ON THE ETHNOLOGICAL SURVEY OF CANADA. 385 



tions of this particle in HalkOme'lEni. A few illustrations of its use here will be of 

 interest. In Tcil'Qe'uk its functions are not quite the same as in some of tlie neigh- 

 bouring sub-dialects. In the contiguous Pila'tlq, for example (as in the SnanaimuQ 

 of Vancouver Island, according to Dr. Boas), Ie or le or its equivalent ne is regularly 

 used in the present tense. Thus: lE-teil-ka'kai, I am sick, lE-tcit-ku'Icai, we are 

 sick. And the past or aorist is le-q-toil-Jca'Jcai, I was sick, le-q-tcii-ku'kai, 'we were 

 sick. This is not the case in Tcil'Qe'uk. Although it appears at times in what seems 

 to be a present tense and is usually translated by our present tense, strictly speak- 

 ing it can never be considered as a present tense form. Even in the Pila'tlq and 

 such dialects as use it regularly in the present tense forms, although the expression 

 I lam sick,' ko., is given by the Indians themselves as the equivalent of lE-tcil-ka'kai, 

 it does not rightly express the sense of the native idiom. Its use in TcilQe'uk makes 

 this quite clear. It is more than kakai-tcil ' I am ick.' For with the statement of 

 present sickness is conveyed also the statement of -past sickness. LE-tcil-ka'kai 

 signifies rather ' I have become sick,' a state or condition which came out of the 

 past, unknown to, or rather in the absence of, the person to whom the invalid is 

 talking, and continued down to the present moment. It was the ' absence ' of the 

 interlocutor of the patient when the state began that brings the particle of ' absence ' 

 here in the present tense. This is clear from the following use of it in Tcil'Qe'uk. 

 Thus I say in this dialect tcil-kal, ' I believe,' to any first-hand statement made 

 directly to me ; but if the statement was first made to someone else in my ' absence ' 

 and afterwards told to me by another person I then say lE-tcil-kul, ' I believe.' Thus 

 in speaking of Scriptural statements the form Is-tcil-kal is always used. The fol- 

 lowing expressions show a different usage again for this particle in Tcil'Qe'uk, and 

 further illustrate the change of position of the inflexional pronoun. We will sup- 

 pose I have determined to go hunting. I am preparing for the task and a neighbour 

 drops in and asks me what I am going to do. My answer in such an instance^would 

 always be : lE-tcil-aluV wa, ' I am going hunting.' Here Ie marks future action. It 

 is necessary here because the action is ' absent ' or ' there.' I have started ; I am in 

 the forest ; another person meets me and asks : ' What are you doing ? ' The proper 

 reply this time is ahd'wa-tcil, ' I'm hunting.' I continue the hunt ; I come upon my 

 game ; the gun is at my shoulder ; I am on the point of shooting ; a third friend 

 happens along at this moment and says : ' What are you doing ? ' I respond this 

 time thus: Etcil-aha'wa, ' I am just going to shoot.' I have been hunting for some 

 time, it may be ; I am tired ; I sit down to rest ; another friend comes along and 

 says : ' \yhat are you doing ? ' This time I answer, e-toil-aha'wa, ' I have just been 

 hunting.' I have returned from my hunt ; I am met again bv someone who asks, 

 ' What have you been doing 1 ' I reply now, U-tl-tcil-aha'wa, '"l have been hunting.' 

 I am at home again, and the person who first accosted me comes in and remarks : 

 ' You've got back.' I answer, lE-tcil-WE-tl-hai-aluVwa, ' Yes, I've finished my 

 hunting.' 



These examples bring out some of the niceties of the Halkome'lEm verb as seen 

 in Tcil'Qe'uk, and show us at the same time how ^e or me has in .some dialects 

 come to mark ' past' and in others ' future' action or state. 



Examples of ToiVaii'iilt, Syntax. 



this house, tE e la lil'lEm ; these houses, tE G la lElii'lEm. 



that house, tE le ti lii'lEm ; those houses, tE Ie ti iBla'lEm. 



that hat, tE le ti yu'suk ; those hats, tE le ti yil'lsuk. 



these two hats, tE G la yisa'muk or yisa'la ya'suk. 



right eye, cwiiyii'lus; left eye, ckwa'lus ; both ej-es, cwai'yElus. 



right ear, siya'lla ; left ear, c'k-wa'lla ; both ears, k-wGik-wol. 



right hand, c'ye'wus ; left hand, c'kwG'wus ; both hands, tEltii'lO, 



right foot, c'Hyil ; left foot, c'k'OHyil ; both feet, c'hehvi'I. 



one dog, lE'tsa skwomai' ; two dogs, isii'la skwomai'. 



many dogs, keq skwomai'. 



few dogs, au'a ke'qEs skwomai' or qii'la skwomai'. 



all the dogs, muk- skwomai'. 



some dogs, skwomkwomai'. 



no dogs, aui'ta skwomai'. 



one hat, lE'tsa ya'suk or lE'tsawok. 



two hats, yisii'la ya'suk or sa'mok. 



many hats, keq ya'suk. 



1902. c 



