Inverse Indicative Mode
These forms are built with the inverse direction marker (ukw) + n endings
The inverse marker tells us:
There is a 3rd person subject: He
The pattern of prefixes and endings provide information about the objects of the verb and in some cases indicate the singular or plural state of the subject.
Hint: Think 'néeka' before inverse forms
When the extra object is inanimate, one needs not worry about marking anything as obviative except in the 3rd person forms because those are the only forms that have two animate third person participants.
The man intends to give me the knife.
Lúnuw ngáta-míilkwun paxkshíikan.
(no obviative markings, participants are "He" the 3rd person subject, "me" the 1st person object and "it" the extra object )
-vs-
The man (obv) intends to give him the knife.
Lúnuwal kwáta-míilkwun paxkshíikan.
(Subject marked obviative, particpants are "He" the 3rd person obviative subject, "him" the 3rd person proximate object and "it" the extra object ) It may seem counter-intuitive to consider the subject as obviate and the object as proximate so it help to remember that the verb is heard from left to right with prefixes heard first then the verb stem. When one hears the direction marker one is able to assign an interpretation to the word and flip things around when the direction marker is the inverse marker (ukw).
Partial word: Nu-miil- (Me-give)
Direct word: Nu-miil-aa-n (Me-give-me to him-it) : I give it to him.
Inverse word: Nu-miil-ukw-un (Me-give-He to me-it): He gives it to me.
When the extra object is animate, the obviative markings follow the same patterns of endings as the VTAOs in direct mode. The use of the inverse direction marker simply changes the interpretation of the prefixes and endings.
Nouns and pronouns associated with verb take obviative and plural markings according to function they serve and the markings on the noun help clear up ambiguities.
Numiilkwun. He or they gave it or him to me. (ambiguous)
Na lunuw numiilkwun paxshiikan. That man gave the knife to me.
Niik lunuwak numiilkwun. Those men gave it to me.
Illustration of how the affixes are similar for direct and inverse verbs:
VTAO
Direct VTAO with animate extra object: Kumíilaan pambíilal.
Inverse VTAO with animate extra object: Kumíilkwun pambíilal.VTA:
Direct: Wuneewáawal lúnuwal. He saw the man.
Inverse: Wunéewkool lúnuwal. The man saw him.
Direct: Lúnuwal wuneewáawal. He saw the man.
Inverse: Lúnuwal wunéewkool. The man saw him.3rd person VTAO forms with an animate extra object should be avoided (because more than one obviative in a phrase is confusing)
He gave him him.
Overview
Inverse VTAO Paradigms
VTAO Inverse Indicative Mode
| Paradigm | Subject — Object – Extra Object |
|---|---|
| nu-(stem)-ukwun | He, they — me – it, him |
| ku-(stem)-ukwun | He, they — you – it, him |
| wu-(stem)-ukwun | He, they (obviative) — him – it, him |
| nu-(stem)-ukwuneen | He, they — us – it, him |
| ku-(stem)-ukwuneen | He, they — us – it, him |
| ku-(stem)-ukwuneewa | He, they — ye – it, him |
| wu-(stem)-ukwuneewa | He, they (obviative) — them – it, him |
Negatives form the usual way for these forms.
VTAO Negative Inverse Indicative Mode
| Paradigm | Subject — Object – Extra Object |
|---|---|
| mah nu-(stem)-ukoowun | He, they — me – it, him |
| mah ku-(stem)-ukoowun | He, they — you – it, him |
| mah wu-(stem)-ukoowun | He, they (obviative) — him – it, him |
| mah nu-(stem)-ukoowuneen | He, they — us – it, him |
| mah ku-(stem)-ukoowuneen | He, they — us – it, him |
| mah ku-(stem)-ukoowuneewa | He, they — ye – it, him |
| mah wu-(stem)-ukoowuneewa | He, they (obviative) — them – it, him |
Specifics
Examples for each possible combination of sg, pl, animate and inanimate object and extra object (subject in inverse mode):
Singular subject with a singular inanimate extra object (sg-sg)
Kumíilkwun wtéehiim.
He gave you the strawberry.
kumóotumeew steal s.o.,s.t. from s.o
Ngumootûmúkwuneen.
He stole it from us.
péetaweew bring s.t. for s.o.
Mbeetáakwun aakongwéepuy.
He brought me the hat.Note in the above example the contraction between (aw) and (ukw) just like the VTAs
(stem-aw)-ukw => (stem)-aakw
VTAO Inverse Objective Forms with Sg Inanimate Extra Object
Subject – Object – Extra Object
| Meaning | Paradigm |
|---|---|
| He — me – it | nu-(stem)-ukwun |
| He — you – it | ku-(stem)-ukwun |
| He (obviative) — him – it | wu-(stem)-ukwun |
| He — us – it (exclusive) | nu-(stem)-ukwuneen |
| He — us – it (inclusive) | ku-(stem)-ukwuneen |
| He — ye – it | ku-(stem)-ukwuneewa |
| He (obviative) — them – it | wu-(stem)-ukwuneewa |
Plural subject with a singular inanimate extra object (pl-sg)
Option 1: Use the same form as the singular:
Kumíilkwun wtéehiim.
They gave you the strawberry.
Numíilukw wtéehiim. Mah kumiilkóowi wtéehiim.*
They gave me a strawberry. They did not give you a strawberry.
*(Not sure of absolute-objective contrast for this mode)
Numíilkwun wtéehiim. Mah kumiilkóowun wtéehim.
They gave me the strawberry. They did not give you the strawberry.
Ngumootûmúkwuneen.
They stole it from us.
Mbeetáakwun aakongwéepuy.
They brought me the hat.
Option 2: Use the special (nu)-(stem)-(ukw)-(uneewa)
Numiilkwuneewa wteehiim.
They gave me the strawberry.
(this option is only available for 1st sg forms)
VTAO Inverse Objective Forms with Plural subject and Sg Inanimate Extra Object
| Meaning | Paradigm | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| They — me – it | nu-(stem)-ukwun | nu-(stem)-ukwuneewa |
| They — you – it | ku-(stem)-ukwun | |
| They (obviative) — him – it | wu-(stem)-ukwun | |
| They — us – it (exclusive) | nu-(stem)-ukwuneen | |
| They — us – it(inclusive) | ku-(stem)-ukwuneen | |
| They — ye – it | ku-(stem)-ukwuneewa | |
| They (obviative) — them – it | wu-(stem)-ukwuneewa |
Singular subject with plural inanimate extra object (sg-pl)
Option 1: Omit the plural (-al) peripheral verb ending
Numiilkwun wteehiimal.
They or he gave me the strawberries.
Option 2: Use the plural (-al) peripheral verb ending
1st, 2nd and 3rd person sg only
Numiilkwunal wteehiimal.
He gave me the strawberries.
Ngumootûmukwunal.
He stole them from me.
Mbeetáakwunal aakongwéepuyal.
He brought me the hats.VTAO Inverse Objective Forms with Sg subject and Plural Inanimate Extra Object
| Meaning | Paradigm | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| He — me – them | nu-(stem)-ukwun | nu-(stem)-ukwunal |
| He — you – them | ku-(stem)-ukwun | ku-(stem)-ukwunal |
| He (obviative) — him – them | wu-(stem)-ukwun | wu-(stem)-ukwunal |
| He — us – them (exclusive) | nu-(stem)-ukwuneen | |
| He — us – them (inclusive) | ku-(stem)-ukwuneen | |
| He — ye – them | ku-(stem)-ukwuneewa | |
| He (obviative) — them – them | wu-(stem)-ukwuneewa |
Plural subject with plural inanimate extra object (pl-pl)
Option 1: Use the singular form
Numíilkwun wteehíimal.
They or he gave me the strawberries.
Option 2: Use the inanimate plural peripheral ending (-al)
Numíilkwunal wteehíimal.
They or he gave me the strawberries.
Option 3: Use the special (nu)-(stem)-(ukw)-(uneewa)
(only applies to 1st sg forms)
Numiilkwunéewa wteehíimal.
They gave me the strawberries.
(with optional -neewa ending which here refers to 'they' the r-subject)
(Reference Ives Goddard Delaware Verbal Morphology)VTAO Inverse Objective Forms with Plural Subject and Sg Inanimate Extra Object
| Meaning | Paradigm | Alternative | Alternative 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| They — me – them | nu-(stem)-ukwun | nu-(stem)-ukwunal | nu-(stem)-ukwuneewa |
| They — you – them | ku-(stem)-ukwun | ku-(stem)-ukwunal | |
| They (obviative) — him – them | wu-(stem)-ukwun | wu-(stem)-ukwunal | |
| They — us – them (exclusive) | nu-(stem)-ukwuneen | ||
| They — us – them (inclusive) | ku-(stem)-ukwuneen | ||
| They — ye – them | ku-(stem)-ukwuneewa | ||
| They (obviative) — them – them | wu-(stem)-ukwuneewa |
Singular subject and obviative extra object (sg-obv)
Option 1: Omit the obviative (-al) verb ending
Lúnuw numíilkwun óhpunal.
The man (prox) gave me the potato(es) (obv).
Mah kumiilkóowun óhpunal.
He did not give you the potato(es).
Ngumootûmúkwuneen káalal.
He stole the car from us.
Mbeetáakwun pambíilal.
He brought me the book.
Option 2: Use the obviative (-al) verb ending
(only possible for 1st and 2nd sg)
Lúnuw numíilkwunal óhpunal.
The man (prox) gave me the potato(es) (obv).
Lúnuw kumíilkwunal óhpunal.
The man (prox) gave you the potato(es) (obv).
Ngumootûmúkwuneen káalal.
He stole the car from us.
Mbeetáakwunal pambíilal.
He brought me the book.
VTAO Inverse Objective Forms with Obviative Extra Object
| Meaning | Paradigm | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| He — me – him (obv) | nu-(stem)-ukwun | nu-(stem)-ukwunal |
| He — you – him (obv) | ku-(stem)-ukwn | ku-(stem)-ukwunal |
| He (obviative) — him – him (obv) | AVOID | |
| He — us – him (obv) (exclusive) | nu-(stem)-aaneen | |
| He — we – him (obv) (inclusive) | ku-(stem)-ukwuneen | |
| He — ye – him (obv) | ku-(stem)-aaneewa | |
| He (obviative) — them – him (obv) | AVOID |
*the extra object ‘him’ could be ‘him’ or ‘them’ because the obviative form is the same for sg and plural
Plural subject and obviative extra object (pl-obv)
Option 1: Omit the obviative (-al) verb ending
Lúnuwak numíilkwun óhpunal.
The men (prox) gave me the potato(es) (obv).
Lúnuwak ngumootûmúkwuneen káalal.
The men stole the car from us.
Oxkwées'sak mbeetáakwun pambíilal.
The girls brought me the book.
Option 2: Use the obviative (-al) verb ending
(only possible for 1st and 2nd sg)
Lúnuwak numíilkwunal óhpunal.
The men (prox) gave me the potato(es) (obv).
Lúnuwak kumíilkwunal óhpunal.
The men (prox) gave you the potato(es) (obv).
Lúnuwak ngumootûmúkwuneen káalal.
The men stole the car from us.
Oxkwées'sak mbeetáakwunal pambíilal.
The girls brought me the book.
Option 3: Use the special (nu)-(stem)-(ukw)-(uneewa)
(only applies to 1st sg forms)
Lúnuwak numiilkwunéewa óhpunal.
The men (prox) gave me the potato(es) (obv).
VTAO Inverse Objective Forms with Plural Subject and Obviative Extra Object
Meaning
Paradigm
Alternative
Alternative 2
They --- him - him (obv)
nu-(stem)-ukwun
nu-(stem)-ukwunal
nu-(stem)-ukwuneewa
They -- you - him (obv)
ku-(stem)-ukwun
ku-(stem)-ukwunal
They (obviative) -- them - him (obv)
AVOID
They -- us - him (obv) (exclusive)
nu-(stem)-ukwuneen
They -- us - him (obv) (inclusive)
ku-(stem)-ukwuneen
They -- ye - him (obv)
ku-(stem)-ukwuneewa
They (obviative) -- them - him (obv)
AVOID
*the extra object 'him' could be 'him' or 'them' because the obviative form is the same for sg and plural
=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>
Go to VTAO Practicum VI
=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>=>