Kamloops Chinuk Wawa: modern-times Chinook

In which we make the case that Chinook Jargon is well-equipped to discuss modern times.

See how expressively the language is used here to talk about the latest in skyscrapers:

Iakwa msaika nanich mokst aias haws kopa Chikago:
Here you folks can see two big buildings in Chicago:

klaska komtaks mamuk aias sahali haws kopa Shikago.
they know how to build very tall buildings in Chicago.

Ukuk haws iakwa iaka drit sahali, klunas
This building here is really tall, about 

<350> fut. Ilo stik haws ukuk, ilo
350 feet.  It’s not a wooden building, not 

ston haws ukuk. Chikmin haws ukuk,
a stone building either.  It’s a metal building,  

stil haws ukuk. <X> Kikuli klaska mamuk
a steel building.  Beneath it there was built 

flor kopa chikmin stil. Klaska iskom ayu rils
a floor from metal, steel.  They took a lot of rails 

kakwa ril rod iaka rils, klaska mamuk klaska
like a railroad’s rail, they laid them 

kanamokst pus mamuk skukum flor. Wiht
together to make a strong floor.  Again 

sahali kopa ukuk klaska mamuk iht wiht
above this they built another 

flor, drit kakwa, pi wiht iht: tlun stil
floor, just like it, and another still: three steel 

ril flor. Iawa klaska mamuk stil post,
rail floors.  Then they put in steel posts, 

stil iktas pus mamuk sahali ukuk haws
steel things to raise up this building, 

kanawi iaka stil, pi sahali kopa ukuk
it’s all steel, and on top of this 

stil, klaska mamuk mitlait aias tlus ston,
steel, they put beautiful stone, 

kakwa glas, kakwa marbl, ilo stik; kakwa
like glass, like marble, not wood; this way, 

wik kata chako paia ukuk haws. Drit aias
this building can’t catch fire.  It’s a very large 

haws: ilip ayu kopa <1 000> rum mitlait
building: more than 1,000 rooms are 

kopa ukuk haws, pi klunas msaika wawa:
in this building, and you might say: 

Pi kata tilikom klatwa sahali ukuk haws?
But how do people get up in this building?

Klunas aias til lipii iht man, pi iaka
A person’s feet might be awfully tired before he 

tlap kopa sahali. Wik kakwa. Klaska mitlait
could reach the top.  Not so.  They have 

kakwa ril rod, iaka nim ilivitor, drit tanas
(a thing) like a railroad, called an elevator, a tiny 

ril rod, mitlait kar, mitlait tikit man, pi tilikom
railroad that has cars, it has a conductor, and people 

piii <5> sins iht man pus klatwa sahali
pay 5 cents a person to go up 

ukuk haws. Kakwa aias tawn ukuk haws:
this building.  This building is like a big town: 

<5 000> tilikom mitlait kopa iht haws kakwa:
there are 5,000 people in one such building; 

mitlait makmak haws. Mitlait makuk haws, mitlait
there’s a restaurant, there are shops, there’s 

kanawi ikta kopa iht kakwa haws, drit kakwa
everything in a building like this one, it’s just like 

tawn ukuk haws, pi drit ayu shikmin ukuk
a town this building is, and it (costs) really a lot of money, this 

haws. Alta klaska tiki mamuk kakwa
building.  Now they want to build such  

haws kopa Nyu Iork. Ankati kopit Shikago
buildings in New York.  It used to be that only Chicago 

mitlait kakwa haws.
had such buildings.  

— KW #131 (August 1895), page 116