Place Words
Words for places are formed in several ways.
The suffix -k'et attaches only to nouns to form nouns meaning “place where X is located”. Examples:
| Derived Noun | Gloss | Base | Gloss |
|---|---|---|---|
| maik'et | orchard | mai | fruit |
| lhok'et | fish camp | lho | fish |
| -nak'et | eye socket | -na | eye |
| dadint'az̲k'et | window sill | dadint'az̲ | window |
| hanuyehk'et | garden | hanuyeh | plant |
The suffix -un attaches to verbs to form nouns meaning “place where X is done”:
| Derived Word | Meaning | Literal Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| huz̲ti-un | bedroom | where they sleep |
| 'uhu'alh-un | dining room | where they eat |
| yanats'ukih-un | boat landing | where we customarily land |
| tuna'ts'ugus̲-un | laundromat | where we wash |
| but̲s̲igha' na'hulh'en-un | beauty parlour | where they fix their hair |
-bayoh attaches to both nouns and verbs to form nouns meaning “place for X”.
| Derived Word | Meaning | Literal Meaning | Base | Meaning of Base |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| musdoosbayoh | cow barn | building for cows | musdoos | cow |
| tats'utnaibayoh | bar | building where we drink liquor | tats'utnai | we drink liquor |
| yez̲tlibayoh | horse stable | building for horses | yez̲tli | horse |
| yoobayoh | pharmacy | building for medicine | yoo | medicine |
| ndudanebayoh | hospital | building for the sick | nduda-ne | sick people |
It generally forms nouns referring to a separate building, Note the contrast between dus̲tl'usbayoh “library” (a separate building) and dus̲tl'us-us̲dla-un “library” (a room within a building). There are a few cases in which a -bayoh word can refer to a room, but they all seem to be cases in which the word originally referred to a building and has expanded to refer to rooms as well. For example, tsanbayoh, originally “outhouse”, can now refer to both outhouses and indoor bathrooms.
Names of places often, but by no means always, contain a component that specifies what kind of place it is. For these, see the essay on Geographical Terms.
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