SSBMI Language Department - Flashcards

Nisenan Flashcards: Payelpé! Let's Eat!

The SSBMI Language Department created this set of flashcards to support you as you learn names for common foods and phrases for mealtimes in the Nisenan language. Here, you can listen to the language on the Payelpé! (Let's eat!) flashcards and learn more.

The SSBMI Community has ancestral connections to the Valley & Southern Hill dialects of the Nisenan language through the Tribe's Matriarchs, Pamela Cleanso Adams and Annie Hill Murray Paris. Pamela spoke Valley Nisenan and Annie likely spoke Southern Hill Nisenan.

Much of the language on these cards comes from speakers of these dialects, including Pamela Cleanso Adams and Tom Cleanso (Valley Nisenan) and Ida Hill Starkey, William Joseph, & Charlie Hunchup (Southern Hill Nisenan). The word hiisá (mint) comes from Central Hill Nisenan speaker Lizzie Enos. For some modern foods, such as pizza and ice cream, the Language Department coined or borrowed names following the example of past Nisenan speakers (discussed more in the Language Notes below).

Payelpé!

'Let's eat!'

Please contact us at language@ssband.org to check on the availability of these flashcards and to ask us any questions. You can also download a printer-friendly version that you can print at home and share with anyone (tip: print the cards double-sided flipping on the long edge). For more help reading the words and phrases on the cards, check out our alphabet guide.

Suggestions for using these cards

Play games: Try playing games like Sɨpaayuwá! to learn and practice the language on these cards. Try grocery store scavenger hunts!

Learn in chunks: Instead of learning all 40 cards at once, try to learn five cards per week. Repeat this process to learn the bonus phrases!

Learn in several ways: In addition to quizzing yourself with the flashcards, you can also learn by listening to the language, sounding the language out, writing the language down, and most importantly, using language in everyday life. Try making grocery lists in Nisenan!

Use spaced repetition: Learn one day and review the language the next day. Letting a day go by between learning and reviewing lets the language take root and grow.

Use the language in your daily life: Try making your grocery lists in Nisenan! Use Nisenan names for food when talking about meals or cooking.

Payelpé! cards and bonus phrases

Heads-up! Check out the Language Notes to learn more about the symbols on the cards (▲ ◆ ◼ ●) and to learn more about the bonus phrases.

▲ 001 - Salt

'Salt'

Ba mey nik.

'Pass me the salt.'

Bam mosak’tím!

'Salt is delicious!'

◆ 002 - Sugar

Asuuká

'Sugar'

Dootís asuuká.

'I need to buy sugar.'

Homodíbe asuukám?

'Where's the sugar?'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the Spanish word azúcar (sugar) for this introduced food.

◆ 003 - Butter

Mantekiiyá

'Butter'

Daak’ábe mi mantekiiyá?

'Do you want butter?'

Homodíbe mantekiiyám?

'Where's the butter?'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the Spanish word mantequilla (butter) for this introduced food.

◆ 004 - Cheese

C’iis

'Cheese'

C’iisí dootís.

'I need to buy cheese.'

C’iisím mosak’tím!

'The cheese is delicious!'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the English word cheese for this introduced food. Nisenan speakers also borrowed the Spanish word queso (cheese), adapting it as keesó; these words mean the same thing:

Keesó

'Cheese'

▲ 005 - Eggs

Pakpák

'Eggs'

Dootís pakpaká.

'I need to buy eggs.'

Homodíbe pakpakám?

'Where are the eggs?'

▲ 006 - Bread

P’ɨllá

'Bread'

Dootís p’ɨllá.

'I need to buy bread.'

P’ɨllám mosak’tím!

'The bread is delicious!'

Heads-up: This word is probably specific to wheat-based bread. There are various other words for acorn bread depending on the method of preparation and size of the loaf.

▲ 007 - Fresh greens

Koc’ís

'Fresh greens'

Mey nik koc’isí.

'Pass me the greens.'

Mosak’tím koc’isím!

'The greens are delicious!'

▲ 008 - Cooked greens

Opló

'Cooked greens'

Mey nik opló.

'Pass me the cooked greens.'

P’idep’ím oplóm.

'The cooked greens are hot.'

▲ 009 - Potatoes

Woolém way

'Potatoes'

Mey nik woolém wayí.

'Pass me the potatoes.'

K’ap’ím woolém wayím.

'The potatoes are done.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) This name literally means 'European potato'; the word way refers to a native type of Brodiaea root.

◆ 010 - Corn

Maayís

'Corn'

Maayisí daak’ábe mi?

'Do you want corn?'

P’idep’ím maayisím.

'The corn is hot.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the Spanish word maíz (corn) for this introduced food.

◆ 011 - Beans

Pehól

'Beans'

Peholí dootís.

'I need to buy beans.'

Peholím k’ap’ím.

'The beans are done.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the Spanish word frijol (bean) for this introduced food.

▲ 012 - Fish

Palá

'Fish'

Dootís palá.

'I need to buy fish.'

Homodíbe palám?

'Where's the fish?'

▲ 013 - Salmon

May

'Salmon'

Mayí mey nik.

'Pass me the salmon.'

K’ap’ím mayím.

'The salmon is done.'

▲ 014 - Meat

Kɨyɨsɨ́

'Meat'

Kɨyɨsɨ́ daak’ábe mi?

'Do you want meat?'

Homodíbe kɨyɨsɨ́m?

'Where's the meat?'

▲ 015 - Meat stew

Kɨyɨsɨ́m mom

'Meat stew'

Daak’ábe mi kɨyɨsɨ́m momí?

'Do you want meat stew?'

Kɨyɨsɨ́m momím p’idep’ím.

'The meat stew is hot.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) This name literally means "meat water" and is the term Ida Hill Starkey used for meat soup (stew).

▲ 016 - Soup

Lɨklɨ́

'Soup'

Mey nik lɨklɨ́.

'Pass me the soup.'

Lɨklɨ́m p’idep’ím.

'The soup is hot.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) This refers to thin soups (rather than thick soups like stew); it also means 'thin (like water), runny'.

● 017 - Sandwich

Samwíc’

'Sandwich'

Dootís samwic’í.

'I need to buy a sandwich.'

Homodíbe samwic’ím?

'Where's the sandwich?'

● 018 - Pizza

Piitsá

'Pizza'

Piitsá mey nik.

'Pass me the pizza.'

Mosak’tím piitsám!

'The pizza is delicious!'

● 019 - Taco

Taakó

'Taco'

Daak’ábe mi taakó?

'Do you want tacos?'

Homodíbe taakóm?

'Where are the tacos?'

● 020 - Pasta

Paastá

'Pasta'

Paastá dootís.

'I need to buy pasta.'

P’idep’ím paastám.

'The pasta is hot.'

◼ 021 - Chinese food

C’ayním payél

'Chinese food'

C’ayním payelí daak’ábe mi?

'Do you want Chinese food?'

C’ayním payelím mosak’tím!

'The Chinese food is delicious!'

◼ 022 - Mexican food

Panyolím payél

'Mexican food'

Daak’ábe mi Panyolím payelí?

'Do you want Mexican food?'

Mosak’tím Panyolím payelím!

'The Mexican food is delicious!'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) The word Pányol means 'Mexican' in Nisenan; speakers adapted it from the Spanish word Español.

◆ 023 - Apple

Aapél

'Apple'

Aapelí dootís.

'I need to buy apples.'

Aapelím k’ap’ím.

'The apple is ripe.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the English word apple for this introduced food. Nisenan speakers also borrowed the Spanish word manzana (apple), adapting it as mansaaná; these words mean the same thing:

Mansaaná

'Apple'

▲ 024 - Strawberries

Mank’á

'Strawberries'

Mey nik mank’á.

'Pass me the strawberries.'

K’ap’ím mank’ám.

'The strawberries are ripe.'

▲ 025 - Grapes

Muté

'Grapes'

Muté daak’ábe mi?

'Do you want grapes?'

Homodíbe mutém?

'Where are the grapes?'

▲ 026 - Blackberries

Ennáan

'Blackberries'

Mey nik ennaaní.

'Pass me the blackberries.'

Mosak’tím ennaaním!

'The blackberries are delicious!'

◆ 027 - Watermelon

Santiiyá

'Watermelon'

Dootís santiiyá.

'I need to buy watermelon.'

K’ap’ím santiiyám.

'The watermelon is ripe.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the Spanish word sandía (watermelon) for this introduced food.

▲ 028 - Sweets, Candy

Sudák’

'Sweets, Candy'

Sudak’á daak’ábe mi?

'Do you want sweets?'

Homodíbe sudak’ám?

'Where are the sweets?'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) This word can be used to mean 'candy' or to refer to other sweet things like syrup and honey too.

◼ 029 - Ice cream

Sudak’ám bic’iipá

'Ice cream'

Sudak’ám bic’iipá mey nik.

'Pass me the ice cream.'

Sudak’ám bic’iipám mosak’tím!

'The ice cream is delicious!'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) This name literally means "sweet ice-cold thing". The SSBMI Language Department coined this term; we talk more about coining words in the Language Notes section below.

▲ 030 - Water

Mom

'Water'

Momí mey nik.

'Pass me the water.'

Homodíbe momím?

'Where's the water?'

◆ 031 - Milk

Leec’í

'Milk'

Leec’í mey nik.

'Pass me the milk.'

Homodíbe leec’ím?

'Where's the milk?'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the Spanish word leche (milk) for this introduced drink, and it refers to animal milk specifically. The Nisenan word for breastmilk, which is a native word, is min:

Min

'Breastmilk'

◼ 032 - Apple juice

Aapelím mo

'Apple juice'

Daak’ábe mi aapelím mo?

'Do you want apple juice?'

Mosak’tím aapelím mom!

'The apple juice is delicious!'

● 033 - Soda

Soodá

'Soda'

Soodá dootís.

'I need to buy soda.'

Homodíbe soodám?

'Where's the soda?'

◆ 034 - Coffee

Koopí

'Coffee'

Mey nik koopí.

'Pass me the coffee.'

Koopím p’idep’ím.

'The coffee is hot.'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) Nisenan speakers adapted the English word coffee for this introduced drink. The Nisenan language does not use the "f" sound, so generally Nisenan speakers replace "f" sounds in English and Spanish words with "p".

◼ 035 - Mint tea

Hiisám mo

'Mint tea'

Hiisám mo daak’ábe mi?

'Do you want mint tea?'

Mosak’tím hiisám mom!

'The mint tea is delicious!'

Esak’ábe mi? (Do you know?) This literally means "mint drink". There is not a specific word for "tea" in Nisenan; rather, prepared drinks are referred to either by specific names, like yoc’ím (manzanita drink), or by calling them some type of mo (drink). For this term, we used the word for mint, hiisá, with the suffix -m, which makes hiisá (mint) an adjective describing the type of mo (drink).

The word hiisá (mint) is from the Central Hill dialect of Nisenan; as yet, we have not found a word for mint in Valley or Southern Hill Nisenan, the SSBMI Community’s heritage dialects. We also have not found specific words for different kinds of mint yet.

036 - Let's eat!

Payelpé!

'Let's eat!'

Payelpɨ́!

'Let's both eat!'

Payél.

'Eat it.'

Heads-up! You use the phrase Payelpé! (Let's eat!) when you are in a group with at least 2 other people (so 3 in total, including you). If there is just one other person, you use the form given in the first bonus phrase on the card, Payelpɨ́! (Let's (both) eat!).

037 - Let's have breakfast!

C’edaapé!

'Let's have breakfast!'

C’edaapɨ́!

'Let's both have breakfast!'

C’edáap.

'Eat your breakfast.'

Heads-up! You use the phrase C’edaapé! (Let's have breakfast!) when you are in a group with at least 2 other people (so 3 in total, including you). If there is just one other person, you use the form given in the first bonus phrase on the card, C’edaapɨ́! (Let's (both) have breakfast!).

038 - Let's have lunch!

Hinsepé!

'Let's have lunch!'

Hinsepɨ́!

'Let's both have lunch!'

Hinsép.

'Eat your lunch.'

Heads-up! You use the phrase Hinsepé! (Let's have lunch!) when you are in a group with at least 2 other people (so 3 in total, including you). If there is just one other person, you use the form given in the first bonus phrase on the card, Hinsepɨ́! (Let's (both) have lunch!).

039 - Let's have dinner!

K’aypepé!

'Let's have dinner!'

K’aypepɨ́!

'Let's both have dinner!'

K’aypép.

'Eat your dinner.'

Heads-up! You use the phrase K’aypepé! (Let's have dinner!) when you are in a group with at least 2 other people (so 3 in total, including you). If there is just one other person, you use the form given in the first bonus phrase on the card, K’aypepɨ́! (Let's (both) have dinner!).

040 - Let's have a snack!

Badepé!

'Let's have a snack!'

Badepɨ́!

'Let's both have a snack!'

Badép.

'Eat your snack.'

Heads-up! You use the phrase Badepé! (Let's have a snack!) when you are in a group with at least 2 other people (so 3 in total, including you). If there is just one other person, you use the form given in the first bonus phrase on the card, Badepɨ́! (Let's (both) have a snack!).

Language Notes

Word Types

These cards focus on foods that we commonly eat today. Since many are not traditional foods, some of the words you will learn on these cards are either borrowed or coined. Each card has a symbol that tells you what kind of word you are learning.

▲ (TRIANGLE): This is a native Nisenan word. There are many examples above, like ba (salt) and mank’á (strawberries).

◆ (DIAMOND): Nisenan speakers borrowed this word from another language and adapted it to sound like a Nisenan word. There are many examples above, like asuuká (sugar) and koopí (coffee). The foods themselves are introduced.

◼ (SQUARE): The SSBMI Language Department coined this term by combining Nisenan words with Nisenan word-formation rules. There are many examples above, but here is a more detailed breakdown of a couple of them:

Example: The name hiisám mo (mint tea) comes from hiisá (mint) and mo (drink) and uses the suffix -m to connect them, making hiisá (mint) into an adjective that describes the type of mo (drink).

Example: The name sudak’ám bic’iipá (ice cream) comes from sudák’ (sweet, a sweet thing) and bic’iipá (ice cold, an ice-cold thing). It also uses the suffix -m to connect them, making sudák’ (sweet) an adjective that describes the bic’iipá (ice-cold thing).

● (CIRCLE): The SSBMI Language Department borrowed this word from English and adapted it to sound like a Nisenan word following the example of Nisenan speakers for how to do this. There are a few examples above, such as samwíc’ (sandwich) and piitsá (pizza).

As you can see, foods with the SQUARE (◼) and CIRCLE (●) symbols are words for which we have not found Nisenan names from past speakers. Many are foods that were introduced recently, like pizza (which was only popularized in the US after World War II!).

How many?

In English, we add the word-ending -s to a word talk about multiple things. For example, grape means there is just one grape and grapes means there is more than one. In Nisenan, you do not change these words to communicate that there is more than one thing. For example, you use the same word muté to mean 'grape' (just one) and 'grapes' (more than one).

What about "the"?

We use the word "the" a lot in English. Saying The pizza is delicious is more specific than saying Pizza is delicious. In Nisenan, however, you do not use a word like "the". So, for example, the phrase Piitsám mosak’tím can be used to mean both 'The pizza is delicious' (specific) and 'Pizza is delicious' (general). That said, you can be more specific in Nisenan too by saying Hedém piitsám mosak’tím (This pizza is delicious).