Evan and Sky Advanced WAYK Chinuk conversation

In this video, Sky and Evan are using the "Where Are Your Keys?" system of language acquisition on the Chinuk Wawa language. Sky and Evan are both are seasoned WAYK players. They want to show what WAYK looks like in the advanced stages of fluency in the WAYK system as well as advanced fluency in the target language. We hope this shows WAYK as not just a funny simple intro game but a full and thorough method to go from zero to fluent. We hope you can use some of the WAYK techniques in your own language-learning pursuits!

Chinuk Wawa-English translation: Sky Hopinka
Subtitles: Joel Thomas
For Sky's notes, please visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/wayk/ivOOr7jp5Xs/RvmhgkMdZvQJ

[Chinuk Wawa/Chinook Jargon]
Evan: Hello. Sky: Hello

E: What is that?
S: Tea

E: What is that?
S: Coffee

[TQ: Make Me Say Yes/No]
E: Do you like coffee or tea?

[TQ: Launch]
S: I always want coffee,

every once and a while I want tea

E: What tea do you to drink?
Well, you drink a lot of coffee

S: Indeed.
E: You always drink coffee?

[TQ: Full Sentence]
S: Always. Every day I drink coffee

E: Every day? If you don’t drink coffee,
what happens to you?

S: My head gets kind of messed up,
and also I become "impatient"

E: Oh, ata təmtəm [patience]?
Did you just make that word up?

S: A while ago I tried to check that word,

with you and with different speakers
at the Grand Ronde Portland office

E: Did someone tell you that it’s correct?

S: Yeah, Henry told me it was good,
perhaps because he knew

what I was trying to express. As always,
I can’t tell if he likes it

or if he’ll forget it and not know what I’m saying.
It’s okay, though

E: Good! I like that new coinage,
I’ve never heard anyone say that before

but likewise I think it’s good.
Ata təmtəm, good!

S: Likewise, you know what I’m trying to express

E: Right away I knew what you were trying to say,
so as such I think that it’s a good word

Good?
S: Good!

[TQ: Start at the Beginning]
E: So do you like this coffee

more than the coffee you buy at Starbucks?
It is Starbucks

S: Oh it is, but...
E: But it’s pre-ground Starbucks

[TQ: Copy Cat/Mumble]
S: Indeed, pre-ground Starbucks

Indeed, it’s not that good, I don’t really like it
E: Half good?

[TQ: Copy Cat]
S: Half good. Well, last weekend

we bought Skookum Coffee.
E: Oh yeah! S: Yeah

E: Can we grab it to show everyone?
S: Sure

E: Go and grab it

One weekend ago we went
to a grocery store, and...

Oh, grab the Starbucks ground coffee also,
so we can show the camera what "good" is

S: So, bad coffee.
And very good coffee. Skookum

“Halo wawa, muckmuck kopi.
Kopi kakwa kosah”

That’s what the subtext says.
E: “Kopi kakwa kosah”?

S: Indeed. E: Oh.
S: A little strange

[TQ: Copy Cat]
E: A little strange

Oh, I see, they translated into English

S: Yeah. “Coffee like heaven”

E: It’s not a good translation

Well, they translate what they’re trying to say,
but you can’t say that in English

Well, you can’t say that in Chinuk, I think.
Well you can say…

S: Well, saXAli ili/i

E: SaXali ili/I as such. It would be better if it said
Saxali ili/I not kopi kakwa kosah

S: Yeah
E: But is it strong?

S: Yeah, and it’s good. It tastes pretty good

[TQ: Push Around the Pronoun]
E: Is it good for a woman? S: Who?

E: I don’t know, always people are saying
that it’s “strong for a man!”

S: Oh, yeah. Well, it doesn’t matter to me

E: If women like it?
S: I’m not a misogynist!

E: Good!

So why did you buy this?
S: I saw the picture

and also I thought I’d never drunk it before,

and also I thought I might as well buy it and try it

E: And, it’s whole bean.

S: Oh yeah, well last weekend we were at
that lady’s house

and also she had a coffee… E: Machine.
S: Machine, yeah

E: Make, make ground coffee machine?

[TQ: Correction Response]
S: Yeah. [Wrong word] becomes sand

E: Maybe. Well people say “bean” so maybe, how...?

What do you think we should call the machine? Grinding Machine?

S: Yes, Grinding Machine.
E: OK good, a Grinding Machine

I don’t have a coffee grinder here. So that’s why
I bought those Starbucks for you.

S: Thank you. E: It’s nothing.
But you didn’t like it?

S: Ah, no, but also I can’t grind these ones
because we don’t have a grinder here

E: Like so. Good!

Translation: Sky Hopinka
Subtitles: Joel Thomas