Learn to introduce yourself in Yurok by working through each house in the
'O sley-goych village.
Kues K'ew (House 1) is all about names!
Timestamps for video lesson:
Village 1 ('O sley-goych), House 1 (Kues k'ew?)
00:25 "my name is..."
00:50 Bonus phrase: SKUE-YEN' "It's good!"
01:11 Protecting the integrity of the Yurok Language
01:39 Elder audio: 'aa-wok Georgiana Trull models 'New, Mary. "My name is Mary."
01:47 4 ways to make a question in Yurok (starting with KUES)
01:57 Elder audio: 'aa-wok Jessie Exline models Kues "what, when, where, why, how"
02:09 Elder audio: 'aa-wok Georgiana Trull models Kues k'ew? ("What's your name?")
02:18 Bonus phrase: AIY-YE-KWEE'
(Yurok greeting used when you really missed someone or are very happy to see them)
02:25 'new, k'ew ("my name is...", "your name is...")
02:44 How to pronounce k' in Yurok
03:04 Elder audio: 'aa-wok Georgiana Trull repeats Kues k'ew? ("What's your name?")
03:28 'new, k'ew, 'wew ("my name is..., your name is..., his/her/its name is...")
03:56 Bonus phrase: HEYK'-SEM'... ("tell him/her...")
04:26 Asking questions: Kues 'new? ("What's my name?")
04:53 Elder audio: 'aa-wok Georgiana Trull asks Kues 'wew? ("What's his name?")
05:01 Kues 'wew GAME begins
05:08 Bonus phrase: TEE'-NOW MO-KEE ("Whose turn is it?")
05:32 Bonus phrase: TO' WEE' SHON' ("That's the way it is")
05:35 Bonus phrase: 'EY-LEKW ("I don't know")
06:43 Bonus phrase: KEL' MO-KEE ("your turn")
07:32 No Pressure Refresher (review)
Round 1:
'New (NAME).
My name is (NAME).
Example:
'New Mary.
"My name is Mary."
Mary 'new.
"My name is Mary."
*Word order in Yurok can be flexible. Usually, any new information to the conversation goes first in the sentence, but in this case, a person can say either 'new (name) or (name) 'new to convey the same meaning.
Some people choose to add a pronoun and say Nek 'new (NAME). or
(NAME) nek 'new. which is loosely translated as "Me, my name is (NAME)." or "(NAME) me, my name is" and serves to provide emphasis.
Example: Nek 'new, Mary.
"Me, my name is Mary."
>>(REVIEW OUR COLOR CODING SYSTEM HERE FOR MORE HELP)<<
Round 2: Adding KUES
'New (NAME). Kues k'ew?
My name is (NAME). What's your name?
Example:
'New, Mary. Kues k'ew?
"My name is Mary. What's your name?"
*In this situation, the verb for "I am called/named" is changing from the first person (me) to the 2nd person (you) by changing the 'ne- to k'e-. 'New becomes K'ew and a question marker (KUES) is added.
There are four ways to make questions in Yurok. Yurok does not use intonation to make questions! Whereas English will use rising intonation to signal a question, Yurok uses four specific words as verbal question marks.
The first question word is KUES which covers how, which, why, where, and when. Using Kues in front of k'ew makes it into a question. (Kues k'ew, literally, "How are you called?")
Round 3:
'New (NAME). K'ew (NAME). Kues 'wew?
"My name is (NAME). Your name is (NAME). What is his/her name?"
*In this round we have added the 3rd person (he/she/it). We are choosing one person to talk to directly and changing the 1st person 'new (I am called/named) to the 2nd person k'ew (you are called) and then using KUES (question indicator) to ask about a 3rd person 'wew (his/her/its name) by changing the beginning sound of the verb from 'n- to k'- to 'w-.
NO PRESSURE REFRESHER:
'new (I am called/named)
k'ew (you are called/named)
'wew (he/she/it is called/named)
Kues (makes your statement into a question--used for how, which, where, why, and when questions)
Examples:
Kues 'new (How am I called/named?)
Kues k'ew (How are you called/named?)
Kues 'wew (How is he/she/it called/named?)
REINFORCEMENT:
Play the game below to practice the phrase Kues 'wew (How is he/she/it called?)
1. Ask a player their name by saying: Kues k'ew?
2. Have them choose a box to open.
3. Ask them the name of the person revealed in the box by saying: Kues w'ew?
4. There answers may include: (NAME) 'wew or 'wew (NAME).
The Kues Wey-go-noy-em' (House 2) is all about nicknames!
The way people are named has changed significantly for Yurok people over time. Traditionally, a person's name would change several times throughout their life.
Round 1: Review House 1 then proceed.
(NAME) 'new. (NICKNAME) wey-go-noy-ek'.
(NAME) is my name. (NICKNAME) I am called.
Example: Brittany 'new. Brit wey-go-noy-ek'.
Brittany is my name. Brit is my nickname.
(REVIEW OUR COLOR CODING SYSTEM HERE FOR MORE HELP)
Round 2: (NICKNAME) wey-go-noy-ek'. Kues wey-go-noy-em'?
(NICKNAME) I am called. How are you called?
*In this situation the verb wey-go-noy-ek' is changing from the 1st person (I am called) to the 2nd person (you are called) wey-go-noy-em'.
wey-go-noy-ek' --> wey-go-noy-em'
We are also using the question marker KUES (review House 1) to signal a question.
Kues wey-go-noy-em'?
(?) (2nd person)
Round 3: Choose one person to talk to directly about a 3rd person.
(NICKNAME) wey-go-noy-ek'. (NICKNAME) wey-go-noy-em'. Kues wey-go-nee'?
*In this round we used 1st person wey-go-noy-ek' (I am called), 2nd person wey-go-noy-em' (you are called), and then asking a question (by using kues) about the 3rd person wey-go-nee' (he/she/it is called). It is important to note that this verb is slightly irregular from other verbs in its class. We will learn more about this later.
NO PRESSURE REFRESHER:
(NICKNAME) wey-go-noy-ek' (NICKNAME I am called)
(NICKNAME) wey-go-noy-em' (NICKNAME you are called)
(NICKNAME) wey-go-nee' (NICKNAME he/she/it is called)
REINFORCEMENT:
Play the game below to practice the phrase Kues wey-go-nee'?
1. Ask someone to yell "STOP" when they can identify the person whose image is being revealed.
2. Have the person who said "STOP" tell you what the person in the picture is called (their nickname or stage name) by saying: (NICKNAME) wey-go-nee'.
3. Play another round, but have the person answering tell you both the person's real name and their nickname/stage name by saying: (NAME) 'wew. (NICKNAME) wey-go-nee'.
Play "Learn Yurok Online: Practice!" levels 4-7 to learn vocabulary for this house!
The Kues Mey'-wo-me-choom' (House 3) is all about where you come from!
Yurok People ('Oohl) have always been river folks. Our villages stretch along the Heyhl-keek 'we-roy (Klamath River) down to the mouth at Rek'-woy and continue down the coastline into Ner'-er-nerh (Coast Yuroks) territory.
The Kues Mey'-wo-me-choom' house will explore family connections to places in our village system, the foundation of this learning pathway model and touch upon dialectical differences in Yurok.
Round 1: Quick Review of House 1 & 2 then introduce village map
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chook'.
I come from (VILLAGE)
Examples:
PEK-WON mey'-wo-me-chook'.
I come from PEK-WON.
SREY-GON mey'-wo-me-chook'.
I come from SREY-GON.
(REVIEW OUR COLOR CODING SYSTEM HERE FOR MORE HELP)
Round 2:
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chook'. Kues mey'-wo-me-choom'?
I come from (VILLAGE). Where do you come from?
Round 3: Choose a person to talk to directly
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chook'. (THEIR VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-choom'. Kues mey'-wo-me-chokw'?
I come from (VILLAGE). You come from (VILLAGE). Where does he/she come from?
Round 4: Choose a person to talk to directly
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chook'. (THEIR VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-choom'. (VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chokw'?
I come from (VILLAGE). You come from (VILLAGE). He/she comes from (VILLAGE)
Round 5: Introduce short forms for verbs
Yurok verbs can be shortened down to the first consonant when using a PREFIX 'ne-, k'e-, or 'we/'ue (my, your, his/her/its). That is what was happening in House 1 w/ 'new, k'ew, and 'wew. We were actually using the short form of the verb 'ney-wo-lek' (I am called) k'ey-wo-lek' (you are called), 'wey-wo-lek' (he/she is called) where we changed the prefix to change whose name it was. You'll notice that the ending did not change even when the person doing it changed. This is a special kind of verb called a subjunctive that we will learn more about later.
RED shows how to change the verb and ORANGE shows how to change short forms of the verb using prefixes.
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chook'. (I am from VILLAGE)
(VILLAGE) 'ne-mew' (I am from VILLAGE)
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-choom'. (You are from VILLAGE)
(VILLAGE) k'e-mew' (you are from VILLAGE)
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chokw'. (he/she is from VILLAGE)
(VILLAGE) 'ue-mew' (he/she is from VILLAGE)
*Later we will learn more about when to use 'we- and 'ue- for the 3rd person using the KMPW Rule.
Round 6: Go around using the short forms of the verb
(VILLAGE) 'ne-mew'. (VILLAGE) k'e-mew'. (VILLAGE) 'ue-mew'
I am from (VILLAGE). You are from (VILLAGE). He/she is from (VILLAGE).
NO PRESSURE REFRESHER:
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chook' or use the short form (VILLAGE) 'ue-mew'
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-choom' or use the short form (VILLAGE) k'e-mew'
(VILLAGE) mey'-wo-me-chokw' or use the short form (VILLAGE) 'ue-mew'
Kues mey'-wo-me-chook'? or use the short form Kues 'ne-mew'?
Kues mey'-wo-me-choom'? or use the short form Kues k'e-mew'?
Kues mey'-wo-me-chokw'? or use the short form Kues 'ue-mew'?
Play a game to pinpoint where people are from.
1. Ask a person: Kues mey'-wo-me-chokw' (NAME)? (Where is NAME from?)
Example: Kues mey'-wo-me-chokw' Queen Elizabeth II?
answer: England mey'-wo-me-chokw' Queen Elizabeth II.
2. Play again and ask Tee'-now mey'-wo-me-chokw' (PLACE)? (Who is from PLACE?)
Person answers with: (NAME) (PLACE) mey'-wo-me-chokw'.
Example: Tee'-now mey'-wo-me-chokw' England?
Queen Elizabeth, England mey'-wo-me-chokw'.
4. Play again and ask the same questions using the short forms of the verb. Use the same sentence models but replace the full verb with 'ue-mew' (the short form of mey'-wo-me-chokw'.)
