Halq’eméylem
/ˌhɑːl.kəˈmeɪ.ləm/noun
Halq’eméylem is the Upriver dialect of Halkomelem, a Coast Salish language spoken historically in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia.
Did you know?Halq’eméylem is one of several closely related names within the Halkomelem language continuum, alongside Hul’q’umi’num’ and hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓.
Etymological Timeline
Pre-European contact
Upriver Halkomelem
Halq’eméylem
“An Indigenous endonym for the Upriver variety of the Halkomelem language; its internal literal translation is not securely established in standard reference sources.”
19th Century
English records
Halkomelem
“An English-adapted umbrella spelling used by linguists and colonial-era recorders for related Coast Salish varieties.”
20th Century
Linguistics
Halkomelem
“A recognized language continuum divided broadly into Upriver, Downriver, and Island varieties.”
Late 20th–21st Century
Indigenous orthographies
Halq’eméylem
“A community- and linguistically informed spelling representing phonemic contrasts that older English spellings obscured.”
Modern English
English
Halq’eméylem
“The established English-language name for the Upriver Halkomelem dialect and its revitalization programs.”
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