VTAO Inverse Indicative Mode
These forms are built with the inverse direction marker (ukw) + n endings
The inverse marker tells us:
The 3rd person participant that is linked to the verb stem by the prefix and ending is to be interpreted as the subject of the verb.
Hint: Think 'naakmah' "he" before inverse forms
Ditransitive verbs in the inverse mode of the indicative order use patterns of conjugation similar to verb forms already described. The unique quality of these verbs is that an extra object is present that can be animate or inanimate, singular or plural or obviative.
When the extra object is inanimate, one needs not worry about marking anything as obviative except in the 3rd person forms because in that case, those are the only forms that have two animate third person participants.
The man intends to give me the knife.
Niimanaaw ngátaaw-miinkwun xiikan.
(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.
Niimanaan wkátaaw-miinkwunan xiikan.
(The noun marked obviative is the 2nd mentioned 3rd person party as far as the verb is concerned, hence an obviative marking, but the direction marker tells us to interpret that person as the subject.It can help to remember that the verb is spoken and heard from left to right with prefixes heard first then the verb stem. Then one gets to the direction marker which enables one to assign an interpretation to the word and in the case of an inverse marker, one can mentally flip things around and realize which participant is doing what to whom.
Partial word: Nu-miin- (Me-give)
Direct word: Nu-miin-ąą-n (Me-give- direct----me to him-it) : I give it to him.
Inverse word: Nu-miin-ukw-un (Me-give-inverse----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 consistent with their roles in the phrase in just the same way as in direct mode.
VTAO
Direct VTAO with animate extra object: Kumíinąąn thooθan. You gave him the teakettle.
Inverse VTAO with animate extra object: Kumíinkwun thooθan. He gave you the teakettle (obv). Overview
Inverse VTAO Paradigms
VTAO Inverse Indicative Mode
| Paradigm | Subject — Object – Extra Object |
|---|---|
| nu-(stem)-ukwun | He — me – it, him |
| ku-(stem)-ukwun | He — you – it, him |
| wu-(stem)-ukwun | He (obviative) — him – it, him |
| nu-(stem)-ukwunaanah | He — us – it, him |
| ku-(stem)-ukwunaanah | He — us – it, him |
| ku-(stem)-ukwunaanookw | He — all of us – it, him |
| ku-(stem)-ukwunaawah | He — you (pl) – it, him |
| wu-(stem)-ukwunaawah | He (obviative) — them – it, him |
Negatives form the usual way for these forms.
VTAO Negative Inverse Indicative Mode
| Paradigm | Subject — Object – Extra Object |
|---|---|
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowun | He — me – it, him |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowun | He — you – it, him not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowunan | He (obviative) — him – it, him not |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowunaan | He — us – it, him not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowunaanah | He — us – it, him not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowunaanookw | He — all of us – it, him not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowunaawah | He — you (pl) – it, him not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowunaawah | He (obviative) — them – it not |
These basic forms interact with various combinations of subject, object and extra object in predictable ways. The subject of a vtao is always animate. The primary object is always animate, and may be singular or plural. The secondary object may be inanimate or animate, singular or plural. The direction marker does not change these facts. The direction marker does indicate how to interpret and to understand the interactions of these participants.
Objective Forms with Inanimate Extra Object
Inanimate extra object objective forms, use the standard VTAO forms without additional endings regardless of whether the extra object is singular or plural and regardless of whether the primary object is singular or plural.
Numiinkwun wuyaaθ. He gave me the meat.
Numiinkwun wuyaaθan. He gave me the meats.
Numiinkwun wuyaaθ. They gave me the meat.
Numiinkwun wuyaaθan. They gave me the meats.
Optionally, an inanimate plural ending may be added to the verb when the extra object is plural.
Numiinkwunah wuyaaθan. He, they gave me the meats.
Numiinkwunaanąąn wuyaaθan. He, they gave us the meats.
Kumiinkwunaawąąn wuyaaθan. He, they gave you (pl) the meats.
Verb plural endings when present, pertain to the extra object in vtao objective mode and never pertain to the primary object.
Objective Forms with Animate Extra Object
Animate extra object forms, when objective, use standard vtao forms with no additional markings, however the extra object, always obviative when animate, will use an obviative ending on the noun when a noun is present.
Numiinkwun tkwaxan. He, they gave me the bread (obv).
Kumiinkwun tkwaxan. He, they gave you the bread (obv).
Wumiinkwun tkwaxan. He, they gave him the bread (obv).
Numiinkwunaanah tkwaxan. He, they gave us the bread (obv). Plural obviatives also use use standard vtao forms with no additional markings.
Numiinkwun tkwaxah. He, they gave me the breads (pl obv).
Kumiinkwun tkwaxah. He, they gave you the breads (pl obv).
Wumiinkwun tkwaxah. He, they gave him the breads (pl obv).
Numiinkwunaanah tkwaxah. He, they gave us the breads (pl obv). Optionally, an obviate ending may be added to the verb when the extra object is obviative.
Numiinkwunan tkwaxan. He, they gave me the bread.
Kumiinkwunan tkwaxan. He, they gave you the bread.
Wumiinkwunan tkwaxan. He, they (obv1) gave him the bread (obv2).
Numiinkwunaanąąn tkwaxan. He, they gave us the bread.
Kumiinkwunaanąąn tkwaxan. He, they gave us the bread.
Kumiinkwunaawąąn tkwaxan. He, they gave you (pl) the bread.
Wumiinkwunaawąąn tkwaxan. He, they (obv1) gave him the bread (obv2).Plural obviatives follow usual patterns of contraction.
Numiinkwunah tkwaxah. He, they gave me the breads.
Kumiinkwunah tkwaxah. He, they gave you the breads.
Wumiinkwunah tkwaxah. He, they (obv1) gave him the breads (obv2).
Numiinkwunaanąą tkwaxah. He, they gave us the breads.
Kumiinkwunaanąą tkwaxah. He, they gave us the breads.
Kumiinkwunaawąą tkwaxah. He, they gave you (pl) the breads.
Wumiinkwunaawąą tkwaxah. He, they (obv1) gave him the breads (obv2).Negative examples:
Numíinkwun. Ustah kŭmiinkoowun.
He, They gave it, him, them to me. He did not give it, him, them to me.
Numiinkwunah. Ustah kŭmiinkoowunah.
He, They gave it, him, them to me. He did not give it, him, them to you.Absolute Inverse VTAO forms
Absolute forms pair a verb with a noun (or participle) to denote a vague, indefinite quality to the extra object of a ditransitive verb.
As is the case with other verb types, the noun in the verb-noun pairing carries the endings to indicate plurality or obviative status and the verb carries endings that will unambiguously identify who are the subject and object.
This differs from the above described objective forms which do not require a noun to be paired with the verb, and verbs in the objective mode denote a specific extra object that is precise and definite. Endings on the verb in objective mode optionally change to indicate the plurality or objective status of the extra object, and do not add endings to distinguish between a sg or pl primary object.
Absolute TAO verbs will use different verb forms for these types of phrases and should be translated using the indefinite article, “a or some”. “He gave me a book”.
To use a VTAO with an absolute extra object, one conjugates the verb like a VTA, i.e. the w endings and the direction marker (ukw) are used as if there was no extra object present. A noun is required to show the presence of an extra object.
Animate extra objects are always obviative in inverse vtao constructs, because the animate primary object (interpreted as the subject) outranks the extra object.
Peripheral verb endings here, are used differently than is the case with the objective inverse forms using n endings. Here, peripheral endings(-ak plural and -an sg obviative, and -ah pl obv as in vta forms reference the primary object.
Numiinkaak xíikan.
They handed me a knife.
Numiinkaak tkwaxan.
They handed me a loaf of bread.
Wumiinkaan xiikan.
He (obv) handed him a knife.
Wumiinkwah tkwaxan.
They (obv) gave him a loaf of bread.
VTAO Absolute Forms or Noun required construction
inflects like a regular TA verb
VTAO Inverse Absolute Forms
| Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nu-(stem)-ukw | He — me – noun |
| ku-(stem)-ukw | He — you – noun |
| wu-(stem)-ukaan | He (obv) — him – noun |
| nu-(stem)-ukoonah | He — us – noun |
| ku-(stem)-ukoonah | He — us – noun |
| ku-(stem)-ukoonookw | He — us all – noun (inclusive) |
| ku-(stem)-ukoowah | He — you (pl) – noun |
| wu-(stem)-ukoowąąn | He (obv) — they – noun |
noun = a sg or plural animate or inanimate noun with a indefinite article such as “a” or “some”
Negative forms are the same as the corresponding VTA negative forms
VTAO Negative Direct Absolute Forms
| Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoow | He — me – noun not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoow | He — you – noun not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiin | He (obv) — him – noun not |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiinah | He — us – noun not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinah | He — us – noun not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinookw | He — us all – noun not (all inclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiiwah | He — you (pl) – noun not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiiwąąn | He (obv) — them -noun not |
noun = a sg or plural animate or inanimate noun with a indefinite article such as “a” or “some”; the noun uses usual markings of plural or obviative status as appropriate
Examples
anumawaaw do, hand s.t. to s.o.
miinaaw give s.t. to s.o.
ąąθoon ni hat
tihooθna teakettle
Numiinukw ąąθoon. Ustah kumiinkoow ąąθoon.
He gave me a hat. He did not give you a hat.
Ndunumąąkw tihooθan.
He handed me a teakettle.
Ktunumąąkw tkwaxah.
He handed you some loaves of bread.
Wumiinkaan ąąθoon. Ustah wumiinkoowiin tihooθan
He gave him a hat. He did not give him a teakettle.
Ktunumąąkoonookw ąąθoonan.
He handed us all some hats.
Kumiinkoowah tihooθah.
He gave you (pl) teakettles.
Wtunumąąkoowąąn wuyaaθ.
He handed them some meat.
Plural primary object with absolute inanimate secondary object
VTAO Direct Absolute Forms with Plural Object
| Meaning | Paradigm |
|---|---|
| They — me – (noun) | nu-(stem)-ukaak |
| They — you – (noun) | ku-(stem)-ukaak |
| They (obv) — him – (noun) | wu-(stem)-ukwah |
| They — us – (noun) | nu-(stem)-ukoonąąk |
| They — us – (noun) | ku-(stem)-ukoonąąk |
| They — us all – (noun) | ku-(stem)-ukoonookw |
| They — you (pl) – (noun) | ku-(stem)-ukoowąąk |
| They (obv) — them – (noun) | wu-(stem)-ukoowąą |
VTAO Negative Direct Absolute Forms with plural object
| Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiik | They — me – noun not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiik | They — you – noun not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiiwah | They (obv) — him – noun not |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiinąąk | They — us – noun not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinąąk | They — us – noun not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinookw | They — us all – noun not (all inclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiiwąąk | They — you (pl) – noun not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiiwąą | They (obv) — them – noun not |
indefinite noun = a sg or plural animate or inanimate noun with a indefinite article such as “a” or “some”; the noun uses usual markings of plural or obviative status as appropriate
Examples with plural (primary) object:
Numiinkaak ąąhooθ.
They gave me a hat.
Kumiinkaak ąąθoonan.
They gave you some hats.
Kumiinkaak tihooθ.
They gave you a teakettle.
Wumiinkoowąą ąąθoonan.
They gave him some hats.
Wumiinkoowąą tihooθah.
They gave him some teakettles.
Numiinkoonąąk ąąθoonan.
They gave us some hats.
Numíinukw mahkθunan wąąk míichuwąąkan
He gave me shoes and food.
Wtunumąąkoowąą tkwaxah.
They handed them some bread.
Negative examples with plural (primary) object:
Ustah numiinkoowiik ąąhooθ.
They did not give me a hat.
Ustah kumiinkoowiik ąąθoonan.
They didn't give you any hats.
Ustah kumiinkoowiik tihooθ.
They didn't give you a teakettle.
Ustah wumiinkoowiiwąą ąąθoonan.
They didn't give them any hats.
Ustah wumiinkoowiiwah tihooθah.
They didn't give him any teakettles.
Ustah numiinkoowiinąąk ąąθoonan.
They didn't give us any hats.
Ustah numíinkoow mahkθunan wąąk míichuwąąkan
He didn't give me shoes and food. (optional truncated neg. form)
Ustah wtunumąąkoowiiwąą tkwaxah.
They did not hand them any bread.
Note on 3rd person forms:
3rd person forms with an animate extra object have three 3rd person participants, one proximate and 2 obviatives. Determining which obviative is the primary object and which obviative is the extra object is possible using word order in similar fashion to noun possessive morphology for objective forms, but a possessive construction would not be appropriate to an absolute type of construct, because the possessee of a possessive cannot be indefinite.
(Aissen, J. (1997). On the syntax of obviation. Language, 705-750. See p718,719 Ranked obviatives and obviative span.)
He gave him (obv) a him (further obv)