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2. First Words

What You’ll Learn

Section titled “What You’ll Learn”

This lesson gives you starter words in five groups:

  • people and things;
  • nature and water;
  • body words;
  • motion words;
  • time and direction words.

These words come from the Early Hick lexicon. Learn them as building blocks, not as a complete dictionary.

People and Things

Section titled “People and Things”
Early HickEnglish
'alperson
etilthing
anikoanimal
duwesfood
germetal

More Than One

Section titled “More Than One”

The prefix ma- can mean “more than one.” It works on ordinary nouns and on person words.

Early HickEnglish
ma-materboats
ma'alisthese people
ma'altanthose people

Nature and Water

Section titled “Nature and Water”
Early HickEnglish
aiwater
malpool, standing water
garstone
gralearth, soil
kelsky; also source for “blue”
breswind
bramissea mist, coastal fog

Body Words

Section titled “Body Words”
Early HickEnglish
mesheart
marblood; also source for red
karnose
kostfoot
kolneck

Motion and Action Words

Section titled “Motion and Action Words”
Early HickEnglish
barakwalk
'irmotion, movement
'irekstand, firmness
wardguide, direct
haransplit, separate
hilissight, active seeing

Time and Direction Words

Section titled “Time and Direction Words”
Early HickEnglish
murnight
branumpast
branrumfar past
mulsumfuture
eldulnorth
kethuleast

Try It

Section titled “Try It”

Match each Early Hick word with its English meaning.

  1. ai
  2. barak
  3. mes
  4. mur
  5. rismater

Meanings: heart, water, reed boat, night, walk.

Pop quiz Answers
  1. ai: water
  2. barak: walk
  3. mes: heart
  4. mur: night
  5. rismater: reed boat

Reference Note

Section titled “Reference Note”

For the full word list, see the Early Hick lexicon. The vocabulary here was chosen from fields such as Basic Terms, Natural World, Water Features, Body Terms, Motion Terms, Time Terms, and Directional Terms.