group back together and ask how that felt to try speaking in Secwepemctsin. Connect the activity to how Aboriginal ELL feel when learning English.
Secwepemctsin (language of the Secwepemc) is one of the Interior Salish languages of the large Salishan language family. Secwepemctsin sound system consists of 43 consonants and 5 vowels. Many of these sounds are not found in the English language and are difficult to learn (First Peoples Cultural Council, 2020).
Territorial Acknowledgment:
The campuses of Thompson Rivers University are located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Secwepemc Nation within Secwepemcul’ecw. As we share knowledge, teaching, learning and research within this university, we recognize that this territory has always been a place of teaching and learning.We acknowledge TkâemlĂșps te Secwepemc. We acknowledge T’exelcemc and Xat’sĂșll. We respectfully acknowledge the Secwepemcâthe peoples who have lived here for thousands of years.
Common Greetings and Sayings in Secwepemctsin:
Weyt-kp xwexwĂ©ytep (Wait-kp)â Hello (to several people)
[Insert your name] ren skwekwst (en sk-west) – My name is
Te [insert place you are from] re st7Ă©7kwen (Te [insert place] eh st-eh-kwen) – I am from
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Weyt-k â Hello (to one person)
Weyt-kp â Hello (to many people)
TscwinĂșcw-k â Iâm glad you made it through the night (traditional Secwepemc âgood morningâ)
TscwinĂșcw-kp â Iâm glad you all made it through the night.
Le7 te secwĂ©nÌwen â good morning (literal translation from English to SecwepemctsĂn)
Le7 te sitqÌt â good day
Le7 te sĂtest â good evening
Me7 wĂkstsen â see you
Me7 wĂktlmen â see you all later
Ec k etĂcucw â sleep well and good night (traditional âgood nightâ)
Ec kp etĂcucw â sleep well and good night all of you
PutĂșcw â goodbye
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Kukstemc â thanks
KukstsĂ©tsemc â Thank you in the humblest manner (thank you so much, eternally grateful, etc.)
E tÌ7e7k-ken â excuse me
QwenĂ©n-ken â I want âŠ
Me7e â yes
Ta7a â no
SwetĂ7 ke7 skwest? â who are you? What is your name?
Le7-en-k tÌuc? â how are you? Are you well?
CuÌ7tsem â again, repeat
Ta7 ks tselxemstĂ©ten â I donât understand, I donât know
ThĂ©7en re â where is âŠ?