Nominalization is a process of making a verb into a noun. In Salish, nominalization can be done with a prefix or a suffix. In English, this is done by adding an ending to the verb or changing the verb into a noun form. For example, the verb “create” can be nominalized to “creation.”
Prefix s- changes a verb to a nominal form.
- sʕiɬn, food, something that is eaten.
- ʕiɬn, s/he/it ate something.
- sxʷist, the walk.
- xʷist, s/he/it walked.
- sʕitš, the sleep.
- ʕitš, s/he/it slept.
Morphology
When a word starts with s-
The letter n is dropped before s.
- i-snsustn, my cup
- in-luk̓ʷ, my wood
- a-snsustn, your cup
- an-luk̓ʷ, your wood
The letter ɬ is dropped before s
- epsnčɬemutn, she has a chair
- epɬčluk̓ʷc̓eɁ, she has a box