60 Interjections
Models
| 1) | ÁÁ | ‘ugh! oof!’ | 14) | IŚ | ‘shoo, hush!’ |
| 2) | ÁĆENÁ | ‘my goodness!’ | 15) | IY | ‘whoa! yikes!’ |
| 3) | ĆENÁ | ‘hey!’ | 16) | M | ‘yes’ |
| 4) | EŚOO | ‘gee!’ | 17) | M͸ | ‘my!’ |
| 5) | EX | ‘yuck!’ | 18) | MM | ‘oh my!’ |
| 6) | EXOO¸ | ‘yuck!’ | 19) | NEH | ‘huh?!’ |
| 7) | HÁ¸ | ‘go ahead!’ | 20) | OO | ‘oh!’ |
| 8) | HÁÁ¸E | ‘yes’ | 21) | OOŚE¸ | ‘my goodness!’ |
| 9) | HELI¸ÁȻE | ‘goodbye (to group)’ | 22) | OYEYEYE¸ | ‘oh my, oh my!’ |
| 10) | HEȽNEȽ | ‘darn it!’ | 23) | SW̱E¸ | ‘humph!’ |
| 11) | HEW̱ | ‘gee! oh my!’ | 24) | YO¸E | ‘unh-unh’ |
| 12) | H͸ÁȻE | ‘goodbye’ | 25) | YOO | ‘bah!’ |
| 13) | HO¸ | ‘hey, listen!’ |
‣ 1 The twenty-five interjections are presented here in alphabetical order. Some are more common than others. For example, model 20 is heard much more than model 19.
‣ 2 In English, a lot of interjections are considered taboo or curse words. None of these SENĆOŦEN words is perceived by L1 elders as being any kind of swear word.
‣ 3 Model 1 is used as expression of effort. The translations given for the model are as close as we can get in English. ÁÁ might be used by someone hauling in a line or net. This is pronounced /ʔée/ with a stretched out Á sound.
‣ 4 Models 2 and 3 sound similar and are used sometimes in the same way. ÁĆENÁ or ĆENÁ can both be used when surprised, as for example, when you find a bug on your shoulder and quickly brush it off. They are also used if you hear some surprising news. ÁĆENÁ always has this ‘surprise’ meaning, but ĆENÁ is more often used like English ‘hey!’ or ‘halloo!’ calling out to someone.
‣ 5 Model 4 is also used as an expression of surprise. This one is used more to express disbelieve or amusement at some preposterous idea or behavior. This is often pronounced just ŚO¸.
‣ 6 Models 5 and 6 are both expressions of disgust. An elder suggested you might use one of these if you step in cow manure. EXOO¸ in model 6 is somewhat stronger than EX in model 5. Remember that two identical vowels written next to each other like OO are just pronounced as one stretched out vowel.
‣ 7 Model 7 is heard frequently in the elders’ stories. It can be used to encourage someone to act, where it can also be a verb as in HÁ¸ SW̱ DILEM! ‘Go ahead and sing.’ It often translates as ‘all right then, continuing right along.’ When used this way in a story, it marks the beginning of a new episode. This is often pronounced HȺ¸.
‣ 8 Models 8 and 16 are two ways of saying ‘yes.’ HÁÁ¸E is used in careful pronunciation. It is usually pronounced HÁE, but it is also pronounced HÁÁ, ÁE, or HÁE. It can also be used to call ‘hey!’ to get someone’s attention. The other ‘yes,’ M, is used casually like English ‘mhm.’
‣ 9 Models 9 and 12 are both ‘goodbye.’ Model 9 is the collective plural (§41), which is used only when saying ‘goodbye’ to a group of people.
‣ 10 The word shown in model 10 is the strongest of these interjections, though it is still mild compared to English curses. HEȽNEȽ is a mild scolding word. You might say this to yourself if you are angry with someone or if you feel frustrated as when making a mistake while knitting.
‣ 11 Model 11 is used like English ‘gee!’ or ‘oh, my!’ to express surprise at something good. For example, HEW̱, I¸Í¸MET ‘Gee, it’s pretty.’
‣ 12 The interjection shown in model 12 could be the same word as HO¸ ‘if/when’ described in §30.2. It could also be translated ‘listen for it!’ or ‘say!’ as in ‘Say, what was that?!’ It is said when a sudden sound or sight gives you some concern and you want to point somebody’s attention to it.
‣ 13 IŚ can be used to brush off someone who is teasing. It is generally used as an expression of disapproval of bad behavior—mild negative surprise. A typical example is IŚ, ṮÁ¸ SW̱EW̱ÁQTEṈ ‘IŚ, he’s drunk again.’
‣ 14 The word in model 15 is used like English ‘oops!’ or ‘watch out!’ in addition to the translations given. A typical example is IY, W̱ÁLEḴ SEN I¸ HILEṈ ‘Whoa, I almost fell!’
‣ 15 Model 17 is borrowed from English ‘My!’ and pronounced the same. Although it is borrowed, it is used by all of the L1 speaking elders that have been recorded. It is completely integrated into SENĆOŦEN. The integration may have been helped by the similar interjection in model 18. This MM is usually spoken as a long M sound with raised pitch. A typical example is MM, ȻȽȽEM¸W̱ ‘Oh my, it was raining!’
‣ 16 Model 18 has two uses. It can be used to mean something like ‘on the contrary!’ at the beginning of a statement when the person you are talking to claims the opposite. It is also used to mean ‘what?’ or ‘huh?’ if you are surprised by someone knocking on your door.
‣ 17 Model 20 is also pronounced UU. This commonly occurs at the beginning of a sentence. A typical example is OO, DEDȺ¸YEK ‘Oh, he was mad!’ The long OO or UU is often lengthened even more with raised pitch.
‣ 18 Model 21 is used as an expression of reprimand. It might be used, for example, on seeing a child writing on the wall.
‣ 19 Model 22 was recorded in one story told by Chris Paul. Here is the context: A fisherman pulls in his catch, and it is some kind of monster. He says STÁṈ SW̱? ‘What are you?’ The monster replies SINEȽḴI¸. ‘A dragon.’ He says OYEYEYE¸! ‘Oh, my! Oh my!’
‣ 20 The interjection SW̱E¸ in model 23 is uttered very abruptly with nasalization on the vowel. It indicates a strong feeling of contempt.
‣ 21 The word YO¸E in model 24 is used when speaking and you suddenly change your mind. It is related to YO¸ET ‘caution someone’. As an interjection, a typical example is LÁ¸E ¸E Ṯ SDȺ¸YES, YO¸E ṮEḴTEḴSEN ‘It was there at Pender, no, Saturna.’
‣ 22 The final interjection, YOO, is used to express rejection similar to the way ‘bah’ is used in English. It can also be used to express caution. This is also related to YO¸ET ‘caution someone.’
| 60A. Use the SENĆOŦEN dictionary to look up these four interjections. Study the example sentences and pick a sentence in each and explain what the context of the sentence might have been: 1. HÁ¸ 2. ĆENÁ 3. IŚ 4. OO 60B. Notice that there is no ḰEL¸NEȻEL for this section. Write your own four-line dialog using several interjections. |