Dancers performing at the Plaza Naming Project ceremony

Plaza Naming Project

On June 18, 2018, the City of Vancouver, xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and sə̓lílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) announced two new names for prominent public spaces downtown Vancouver:

šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn (formerly known as the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza)
šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énk Square (formerly the Vancouver Art Gallery north plaza)

Acknowledging the colonial legacy of naming in Vancouver the plaza naming process sought to return decision-making to the original inhabitants of this land and bring more visibility to the local Indigenous languages and cultures.

šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn (formerly known as the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza)

Listen to the pronunciation

šxʷƛ̓exən

Xwtl’a7shn

Pronunciation guide

šxʷƛ̓exən (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language)

šxʷ = Sounds similar to : “shh”
ƛ̓ = Begins like “t” then releases into the “l” sound described below
(ɬ) = Place tongue as you would to pronounce an “l” and then blow a steady stream of air past the side of your tongue
e = Sounds like the e in “bet”. This vowel carries the primary stress in šxʷƛ̓exən
x = Sounds like the h in “huge”
ən = Sounds like the last two letters in the word ‘satin’

Xwtl’a7shn (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language)

Xw = Sounds like the wh in “what” with more friction on the roof of the mouth
tl' = Like a t and an l combined, but popped
a = Sounds like the a "bat"
7 = A glottal stop. Found in the beginning each "uh" in "uh-oh".
sh = Sounds like the sh in “share”
n = Sounds like the n in “no"

šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (formerly the Vancouver Art Gallery north plaza)

Listen to the pronunciation

šxʷƛ̓ənəq

Xwtl’e7énḵ

Pronunciation guide

šxʷƛ̓ənəq (hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language)

šxʷ = Sounds similar to: “shh”
ƛ̓ = Begins like “t” then releases into the “l” sound described below
(ɬ) = Place tongue as you would to pronounce an “l” and then simply blow a steady stream of air past the side of your tongue.
ənəq = Rhymes with the first four letters of the word “unaccountable”

Xwtl’e7énḵ (Sḵwx̱wú7mesh language)

Xw = Sounds like wh in “what” but with more friction on the roof of the mouth
tl' = Like a t and an l combined, but popped
e = Sounds like the i in "bill"
7 = A glottal stop. Found in the beginning each "uh" in "uh-oh"
é = Sounds like the i in "bill", but the accent means this vowel is stressed
n = Sounds like the n in “no”
k = Made by raising the very back of the tongue to touch the soft palate

Plaza Naming Project

šxʷƛ̓exən Xwtl’a7shn (formerly known as the Queen Elizabeth Theatre Plaza)

Listen to the pronunciation

Pronunciation guide

šxʷƛ̓ənəq Xwtl’e7énḵ Square (formerly the Vancouver Art Gallery north plaza)

Listen to the pronunciation

Pronunciation guide

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