Chinook Jargon Phrasebook

Verbs & Concepts

At my second revision I considered a logical way to introduce the verbs and verb compounds, but there are no exactly transitive or instransitive words in the Jargon (only words, pure and simple) and the use of compounds bridges the customary differences in other languages (language theorists are welcome to explain my mistake to me in this, if I've made one).  Even "verbs of motion", "abstract verbs" etc. don't work as categories because the same compounds can sometimes be in either category.  There also was no point to alphabetization of this page (except for the English-Chinook section)  What I've decided is to introduce the most commonly first-learned words that anyone learning a language from scratch needs to know; and as in other languages it happens that these are the most common for forming compound verbs - the way aller, etre, vouloir etc. are used in French or "to do", "to have" etc. are in English, with the difference here that compound-formation in the Jargon does not (necessarily) have anything to do with tense, but rather with the creation of whole new concepts, sometimes bizarrely different from the original meaning, yet fairly obvious in concept/construction; sometimes not so obviously, as you'll see.  Often very originally, however.  The minidex just below also provides direct links to compounds formed of the most common compound-forming verbs; the same links will also be found for the entries for each root-verb in addition to the most-needed compounds of each verb; a full list of their compounds (or possible/theoretical compounds) can be found by clicking on the relevant link in each section; some of which are necessarily cross-linked, as in the case of, for example, chako kumtux.  Not all compounds of these verbs are necessarily verbs, but they are included here as examples of the verb's uses and underlying concept.

Chinook-English
English-Chinook

Chinook-English Verb List with Idioms
English-Chinook Verb List

Mamook - to make, to do, to do; also "an action"  Similar to the French "faire". Extensively used for compounds idioms for both active and passive voices:  See- Mamook Compounds.  NB Mamooks - deeds
Mitlite - to be, to be at, to stay, to remain, to live at/in, to be alive, to sit down, to remain
As an imperative - Sit down! Also used idiomaticlaly where English might use "to have", i.e. "there is"; and as a question by intonation "is there?".

Mitlite kopa house - he/she/it is in the house.
Mitlite hiyu samman kopa maika? - "Have you plenty of salmon", i.e. "Are there many salmon with you?". or lit. "do you have lots of salmon?"
Kah naika mitlite? - Where do you live?  In modern usage, this is in a telephone or internet conversation could mean "where are you?"
Mitlite keekwullie - to sit down, to put under. also perhaps "to be abased" although this would better be said as "mahsh keekwulee"
Kunsih tillikum mitlite? - How many people are/were there?
Mitlite tenas - to be with child, idiomatically, although this could also mean "to be small".
Cultus mitlite - to loiter, to stop anywhere without particular reason; and can also mean "it/he/she is useless/evil/commonplace.

Mahsh chuck kopa boat - bail out the boat.
Mahsh okook samman - throw away that salmon.
Mahsh maika capo - take off your coat.
Mahsh tenas - to have a child, to give birth.
Yaka mahsh tumtum kopa naika - he has given me his orders, he has told me his wishes.
Mahsh kow - to untie.
Mahsh stone - to castrate ("to lose one's self-respect?).
Mahsh Keekwulee - to humiliate, to demote, to make low.
Mahsh Compounds

Skookum tumtum - to be brave, to be strong-hearted, to be firm
Sick tumtum - to feel unwell, to be sad, to be depressed
Heehee tumtum - to be amused
Klee tumtum - to be happy
Mamook tumtum - to make up one's mind

Kumtux Dutchman wawa - to understand German, or to be able to speak German. (Dutchman could also mean Dutch, Norwegian, or any other northen or eastern European language/people other than English and French)
Kiuatan yaka kumtux cooley - fast horse, race horse
See Kumtux Compounds.

Potlatch, Patlatch - to give, to receive
As a noun, a gift, a giving, or a gift-feast, one of the main instruments of Northwest society/economy and a lynchpin of ceremonial and political activity between different families, bands and nations.

Cultus potlatch - a gift, or a worthless gift.
Mamook potlatch - to make a gift (of something) or to throw a potlatch-feast. The institution of the potlatch was a foundation of Northwest Coast society and economics, and is worthy of a whole webpage of its own.

Maika na iskum? - Did you get it? Do you have it?
Ticky Iskum - want to have/own

Muckamuck - food, to eat

Mamook muckamuck - cook food, make dinner
Olo muckamuck - to be hungry
Hyas muckamuck - feast, big meal
Hiyu muckamuck - lots of food
High muckamuck - bigshot, one who sits at the head table, corruption of hiyu/hyas muckamuck - (somebody) with lots of food.  Giving away copious amounts of food (and lots of other stuff) at the potlatch (a big feast, lit. a big give-away) distinguished someone in local society,

Mitwhit youtl- to stand proud, to stand tall
Mitwhit skookum- to resist, to stand up (bravely)

Kloshe nanitch

Mamook klap - to seek ("make found").
Klap tenass - to be with child.
Klap tumtum, klap kumtux - more specifically "to remember" than simply klap.

Klatawa teawhit - to walk, to go on foot.
Klatawa kopa kiuatan or klatawa kopa cayoosh - to ride a horse.  Klatawa kiuatan would more likely mean "the horse goes", "the horse is walking".
Klatawa kopa boat or klatawa kopa ship - to take a boat, or to sail.
Klatawa sail - to unfurl the sails, to sail by wind.  In the historic context, I would consider klatawa kopa ship to involve a major journey, as ship referred to ocean-going sailing ships or, later on, to steamers. Klatawa kopa sail would mean "to to by sailboat" (as opposed to steam or paddle/oarcraft).
Mamook klatawa - to send. See Mamook Compounds.

Chako - to come, to arrive

Ko - to reach, to arrive at

Kopet - stop, to stop, to leave off

Kalapi - to turn, to return, to upset, to turn over

Tseepie - to mistake, to be in error

Tseepie wayhut - to take the wrong road

Cooley, coolie - run

Kawak - to fly

Kwalal-kwalal - to gallop
The accent is on the second syllable of each kwalal.  NB difference from kalakala - bird.

Wawa - to talk, to say
Also means "speech" and "words", "language". Note Cantonese wa - word, wa-wa - words.

Mamook [x]  lalang is the same as mamook [x] wawa - to speak [x] language, except in the case of the jargon itself, for which only mamook Chinook wawa would be more specific, though unnecessary by context, perhaps; the preposition kopa might be used in these phrases following mamook.  Also mamook yiem - "to tell a story" may be the same as mamook wawa, to relate, to tell, although the latter instance more refers to making a speech, or having a conversation.

Huyhuy, hui-hui - to trade, to do business, to barter
Thought to originate from French oui-oui/ouai-ouai (yes, yes), referring to the conclusion of a deal, or spoken in encouragement of one.

Mamook huyhuy - to strike a deal.

Kapswalla - to steal. Klatawa kapswalla - to go/travel stealthily/silently

Ipsoot - to hide, hidden.

Mamook ipsoot - to hide, to be hidden, lit. to make hidden

Klak, klah - off, to take off, to get off
This is adjectival as much as it is a verb.

Mamook klak lassiet - take off the plates, remove the plates.
Klak kopa wayhut - to get out of the road.
Mamook klak stone kiuatan - to castrate a horse.

Ko-ko - to knock
perhaps originally a compound of ko - i.e. "someone's come" (as well as onomatopaeoia),

Koko stick - woodpecker
Kloshe koko stick - (better) knock on wood

Moosum - sleep, to sleep

Memaloose, memaloost - to die, dead, a corpse.  Mamook memaloose - to kill.
See mamook memaloose in Mamook Compounds.
 

Klakwun - to wipe, to lick
Apparently from klak - to take off.

Klakwun lassiet - to lick a plate.
Klakwun latab - to wipe a table.

Haul - to haul, to carry, to lift

Tolo - to earn, to gain, to win
Perhaps related to tola, dollah - dollar, money

Kow - to tie, to tie up, to fasten

Stoh - to loose, to untie

Tl'kope - to cut, to slice, to chop NB difference from t'kope - white. The "tl" sound is common in Northwest languages, and more resembles a "kl" or hard "lh"; "tl" commonly represents the same sound as "kl" in English-derived spellings of the Jargon; in reality they are the same sound - but as far as I know kl'kope was never used for this word.  All words that have "kl" in them could just as easily be spelled "tl", the sounds being indistinguishable and the spellings representative only of a choice made by the transcriber.  The same is true of words spelled with "lh", "lt" and "tlh" and the like.  See Prononciation.

Kokshut - to break, broken, to beat
Originally "dead".

Hyas kokshut - broken to pieces ("very broken").
Konaway kokshut - everything in ruins, i.e. big plans shot down.

Hullel - to shake, shaken
The sense here is of violent shaking, or trembling, as in a fever or in nervousness
 

Tshish, Chish - to sharpen.  Also means sharp.

Liplip - boil, to boil, boiled, boiling, etc.

Mamook liplip - boil some water, to make something boil

To-to - to shake, to sift, to winnow

Sopena - to jump

Sitshum - to swim

Kishkish - to drive, as in horses or cattle.

Kishkish chickchick - to drive a wagon

Heehee - to laugh, or a laugh.  Mamook hee-hee - to have fun, to play

Shantie, shauntie - to sing, a song
Older prononciation would resemble the French "chanter", i.e. shauntie, later on pronounced as the English "shanty", i.e. shantie.

Tanse - to dance, a dance

Wash - to wash

Wagh - to pour, to pour out, to empty, to spill
Also means "empty" ("poured out") and "to vomit".

Mamook wagh - pour out.

Hyas mamook kwutl - to haul tight, to tighten (a rope).

Poh - to blow; a puff of breath. NB Pooh - the sound of a gun firing; mamook pooh - to fire a gun

Wind - to breathe, to be alive. Also breath, wind, etc.

Memaloose - to die, to be dead; also "death" or "a corpse"

Mamook memaloose - to play dead or to kill, i.e. "to make (like) dead", which could also be expressed by kahkwa memaloose

Naika klemahun samman - I spear salmon.

Whim, mamook whim - to fell (a tree), to wrestle ("to fell a man").
Gibbs gives his as of Wasco origin, and says it is "of local use only", but I think its usage may have been wider.  Possibly related to wind/win, because of the role wind plays in the natural falling of trees.

Chuk-kin - to kick
Gibbs says this word was of local use in the Chehalis language region only.  A more truly jargon version might be mamook lepee - "make with the foot" or kwulh lepee - "strike with the foot".  However, since chuk-kin is from a Salishan language group, the probability that a similar word would be found among the Chinook-speakers of other Salishan districts of the Coast and Interior - in other words, throughout the majority of the Chinook-speaking region.

Hokumelh - to gather grain, to glean

Mamook Compounds

Mamook bloom - to sweep
Mamook chako - to fetch, to make to come
Mamook chickamin - to make money, to earn, to win (at gambling)
Mamook chuck - to make water, to go get water
Mamook cly - to make cry, to sadden, to become sad.  NB cly is a verb in its own right.
Mamook comb - to comb Mamook comb illahee - to plow (the land)  See mamook tsugh
Mamook cultus - to accomplish nothing, to work uselessly, "all that work for nothing", to make something worthless or broken.  NB See Cultus Compounds below.
Mamook dly - to dry (clothes), i.e. to put out to dry NB Chako dly - to become dry.
Mamook elann - to help Mamook help might also be used.
Mamook hahlakl - to open, to reveal.  Compare mamook klah and mamook laplash
Mamook haul - to haul or pull. Haul may be used by itself
Mamook hee-hee, mamook klee - to make laugh, to make/become happy, to make a joke. NB Cultus hee-hee - only a jest, "I'm only making a joke".

Mamook help - to help  Mamook elann might also be used.
Mamook hullel - to shake, to activate, to become active
Mamook huyhuy - to strike a bargain, to negotiate, to strike a deal
Mamook ikpooie - to shut, also to surround

Mamook illahee - to dig, perhaps to mine.  Potentially also "to work the land"
Mamook ipsoot - to hide, to make hidden
Mamook isick - to paddle
Mamook kapswalla - to make a theft; more commonly kapswalla mamook - to do secretly, to use stealth ("to steal" in its alternate/archaic sense in English) NB difference from Kapswalla klatawa - to steal away, to sneak out, to sneak away, to move about steathily.
Mamook keekwullie, mamook kickwillie, mamook quiggly - to lower, to make something go down
Mamook kilapi, mamook kalapie - to bring, to send back, to turn around, to carry back (perhaps "to change one's mind")
Mamook klah - to uncover, to expose.  Compare mamook hahlakl and mamook laplash.  Note related mamook klahanie
Mamook klahanie - to put outside Mamook klahanie okook - put that out (i.e. outside).  Note related mamook klah
Mamook klak - to take off, to remove.  Mamook klak kopa wayhut - get off the road.  Mamook klak stone kiuatan - to castrate a horse.Mamook klap - to seek ("to make found").
Mamook klatawa - to send, to make to go, to make travel
Mamook klawhap, mamook thlwop - to dig a hole
Mamook klimmin - to soften as by dressing a skin, or to soften up one's resolve or to make someone lie or to make a lie.
Mamook kloshe - to fix, to mend, to heal, to make better, "works good"; Mamook kloshe tumtum - to make friends, to make peace ("to make good feelings")  NB chako kloshe - to get better, i.e. to become better.
Mamook klugh illahee. to plow ("to tear the land").  Also just klugh illahee.  See mamook tsugh for other variations
Mamook kull - to harden, to cause to become hard.  NB Chako kull - to become hard
Mamook kumtux - to make understood, to forge an understanding, to come to agreement, to share an idea.
Mamook kumtux lalang, mamook kumtux wawa - to know how to speak a language, to know how to talk. See kumtux compounds.
Mamook kunsih, mamook kunjih - to count ("to make how many"), to find out who   See also mamook kwunnum
Mamook kwann - to be quiet, to make someone/something be quiet.
Mamook kwass - to frighten, to tame (an animal)
Mamook kwolen, mamook kwolann - to listen
Mamook kwunnum, mamook kwinnum - to count ("to make numbers", actually "to make five" - i.e. a count of the fingers)  See also Mamook kunsih - to count ("to make how many"), to find out who
Mamook kwutl - to tighten (a rope or not)  Hyas mamook kwutl - to haul tight, to tighten (a rope)
Mamook laham - to row
Mamook lapeep - to share a pipe, i.e. to have a meeting or a chat
Mamook lapellah - to roast (over a fire)
Mamook laplash - to spread out (to make room, to broaden/widen).  Compare mamook hahlakl and mamook klah
Mamook latleh, mamook tren - to make a lot of noise, i.e. to make like a train.  Also found with "kopa" as a preposition, i.e. mamook kopa latleh
Mamook leshaloo - to plow ("to use the plow").  See mamook tsugh
Mamook liplip - to boil, to cause to boil
Mamook lolo - to roll up Perhaps from both senses of lolo - to carry and round.  The distinction could be made by using lo'lo or lowullo for "round, in the centre of", which is a Grand Ronde usage; it is not clear if the two meanings of lolo were distinguished in BC (i.e. by pronunciation)
Mamook lum - to distill, to go get the booze, to get drunk
Mamook memaloose - to play dead, to kill
Mamook muckamuck - to cook or prepare food
Mamook nanitch - to show, to make a show, to show off. Hyas yaka mamook nanitch - he's really showing off, he's all show ("greatly he makes look/shows off)
Mamook pahtl - to fill
Mamook paint, mamook pent - to paint
Mamook pehpah - to write, to make a contract
Mamook piah - to cook, to burn, to build a fire
Mamook potlatch - to make a gift (of something) or to hold a potlatch-feast.  Mamook cultus potlatch - to make a gift (i.e. a "trifle")
Mamook solleks - to make angry, to become angryMamook tzum, Mamook tzumtzum - to write; NB because  Tzum illahee = "surveyed land" ("marked land"), so mamook tzum illahee - to survey land (to mark the land).  The direct translation also infers "painted land" or "written land", a reference both to the blue and white fenceposts used to designate Indian Reserves as well as the various signs posted on private property or other surveyed lots (e.g. "No Trespassing").
Mamook saghalie - to raise, to make sacred
Mamook stone - to turn to stone, to petrify, or to work stone (as in masonry).  "Stone" in Columbia River Jargon usually means testicles or maleness; in BC the "stone" usage is more like in English (usually)
Mamook tintin - to ring a bell, to play an instrument
Mamook tren, Mamook latleh, m - to make a lot of noise, i.e. to make like a train.  Also found with "kopa" as a preposition, i.e. mamook kopa latleh, mamook kopa tren; both of these could also mean "make for the train", however.
Mamook tsugh - to split, as in wood  See Chako tsugh in Chako compounds.   Mamook tsugh illahee - to plow the land    Mamook comb illahee - to plow (the land) Also mamook leshaloo ("to use the plow") and klugh illahee ("to tear the land") or mamook klugh illahee.  Although descriptive of what a plow does, the latter usage seems indicative of the attitudes of natives towards farming's effect/impact on the earth.
Mamook tumtum - to make up one's mind/  Mamook kloshe tumtum - to make friends, to make peace ("to make good feelings")
Mamook tupsin, mamook tupshin - to sew, to mend, to patch
Mamook wagh - to pour out
Mamook wash - to do the washing
Mamook waum - to heat
Mamook wawa - to speak, to make a speech

Kumtux Compounds

Iskum kumtux - to have knowledge, to keep knowledge e.g. Yaka iskum kumtux - he knows about things.

Kumtux kliminawhit - to know how to lie, to know how to deceive, to understand lying, to recognize a lie/liar e.g. Kumtux kliminawhit - he is a liar ("he knows how to lie") and hyas kumtux kliminawhit - he is a great liar ("he knows well how to lie").

Mamook kumtux - to explain, to teach, to make understood, to forge an understanding, to come to agreement, to share an idea. See mamook compounds.

Kopet kumtux - to forget, to stop understanding, to stop listening .  Duane Pasco uses the Norwegian borrowing glemte or glemde for "forget" in a mock Chinook dialogue recounted in Tenas Wawa.  Such substitutions of words from other languages would have been legitimate in Chinook usage if the jargon word was unknown or if both individuals understood the source-language in question.  The jargon was by definition creative in its vocabulary, and in its usages.  In my hoped-for "modern Chinook" such a borrowing, especially one that suits the "tone" of Chinook, is more than welcome.
Hyas kumtux solleks - to be passionate ("to well understand anger").  Other senses of this English phrase might be hyas kumtux ticky, hyas ticky kloshe tumtum, etc.

Halo kumtux - stupid, without understanding
Kumtux cooley - to know how to run
Kiuatan yaka kumtux cooley - fast horse, racehorse
Man yaka kumtux cooley - a good runner, a fast runner
Hyas yaka kumtux cooley - he can run fast ("he knows well how to run").
 

Tumtum Compounds

Halo tumtum - without a will of one's own (as a child), without a care, or "I don't care", "I don't have an opinion".
Ikta maika tumtum - what do you think (of that)?  Ikta naika tumtum?  - what was I thinking?
Mamook tumtum - to make up one's mind
Mamook kloshe tumtum - to make friends, to make peace ("to make good feelings")
Mahsh tumtum - to give orders
Maika tumtum, mika tumtum - whatever you like, wherever you please (in response to Kah nesaika klatawa? - Where shall we go)Moxt tumtum naika - I am undecided, i.e. I am of two minds.  Might be said without naika or with another pronoun, e.g. maika.
Sick tumtum - to grieve, to be sorry, to be jealous, to be unhappy, to feel sick  Also functions as an adjective with the same meanings - grief, jealousy, unhappiness, illness, sorrow.
Skookum tumtum - to be brave, to have a big heart
Tumtum kunamoxt, kunamoxt tumtum - agreement (to feel together), "we both feel", to be of one mind (of two people)

Cultus Compounds

Cultus hee-hee - to only jest, "I'm/he's only making a joke"
Cultus klatawa - to stroll, to amble, to pass the time
Cultus mitlite - to sit idle, to exist worthlessly,  to loiter, to stop anywhere without particular reason
Cultus nanitch - to look around, to sight-see, to stare at nothing

NB  There are many non-verbal Cultus Compounds:

Chako Compounds

Klatawa Compounds

Other Verbal Compounds

Kloshe nanitch - look out, take care ("see well")
 

The Negative

The preferred verbal  negative is wake.  The substantial negative (i.e. for use with nouns) is halo (pron hah-lo).  Both generally come before the word or concept they are modifying.  The English no was also used, for both verbal and substantial negatives, and may have originally been an adaption from the French non.

Concepts

Kwanesum, Kwahnesum - always, ever, for ever
 

English-Chinook Verb List
Chinook-English