Derivation refers to the process of forming new words from existing words.
Verbs and nouns may be generated using derivation processes. Some of the more common patterns will be presented here.
Equational Verbs
Creates verbs from nouns.
Add -uw to a noun to form a verb based on the meaning of that noun.
niimanāāw + -uw => niimanāāwuw vai be a man (JE)
Niimanāāwih. I am a man.
Kuniimanāāwih. You are a man. Piiskwāāθuw. A girl.
Kpiiskwāāθuwih. You are a girl. (JE)
awahąąkanuw vii be the way, the means (HA84)
Equational verb from noun awahąąkan ni means, method, way
Verbs of possession
Creates verbs from nouns.
Add a specialized wu- prefix and the -uw ending to a noun to form a verb based on the meaning of that noun, with a possessive quality built into its meaning.
Nouns using the possessive suffix -um in possessed noun forms incorporate this suffix into the possessive verb, but obviative markings are not included.
The prefix is specialized in that it contracts to noo- and koo- with the prefixes nu- and ku-.
awąąsus a child
wtawąąsuman her child
wtawąąssumuw vaihave a child (Sw16)
Nootawąąssumih. I have a child.
Kinship terms may form verbs of possession.
Some kinship terms have a possessed third person form that begins with oo- and these build a verb of possession by adding wt- to the beginning of the noun.
Ooxan. His father.
wtooxuw vai have a father
Kootooxih. You have a father.
Verbs of possession based on a kinship noun may be conjugation as VAIOs and the object of the verb is the person to whom one is related.
wtooxuw vaio have s.o. as a father
Kootooxiin. He is your father. You have him as a father.
Ootooxinan. He is his father.
The participle of such a verb of possession may be used as a noun.
Wāātooxuyakw. He who is our father. (s22 64)
Perhaps this way of expressing this idea is more formal or emphatic than use of the possessed noun.
Nooxnah. Our father.
The indefinite participle allows one to remove the possession from a possessed noun.
Wāātooxiimuk. The father. (HA6)
Verbs of illness
Creates verbs from nouns.
Add the specialized prefix wu- to a noun and add the ending –iināāw to form a verb with the idea of illness or pain associated with that noun.
Wtah. His heart.
Nootahiinah. I have heart disease.
wtahiināāw vai have heart disease.
Wuniisk. His hand
wuniiskiināāw vai-s have sore hand
Kooniiskiinah. You have a sore hand.
Wąąwiikan. His back.
wąąwiikaniināāw vai have a sore back
Noowąąwiikaniinah. My back is sore.
Verbs of abundance
Creates verbs from nouns.
Add the ending -ihkāāw to a noun creates an inanimate intransitive verb with the meaning of abundance.
Namāāθ. A fish.
namāāθihkāāw vii be a lot of fish (s67)
Ustah namāāθihkāāwih. There aren’t any fish. (s67)
Kwiichiimwihkāāw. There are many ducks. (s98)
Niimanāāwihkāāw. There are many men.
Verbs of Making and Gathering
Creates verbs from nouns.
Add the ending -ahāāw to a noun creates a verb with the meaning of making or gathering that incorporates the meaning of that noun.
mihtukwiinootay basket
mtukwiinootayahāāw vai-s make baskets (TM8)
ąąθoon hat
ąąθoonhāāw vai-s make hats
skāāsiimiin na strawberry
skāāsiimiinhāāw vai-s gather strawberries, work with strawberries
Verbs of building
Creates verbs from nouns.
Add the ending -oonihtaaw to a noun creates a verb with the meaning of building that incorporates the meaning of that noun.
wiikŭwahm house
wiikwahmoonihtāāw voti2 build a house
tayąąxkwąąn ni bridge (s43)
tayąąxkwąąnoonihtāāw voti2 build a bridge
Verbs of Use
Creates verbs from nouns.
Add the ending -ahamąą to a noun creates a verb stem ending in unstable ąąwith the meaning of use that related to the meaning of that noun.
puyoon violin
puyoonhamāāw vai-ąą play the violin (s16) (s110)
Mbuyoonhamah. I play the violin.
wiiwiin na horn
wiiwiinhamāāw vai-ąą sound the horn
nahnayookuθ na horse (TM25)(TM43)
nahnayookθahmāāw vai-ąą use a horse
hāāmut ni shirt
hāāmtahmāāw vai-ąą wear a shirt
ąąθoon ni hat
ąąθoonhamāāw vai-ąą wear a hat