This is Lingít Word of the Week. Each week, we feature a Lingít word voiced by master speakers. Lingít has been spoken throughout present-day Southeast Alaska and parts of Canada for over 10,000 years.
Gunalchéesh to X̱’unei Lance Twitchell, Goldbelt Heritage Foundation and the University of Alaska Southeast for sharing the recorded audio for this series.
This week’s word is cháas’, or pink salmon. Listen to the audio below to learn how to say cháas’.
The following transcript is meant to help illustrate the words and sentences.
Kooshdáakʼu Bill Fawcett: Cháas’.
That means pink salmon, or humpy.
Here are some sentences:
Kooshdáakʼu Bill Fawcett: Ḵúnáx̱ áwé yaawa.aa wé cháas’
The pink salmon really flowed along.
Keiyishí Bessie Coolie: Tsʼas éilʼká káxʼ áwé yéi dag̱aatee, cháasʼ
The pink salmon are only on the saltwater coast.
Ḵaakal.áat Florence Marks Sheakley: Yá Yaakwdáat ku.oo has du ádix̱ sitee ya cháasʼ.
The pink salmon belongs to the people of Yakutat.
Keihéenák’w John Martin: Kwáashk’i Ḵwáan yéi s duwasáakw cháas’.
The Kwáashkʼi Ḵwáan are called humpback salmon.
You can hear each installment of Lingít Word of the Week on the radio throughout the week.
Find biographies for the master speakers included in this lesson here.
Learn more about why we use Lingít instead of Tlingit here.
