Callipeen
Chinookers will recognize “callipeen” as a Jargon word for “rifle”–or generically for “gun”. I’m more used to the synonym “maskit” (musket), but both are valid.
Like a lot of languages’ words for this weapon, its origin is ultimately in French: “carbine”.
How do you personally pronounce that word in English? I wonder if this one got into Chinook Jargon directly from French (“car-bean”) or else from a distinctly English way of saying it (“car-byne”).
What makes this word noteworthy to me today is this: I’ve learned Callipeen is the trade name of a series of rifles manufactured by Jakobs Co. in a popular video game. (That’s a link to the Borderlands Wiki.)
And the names of individual models in the series are also from Chinook Jargon: the E’enastick and the Kwalal Kwalal. (I’ll leave those untranslated to invite your preferred translations.)
Online, I’ve also seen mentions of models named Diaub, Chinook, Tumtum and Muckamuck.
I am interested in the Michif version of French and how carbine was pronounced. I believe most of the French words in Chinook were adopted with their Canadien accent(eg lamotai =mountain). Could this be why I have trouble with lesap = egg and lasway = silk. I assume eenastick is beaver gun and kwaLAL kwaLAL is to gallop. I believe maskit was one of the first words recorded in Chinook by Lewis and Clark. It would have entered via maritime trade therefore Pasten or Kinchosh English. Callipeen may have come through the Passiouks French.
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on second thought eenastick is beaver tree or willow as apparently beavers chew on the bark. Klonas.
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