(New post) a collection of cool sm'algya̱x things, vol 1
(link to post: https://cerberus.bearblog.dev/a-collection-of-cool-smalgyax-things-vol-1)
sm = "true" + algya̱x = "language". algya̱g̱u nlip sm'algya̱g̱u - i'm speaking my real language.
i've been speaking to an acquaintance who's really into linguistics, and it inspired me to make a little post sharing some technical things that i really love about my language. also definitely writing to try to get my mind off certain events.
i'm not a linguist, but learning nlip sm'algya̱g̱u has really made me fall in love with learning about grammar and appreciating how differently languages can be constructed - even in ways you couldn't conceive of happening in your own. because language is so automatic to us as humans and yet so technical, it's uniquely difficult to understand how different other grammars can be, built on concepts that we have to learn how to even explain, let alone using them as adult learners. languages are so complex - yet they just "are": forged over so long by so many different hands that no one speaker knows how it all works, but can still tell you right from wrong.
one of the ways that sm'algya̱x is different is that it's very verb-focused; a lot of the nuance of the language is contained in prefixes that attach to verbs and occasionally nouns ("preverbals" and "prenominals" respectively), further fleshing them out or casting them in a different light. something that has to be conveyed as a statement in english can be condensed to a single word in sm'algya̱x, and if you don't know that the concept you're talking about corresponds to a prefix, you can end up stumbling through a very awkward, clunky sentence trying to articulate what you're thinking.
learning what concepts can be expressed with these prefixes in such a succinct way is really, really fascinating:
cool sm’algya̱x prefixes
(fyi, sm'algya̱x is a verb, subject, object language, so sentences will be arranged differently! for reference if you don't know, english is subject, verb, object.)
1. gun (prenominal): mistaken for a [noun]. turns its attached noun into a transitive verb that means to mistake something for [noun].
sm'algya̱x: Gunhayaawga hana̱'a̱g̱a hapsg̱a̱wlk.
english: Fork-mistook woman spoon; the woman mistook the spoon for a fork.
what an amazing way to express that concept, that the action of mistaking something for another thing can be described by directly modifying the noun itself. how cool!!
2. x (prenominal): to consume/experience [noun]. turns its attached noun into an intransitive verb that means to consume or otherwise experience [noun].
SMLX: Xt'iinii?
ENG: Consume-tea you-question; did you have tea?
another cool example is our word for hawk: xts'u'utsk, which breaks down into "eat-bird" - bird-eater.
3. sis (preverbal): pretend to/play at [verb].
SMLX: Sis'aaxsit.
ENG: Play-mouth-they; they laughed.
SMLX: Sis'dzog̱a łgu 'yuuta.
ENG: Play-live little boy; the little boy played house.
4. si'ił (preverbal): try to do [verb].
SMLX: Ła si'iłxst'og̱u.
ENG: Past-tense try-sleep-me; I tried to sleep.
5. sidi (preverbal): used to [verb].
SMLX: Sidiyaat da hałgyiika.
ENG: Used to-walk-third person to beach; they used to walk to the beach.
6. 'naym (preverbal): to do [verb] for nothing. (this is another one that i just love, what a cool way to express this concept?)
SMLX: 'Naym ayawaat da k'wasm.
ENG: For nothing-shout-third person to you all; they shouted at you all for nothing.
7. xs (prenominal): to look or sound like [noun]. a few of our words for different colours are expressed with this term:
SMLX: Xs'yaanat'iibn.
ENG: Looks like-excrement-sea lion; dark gray, or looks like sea lion poop.
SMLX: Xswüłeexsk.
ENG: Looks like-huckleberries; pink, or looks like huckleberries (before they turn red).
there's tons and tons of these! you can see how it's so crucial to know your prefixes in sm'algya̱x, or you're missing out on a lot of concise, fluid ways of talking.
i initially started learning sm'algya̱x out of a sense of obligation to my community. it was something i knew i was good at and it allowed me to connect with other tsimshians from a distance. but i've kept going for this long (5 years!) because this work made me realize: language is a very special thing. it's a technology that has had simultaneous development in different isolated parts of the globe since time immemorial; it's a very advanced technology that is passed down and understood intuitively, yet we don't intuitively understand how to explain it to others. there are many similarities across languages, sure - every language has so-called verbs and nouns - but also many differences, and even when explained and elucidated by a grammarian, these differences can still be difficult to grasp, or straight-up genuinely incomprehensible to non-speakers. ergativity, a grammatical thing which is present in sm'algya̱x but not in english, is something that stumps many people in my language circle, for example (i don't claim to completely understand it, but have still tried to study so i could help others get closer to fluency). it is actually so fascinating to me that something so advanced can be known subconsciously, developed by your community over several millennia, but unable to be explained without deliberate study.
i can't explain to someone how to speak english, but i can tell them what sounds right or wrong when they try. isn't that so wild? doesn't that make it so important, to really know the heart of our indigenous languages and continue the chain of passing them down to our people, so that heart isn't lost?
this has been sitting in my drafts for long enough and i don't want to make blog posting too inhibiting for myself because of some pressure to perform to a Standard, so i'll stop here for now - but rest assured i'll be back soon to talk about some other nerdy language things. i plan on learning sm'algya̱x for a long time still.
wayi wah, ła sabaat (that's all). siluamaamg̱a̱g̱oodism (make your hearts happy).
(leave a comment on the post itself, if you like! nt’oyaxsn for reading 🧡)