Nettie Rossig audio

Wiyot	English	Notes
0. Introduction	[(linguist) Karl Teeter:] Wiyot, spoken by Mrs. Nettie Rossig, Eureka, California	This word list was recorded on June 26, 1956. Teeter's notes say that she was 80 years old at the time of this interview.
1. Baduwat	Mad River
2. voupul	redwood log	Also pronounced voupul, and sometimes given as the name for the tree as well (not just a log).
3. pi’dughurragilh	blackberry	Literally means "it is sour".
4. vou’gul	huckleberry	Also pronounced mou'gul or wou'gul.
5. boukshughutsguqi’	thimbleberry	According to Reichard (1922), this word means roughly "little thing that sits upside down".
6. viqhul	salal berry	Also pronounced vi'qhul or miqhul.
7. kunabulilh	grizzly bear	Literally means "he bites".
8. maqh	grizzly bear	Also pronounced vaqh. Variously translated as "bear", "black bear", and "grizzly bear". (There are other words that specifically refer to black bear and grizzly bear).
9. me’luqh	elk	Also pronounced ve'luqh.
10. bushdou’l	chipmunk
11. valhuk	salmon	Also pronounced malhuk; literally means "feasting".
12. vatsuk	little girl
13. tsurarilh	young woman, teenaged girl
14. vachur	girl	Also pronounced machur.
15. burratun, burratu’n	baby
16. vulirr	eye	Also pronounced wulirr.
17. mupt	tooth, teeth	Also pronounced vupt or wupt.
18. balh	hair
19. voul	house	Also pronounced moul, and occasionally woul.
20. vutsitgughulh	chair	According to Reichard's (1922) notes, this literally means "something to put sitter on". Other pronunciations: sitghaghelh or rrutsitgughulh.
21. vutseshura’wulh	mortar stone, acorn pounding stone	Teeter's (ca. 1956) notes say this means "what you put down bottom" (i.e., it's under the thing you are grinding); Reichard's (1922) notes translate it as "what we pound on".
22. mus	fire	Also pronounced vus (or less frequently, mes, ves, wus, or wes).
23. vadi’	wood, firewood, tree(s)	Also pronounced madi'.
24. mun	oar	Also pronounced men or ven.
25. vurraji’	water	Literally means "what is drunk".
26. bitwu’lilh	basket plate
27. tigha’ri’	trout	Many, many plants and animals have more than one name in Wiyot (see item 28 below).
28. buditgane’lu’	trout	Many, many plants and animals have more than one name in Wiyot (see item 27 above).
29. vi’wurr	smoke	Also pronounced mi'wurr or ve'wurr.
30. melh	axe	Also pronounced velh.
31. be’l	cousin
32. vulouyuva’w	white
33. mus ya rraqh	red	Literally means "looks like flame" or "flame-colored".
34. Wigi	Humboldt Bay
35. Giloulh	Eel River
36. Wiyat	Eel River
37. wanaqh	tree
38. wa’gul	peppernut
39. we’daw	salmonberry
40. wough	hollow weed, cow parsnip (Heracleum lanatum)	Teeter asks Ms. Rossig for the word meaning "sweet root", but she gives him the word for "hollow weed" instead.
41. wulh	Indian "potato" with blue flowers
42. witgalh	coyote
43. waturrou’righu’ru’	skunk	Literally means "one whose behind stinks", according to Teeter's (ca. 1956) notes.
44. wuledat	razorback clam
45. we’s	hand
46. wutvut	head
47. we’sagh	five (5)	Literally means "one side (-sagh) of a hand (we's)".
48. wagulhat	pepperwood tree (California bay laurel)	The ending -ulhat means "tree" or "bush", so this word literally means "peppernut tree" (see wa'gul, no. 38 above).
49. wit	alder
50. wurrulaqh	today
51. qule walaqh	this morning	Literally "here morning" (walaqh = "morning").
52. diqa'	white man
53. diqa’ mutsa’wu’lhu’l	a kind of fern	Reichard (1922) says mutsawulh means "something to cut meat or fish on", so this word literally means "white man's thing to cut meat or fish on".
54. wuda du’tighusurru’ni’lu’	cow	Literally means "what you get milk out of with your hands".
55. duqht	cottontail rabbit
56. duqh	pitch	(Refers to a tar-like resin, such as from pine trees.)
57. rrana’lha’webulougilh	jackrabbit	Literally means "his ears are long".
58. wouda’ dishgiqagilh	quail	Literally means, "the one who talks about dead people". This is based on a traditional taboo about mentioning the dead directly; the quail's call is said to sound like the phrase "your mother lives," which if referring to someone's mother who had passed away, would have been a major taboo. (See item 105 below.)
59. dayughu’lu’	whale	According to Reichard's (1922) notes, this word literally means "behind has no hole, smooth; it has no opening where one should be"; Teeter (ca. 1964) agrees it means "no hole behind".
60. tgibus	small red crabs
61. tigha’ri’	trout
62. tsharr	mussel
63. joumashk	(land) snail, slug	Also pronounced joumashk. There is a different word for sea snails (voukt).
64. tsoutsgish	bird
65. jougi’chuchk	seagull
66. tighurrilh	young man
67. tsurarilh	young woman
68. tsek	child, children
69. diqa’	white man
70. duturr	nose
71. krrutgaduwilh	leg
72. duklhulouk	six (6)
73. tshanats	spoon	Literally means "little mussel shell" (from the word tsharr "mussel"), because women's spoons were made from mussel shells (see this photo of a ceremonial mussel shell spoon).
74. toul	pestle
75. tsgroulhighurru’ru’	black bear	Literally means "small-eyed one".
76. ta’murr	moon	Also used to mean "sun" or "clock"; usually pronounced ta'm.
77. shou’r	beach, coast, ocean
78. dini luga’	east, inland
79. yi da’sh	my father / my son
80. yi douk	my sister / my brother / my sibling
81. Duwa vulali’yum?	Where are you going?
82. rra’chuchk	boy
83. rrouwutvut	my head
84. rri’durr	two (2)
85. rrikurr	three (3)
86. rriya’wurr	four (4)
87. rrak jach	upriver	Literally "toward upriver"; rrak = "toward/in the direction of", and jach = "upriver". Wik jach means "from upriver" (wik = "from the direction of").
88. rralitguk	go in the mountains	This word may just mean "in the mountains/in the hills".
89. rrak vou’r	north	Literally "toward the north"; "from the north" would be wik vou'r. (The word for "shark" is also pronounced vou'r, but as far as I know it is unrelated to "north".)
90. rrak hut	south	Literally "toward the south"; "from the south" would be wik hut.
91. lashk	strawberry	Some speakers pronounced this word lash (without the final -k).
92. lalilh	river	Literally means "it goes along".
93. lughulhiswulh	hazel brush, hazel bush
94. lupda’w	cloud
95. lhuch	woodrat	Also pronounced lhech.
96. lha’wirou’wulh	sewing needle	Reichard (1922) says this means "what you use to pick out briars", but I am not convinced this is correct. A traditional needle made from a deer rib bone, used for making tule mats, is called paklh.
97. siswayuplhi’	an edible seaweed	Literally "black hairlike thing".
98. shi’rouki’	old woman
99. siswaqi’	maidenhair fern	Literally "black-stemmed".
100. Soulatluk	Wiyot language	Literally "our jaw"; also used by some speakers as the name of the Wiyot people.
101. shagha’duw	gill net
102. gatsura	soaproot
103. kunubulilh	grizzly bear	Literally means "he bites".
104. wuda’ dishgiqagilh	quail	Literally means, "the one who talks about dead people". This is based on a traditional taboo about mentioning the dead directly; the quail's call is said to sound like the phrase "your mother lives," which if referring to someone's mother who had passed away, would have been a major taboo. (See item 105 below.)
105. Kuga daqh.	"Your mother lives." (what the quail says)	This is what the quail's call is said to sound like. Traditionally, it was a major taboo to directly mention a person who had passed away, so one of the names for quail means "the one who talks about dead people" (see items 58 & 104 above).
106. sukseswilh	otter	According to Reichard (1922), this literally means "he takes an ugly mouthful".
107. gou’murr	mink	Possibly related to the verb goumurr, meaning "to be soft".
108. goumayoulilh	sea lion	Literally means "swims around", or perhaps more accurately, "turns around and around swimming".
109. wa’shuqe’yu’	a dead whale
110. kimuk	whale	Also pronounced kemuk. In this recording, Teeter says this word refers to the whale when it is being cut up; however, several speakers gave this as a general word for "whale".
111. gou’daw	eel (Pacific lamprey)
112. gutvay’	a small edible clam
113. quqh	frog
114. gouwi’	man
115. kagurrawi’wilh	woman	One of several words for "woman"; this one means "she wears a dress".
116. gaqilh	old man	Literally means "one who knows", i.e. a wise man. The word for Creator or God is Datrri Gaqilh, meaning "Above Old Man" or (literally) "Above-One-Who-Knows".
117. vuloul	mouth	Also pronounced veloul or wuloul, and also used to refer to a hole.
118. gou’tsurr	one (1)
119. gi’mila’ghulh	cup	Also pronounced givula'ghulh, gimulaghulh, giwulagulh. Literally means "what is used to dip with", and also refers to a woven basketry dipper.
120. ga’muk	acorn
121. kaluwou’	large basket
122. kughu’ba’y	pipe	Curtin (1889) says this word refers to a pipe made of stone. Teeter (ca. 1956) says it literally means "hold in your mouth".
123. kuvalh	willow	Also pronounced kuwalh, and translated by Reichard (1925) as "dusky-leaved willow" and "willow (gray leaves) used for open wicker basket".
124. goulilhuqi’	lightning	Also pronounced hilhuk, helhuk, or dulilhuk.
125. gouwuli’	earthquake
126. huruwulhari’	tomorrow
127. gou qupshoul	covered up
128. gawu siswek	dusk	Literally "it starts to get dark".
129. gou kou’nurr	night
130. giyaw	no
131. Giloulh	Eel River
132. gou boutsurouy	a whistle
133. gachvayichanuwilh	handkerchief	Both Reichard and Teeter say this word means roughly "what is used to wipe one's nose".
134. halhuqh	deer
135. hout	surf fish
136. hiwa’gulughutk	cockle	Literally means "large and round".
137. houlhi’	horse clam	Also translated as "bay clam" or just "clam".
138. hiwat	abalone
139. hanouna’si’	snake	Also pronounced halou'na'si', and literally means "crawls/slithers along".
140. ha’rich	snake	Also pronounced ha'rech. Reichard (1925) says it refers to garter snakes.
141. kagurrawi'wilh	woman	One of several words for "woman"; this one means "she wears a dress".
142. humoutwilh	woman	This word refers to the traditional "apron" or front skirt worn by women, called moutw or voutw.
143. halou'wi'	canoe, boat	Literally means "it comes along".
144. hou'l	water
145. halat	thunder
146. hiqh	snow	Also pronounced heqh. Two other words are also pronounced hiqh or heqh: one means "head louse/lice", and the other means "deerskin cape" or "buckskin/deerskin/animal hide".
147. gouruwulha'	daylight	See item 159 below for what is probably a more complete pronunciation of this word.
148. wu'daw	salmonberry	Also pronounced we'daw.
149. bushdou'l	chipmunk
150. we'sagh	five (5)	Literally means "one side (-sagh) of a hand (we's)".
151. we's	hand
152. gou'murr	mink	Possibly related to the verb goumurr, meaning "to be soft".
153. vi'wurr	smoke	Also pronounced mi'wurr or ve'wurr.
154. rriya'wurr	four (4)
155. gou kou'nurr	night
156. tsharr	mussel
157. vulirr	eye	Also pronounced wulirr.
158. rri'durr	two (2)
159. gouruwulha'r	daylight
160. burratu’n	baby	Reichard (1925) says this refers to a baby in a basket (see item 161 below).
161. burratu’nuwe’	baby basket	Also pronounced burratunuwe'l.

Nettie Rossig audio

0. Introduction

1. Baduwat

2. voupul

3. pi’dughurragilh

4. vou’gul

5. boukshughutsguqi’

6. viqhul

7. kunabulilh

8. maqh

9. me’luqh

10. bushdou’l

11. valhuk

12. vatsuk

13. tsurarilh

14. vachur

15. burratun, burratu’n

16. vulirr

17. mupt

18. balh

19. voul

20. vutsitgughulh

21. vutseshura’wulh

22. mus

23. vadi’

24. mun

25. vurraji’

26. bitwu’lilh

27. tigha’ri’

28. buditgane’lu’

29. vi’wurr

30. melh

31. be’l

32. vulouyuva’w

33. mus ya rraqh

34. Wigi

35. Giloulh

36. Wiyat

37. wanaqh

38. wa’gul

39. we’daw

40. wough

41. wulh

42. witgalh

43. waturrou’righu’ru’

44. wuledat

45. we’s

46. wutvut

47. we’sagh

48. wagulhat

49. wit

50. wurrulaqh

51. qule walaqh

52. diqa'

53. diqa’ mutsa’wu’lhu’l

54. wuda du’tighusurru’ni’lu’

55. duqht

56. duqh

57. rrana’lha’webulougilh

58. wouda’ dishgiqagilh

59. dayughu’lu’

60. tgibus

61. tigha’ri’

62. tsharr

63. joumashk

64. tsoutsgish

65. jougi’chuchk

66. tighurrilh

67. tsurarilh

68. tsek

69. diqa’

70. duturr

71. krrutgaduwilh

72. duklhulouk

73. tshanats

74. toul

75. tsgroulhighurru’ru’

76. ta’murr

77. shou’r

78. dini luga’