1895: Real-world Northern Chinook Jargon (An apology for “turning Métis”?)
Nah, we’re talking about dysgraphia!
Just kidding, on all counts.
Image credit: Sensory Processing Disorder Parent Support, on Facebook
But here’s a reading selection for you to follow, showing how someone dealt with complaints from readers of his Chinook Jargon newspaper.
Read along & learn how CJ is actually spoken!
< An apology. > Kansih tilikom sik tomtom kopa ukuk
‘Several people have been upset with this’pipa: klaska nanich Inglish wawa pi Frinch wawa kopa ukuk
‘paper; they see English and French in this’pipa, pi klaska wawa: Klunas ukuk Kamlups Wawa pipa tiki chako
‘paper and say, “Maybe this Kamloops Wawa paper is trying to turn’sitkom Sawash alta. < X> Tlus wik sik msaika tomtom:
‘Métis now!’ Don’t be upset;’iaka kopit alta ukuk nsaika tiki mamuk cim kopa ukuk pipa.
‘what we wanted to write in this paper is done now.’Ayu hwait man mitlait kopa Boston ilihi, kopa Kanada ilihi, kopa
‘Lots of Whites in America, Canada,’King Chorch ilihi, kopa Frinch man ilihi, pi kopa hloima wiht ilihi
‘Britain, France, and other countries’klaska nanich ukuk Kamlups Wawa pipa, klaska aias tiki
‘read this Kamloops Wawa paper; they love’komtaks ikta ukuk pipa, kakwa nsaika mamuk cim ukuk tanas
‘learning what this paper is, so we wrote that bit’ayu Inglish pi Frinch kopa klaska.
‘of English and French for them.’Wiht iht iht wawa: iaka drit tanas ukuk tsim wik
‘Some others say, “This writing is really small! We’re just’saia nsaika blain pus nsaika nanich [Ø]. Nawitka ukuk pipa
‘about too blind to read it.” Yes, those issues’No. < 124.> pi No. < 123.> klaska drit tanas: wik nsaika
‘No. 123 and No. 124 are really little; we didn’t’tomtom pus kakwa: Kanada man iaka tsipi klunas kata
‘mean for it to be that way; a Canadian messed up, gosh knows how’pi iaka tsipi. Alta iaka tlap ayu wawa kopa ukuk iaka tsipi
‘but he messed up. Now he’s had a good talking-to about that mistake of his,’pi iaka kopit mamuk tanas tsim kakwa.
‘and he’ll stop making such little writing.’Ukuk tsim kopa No. < 118.> “Ankati ST mamuk sahali ilihi
‘That writing in No. 118, “Once God made heaven’pi ukuk ilihi.” < X> Iaka drit ukuk cim kakwa nsaika tiki mamuk [Ø]
‘and this earth”, that writing is truth, so we wanted to produce it.’Wik msaika wawa: Mamuk ilip aias kopa ukuk: wik kata
‘Don’t say, “Make a bigger one of that”; we can’t’nsaika mamuk ilip aias kopa ukuk. Ayu chikmin ukuk mamuk
‘make a bigger one of it. This work costs a lot of money;’wik mitlait chikmin pus mamuk ilip aias kopa ukuk tsim. Ukuk
‘there’s no money to make a bigger one of that printing. That’tsim drit tlus kopa klaksta komtaks Chinuk pipa.
‘printing is just fine for anyone who knows Chinook Writing.’Ukuk tsim kopa No. < 123>, pich < 200>, iaka tanas, pi iaka
‘That writing in No. 123, page 200, is small, but it’s’drit tlus. Kanawi tilikom komtaks Chinuk pipa aiak nanich kanawi
‘really good. Everyone who knows Chinook Writing can read all’ukuk tsim.
‘of that writing.’
