Review of conjunct order basics
Some types of speech contain ideas that reference back to something said earlier. We have already discussed clauses which use a special narrative mode called the subordinative mode. Another way verbal clauses relate to one another uses verbs in the conjunct order. In comparison to the subordinative mode, conjunct phrases bear a stronger relationship to the main clause. Conjunct sub-phrases tend to puts a spin or twist to the story. Timing and location information are often involved in conjunct phrases. Explanatory phrases seems to be more the domaine of the subordinative, whereas causative phrases are conjunct territory. The subordinative mode narrates and delivers information to be added on to the existing storyline whereas the conjunct loops back to the main clause with snippets of information that modify the original content.
Subordinative mode:
That’s the place where I waited.
This subordinative phrase tells us more of the story, a descriptive, explanatory matter of fact statement about a place mentioned in the prior part of the narrative.
Conjunct mode:
I waited there because it rained.
The conjunct part of this phrase (because it rained) loops back to the main clause and joins with the idea expressed there in a way that blends the two thoughts together. The two clauses once joined together say something different than if each clause was separate. Subordinative mode style speech simply adds more data to the narrative. Conjunct style speech not only tells ‘more’ of the story, it ‘changes’ the story. Common uses of the conjunct involve things like the relative time frames of the two phrases, cause and effect relationships, or location data.
Preverbs are very often involved in conjunct mode phrases. Preverbs with meanings like “when” or “while” or “everytime” bring the concept of time or the timing of the action between the two clauses and help create a certain kind of relationship between the two clauses such that certain preverbs are always followed by conjunct sub-clauses. For instance location related clauses introduced by the preverb meaning ‘where’ (āātan-) almost always use the conjunct, in part because the information about ‘where’ adds a dimension to the first or main clause that goes beyond a continuation of a narrative. Preverbs with meaning related to cause and effect such as ‘because’ also use conjunct secondary phrases.
Conjunct modes
Changed Conjunct Mode
When the time frame of the action in the conjunct sub-phrase is simultaneous to that of the main phrase the “Changed Conjunct Mode” is used.
Changed Subjunctive Conjunct Mode
Action that occurs before the time frame of the main uses the “Changed Subjunctive Conjunct Mode” and this mode adds a modal suffix (ah) to the usual conjunct ending to clearly set it apart.
Subjunctive Conjunct Mode
Conditional or hypothetical ideas are expressed uses this mode and it is how one expresses ideas that in English would start with “if…”
Participle Mode
Lastly there are the participles. These are verbs conjugated using conjunct endings and are used as nouns or to modify nouns as if adjectives.
Personal prefixes are not used in any of the four conjunct modes.
A basic set of conjunct endings (described below) is used in all modes. An extra “modal ending” (ah) is added in some modes (Changed Subjunctive and Subjunctive) and a shift in the initial vowels called the ‘’Initial Change’‘ is used in all modes except the subjunctive. When a preverb is present, as is often the case, the initial change will affect the preverb’s initial vowel instead of the verb’s initial vowel. This change only applies if the initial vowel of the verb or preverb is (a) or u. This may all sound complex but will be much easier to understand using examples.
Initial Change
(a) => (āā)
(u) => (āā)
For example: ápuw he is there āāpiit the one there
Conjunct Order Overview
| Conjunct Mode | Schema |
|---|---|
| Changed | (initial change)-(conjunct endings) |
| Changed Subjunctive | (initial change)-(conjunct endings)-(ah) |
| Subjunctive | (no initial change)-(conjunct endings)-(ah) |
| Participles | (initial change)-(conjunct endings) |
Conjunct Conjugation Paradigms
VAIs use a set of endings called the an-endings. This set of endings is also used in other verb types such as the VTI conjunct and some sub-modes of the VTA conjunct.
Consonant ending stems will be described first then vowel ending stems will follow.
VAI Conjunct – Consonant stems
| Basic paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (consonant stem)-ah | I — |
| (consonant stem)-an | You — |
| (consonant stem)-uk | He or She — |
| (consonant stem)-akw | We — (exclusive) |
| (consonant stem)-āāk | We all — (inclusive) |
| (consonant stem)-akw | We — (inclusive) |
| (consonant stem)-āākw | You (pl) — |
| (consonant stem)-htiit | They — |
| (consonant stem)-umuk | There is — |
Examples
āātan-wunāāyah when I am good
āātan-wunāāyan when you are good
āātan-wunāāyuk when he is good
āātan-wunāāyakw when we are good
āātan-wunāāyāāk when we are all good
āātan-wunāāyāākw when you (pl) are good
āātan-wunāāyhtiit when they are good
āātan-wunāāyumuk when good happens
1st person plural forms:
We exclusive and we inclusive forms are identical in the conjunct because no prefixes are used, but context can help to distinguish between them.
Special Cases:
(1) Stems with nasalized endings
When the final consonant is (n) or (m) the 3rd person ending merges with the stem to form a nasal sound cluster which resolves in Mahican by deleting the n or the m.
VOTI stems ending in (-m) drop the m before (k) and before the x subject ending -(u)muk
Stems ending in (-n) drop the n before (k)
(2) Stems ending in (-xiin)
These may be conjugated in two different ways for the 3rd person conjunct sg:
(1) like a consonant stem with a final (n) => (n)(k) => anaxakiixiik
or
(2) with omission of the final (n) => (ii)(t) => anaxakiixiit
i.e. conjugates like a vowel ending stem
VAI Conjunct – Consonant stems
| Form | (—m) | (—n) | (—xiin) | (consonant stem) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg | (—m)-ah | (—n)-ah | (—xiin)-ah | (consonant stem)-ah |
| 2nd sg | (—m)-an | (—n)-an | (—xiin)-an | (consonant stem)-an |
| 3rd sg | (—)-k | (—)-k | (—xiik) or (stem-xiit) | (consonant stem)-uk |
| 1st pl | (—m)-akw | (—n)-akw | (—xiin)-akw | (consonant stem)-akw |
| 2nd pl | (—m)-āākw | (—n)-āākw | (—xiin)-āākw | (consonant stem)-āākw |
| 3rd pl | (—m)-htiit | (—n)-htiit | (—xiin)-htiit | (consonant stem)-htiit |
| x subj | (—)-umuk | (—n)-umuk | (—xiin)-umuk | (consonant stem)-umuk |
The relevant forms to the discussion above are in bold type.
Examples to illustrate each stem type:
(1) Stem ending in (-xiin): anaxakiixiin lie down
āātan-anaxakiixiinah
āātan-anaxakiixiinan
āātan-anaxakiixiik or āātan-anaxakiixiit
āātan-anaxakiixiinakw
āātan-anaxakiixiināāk
āātan-anaxakiixiināākw
āātan-anaxakiixiinhtiit
āātan-anaxakiixiinumuk
(2) Stem ending in (m): wum come from
āātan-wumah
āātan-wuman
āātan-wuk
āātan-wumakw
āātan-wumāāk
āātan-wumāākw
āātan-wumhtiit
āātan-wumuk
(3) Stem ending in (consonant) : wunāāyuw be good
āātan-wunāāyah
āātan-wunāāyan
āātan-wunāāyuk
āātan-wunāāyakw
āātan-wunāāyāāk
āātan-wunāāyāākw
āātan-wunāāyhtiit
āātan-wunāāyumuk
modal endings
The modal ending ah is used in some conjunct modes and is added to the usual conjunct ending. For the first person singular the conjunct ending ah becomes ąąn before the modal ending ah
(1) Stem ending in (-xiin): anaxakiixiin lie down
āātan-anaxakiixiinąąnah
āātan-anaxakiixiinanah
āātan-anaxakiixiikah or āātan-anaxakiixiitah
āātan-anaxakiixiinakwah
āātan-anaxakiixiināākah
āātan-anaxakiixiināākwah
āātan-anaxakiixiinhtiitah
āātan-anaxakiixiinumukah
(2) Stem ending in (m): wum come from
āātan-wumąąnah
āātan-wumanah
āātan-wukah
āātan-wumakwah
āātan-wumāākah
āātan-wumāākwah
āātan-wumhtiitah
āātan-wumukah
(3) Stem ending in (consonant) : wunāāyuw be good
āātan-wunāāyąąnah
āātan-wunāāyanah
āātan-wunāāyukah
āātan-wunāāyakwah
āātan-wunāāyāākah
āātan-wunāāyāākwah
āātan-wunāāyhtiitah
āātan-wunāāyumukah
Vowel ending VAI stems
VAI verb stems ending in a vowel use a different 3rd sg ending : (t)
whereas consonant ending stems use (uk)
To prevent adjacent vowels from running together when adding conjunct endings, a (y) gets intercalated before the vowel initial conjunct endings
=> -y-ah -y-an -y-akw -y-āāk -y-āākw
Each stem type shifts its stem ending vowel when followed by the inserted (y) :
Stems ending in (ii) become stems ending in (uy)
(---uy) -(ah) -(an) -(akw) -(āāk) -(āākw)
Stems ending in (ąą) become stems ending in (ąąy)
(---ąąy) -(ah) -(an) -(akw) -(āāk) -(āākw)
Stems ending in (āā) become stems ending in (ay)
(---ay) -(ah) -(an) -(akw) -(āāk) -(āākw)
All other conjunct endings are added directly to the verb stem
=> (---) - (t)
=> (---) - (htiit)
=> (---) - (muk) for the X subject
VAI Conjunct – Vowel stems
The paradigm below illustrates a VAI with a stem ending in (āā).
| Basic paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (stem)-ay-ah | I — |
| (stem)-ay-an | You — |
| (stem)-āā-t | He or She — |
| (stem)-ay-akw | We — (exclusive) |
| (stem)-ay-āāk | We all — |
| (stem)-ay-āākw | You (pl) — |
| (stem)-a-htiit | They — |
| (stem)-āā-muk | There is — |
VAI Conjunct – Vowel stems
The paradigm below illustrates a VAI with a stem ending in (ąą).
| Basic paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (stem)-ąąy-ah | I — |
| (stem)-ąąy-an | You — |
| (stem)-ąą-t | He or She — |
| (stem)-ąąy-akw | We — (exclusive) |
| (stem)-ąąy-āāk | We all — |
| (stem)-ąąy-āākw | You (pl) — |
| (stem)-a-htiit | They — |
| (stem)-ąą-muk | There is — |
VAI Conjunct – Vowel stems
The paradigm below illustrates a VAI with a stem ending in (ii).
| Basic paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| (stem)-uy-ah | I — |
| (stem)-uy-an | You — |
| (stem)-ii-t | He or She — |
| (stem)-uy-akw | We — (exclusive) |
| (stem)-uy-āāk | We all — |
| (stem)-uy-āākw | You (pl) — |
| (stem)-ii-htiit | They — |
| (stem)-ii-muk | There is — |
Examples to illustrate each stem type:
(1) Stem ending in (ii): míitsuw eat
āātan-míitθŭyah
āātan-míitθŭyan
āātan-míitθiit
āātan-míitθŭyakw
āātan-miitθuyāāk
āātan-míitθŭyāākw
āātan-miitθíhtiit
āātan-míitθiimuk
(2) Stem ending in (ąą): aniitahāāw think
āātan-aniitahąąyah
āātan-aniitahąąyan
āātan-aniitahąąt
āātan-aniitahąąyakw
āātan-aniitahąąyāāk
āātan-aniitahąąyāākw
āātan-aniitahahtiit
āātan-aniitahąąmuk
(3) Stem ending in (āā): anahkāāw work
āātan-anahkayah
āātan-anahkayan
āātan-anahkāāt
āātan-anahkayakw
āātan-anahkayāāk
āātan-anahkayāākw
āātan-anahkahtiit
āātan-anahkāāmuk
Stems ending in (-kwii) do not drop the (w) before (u) as they do in 3rd person indicative mode forms.
masihkuw vai-kwii color or dye in red
Nāākmah masihkuw. He colors red.
Masihkuwak. They color red.
Non 3rd person forms retain the original stem ending (-kwii)
Nuyah numasihkwih.
I am color red.
Aātan-masihkwuyah. When I am red.
Aātan-masihkwiit. When he is red.
VOTI stems and the conjunct
(1) VOTI1a and VOTI1b Stems
These stems end in (am) and (um) conjugate like a consonant stem ending in (m)
See consonant ending paradigm chart.
(2) VOTI2 Stems
These stems end in (āā) and conjugate like AI stable stems.
Negatives are formed in the regular way, (w) is intercalated between the stem and the endings. Vowel ending stems simply add (w), but consonant ending stems insert (oo) before (w). The 3rd person ending -t is replaced by -kw for negative forms, and -uk becomes -ukw for negative forms. The 3rd person plural -htiit becomes -htiikw in negative forms.
VAI Negative Conjunct Mode
| Vowel stem paradigm | Consonant stem paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ustah (vowel stem)-wah | ustah (consonant stem)-oowah | I — not |
| ustah (vowel stem)-wan | ustah (consonant stem)-oowan | You — not |
| ustah (vowel stem)-kw | ustah (consonant stem)-ookw | He or She — not |
| ustah (vowel stem)-wakw | ustah (consonant stem)-oowakw | We — not |
| ustah (vowel stem)-wāāk | ustah (consonant stem)-oowāāk | We all — not |
| ustah (vowel stem)-wāākw | ustah (consonant stem)-oowāākw | You (pl) — not |
| ustah (vowel stem)-htiikw | ustah wu-(consonant stem)-htiikw | They — not |
| ustah —-(vowel stem)-mookw | ustah —-(consonant stem)-umookw | There is not — |
míitθuw vai he eats
Ustah āātan-miitθíiwah
Ustah āātan-miitθíiwan
Ustah āātan-míitθiikw
Ustah āātan-miitθíiwakw
Ustah āātan-miitθiiwāāk
Ustah āātan-miitθíiwākw
Ustah āātan-miitθíhtiikw
Ustah āātan-miitθiimookw
wmah vai he comes from a certain place
Ustah āātan-wumoowah
Ustah āātan-wumoowan
Ustah āātan-wumookw
Ustah āātan-wumoowakw
Ustah āātan-wumoowāāk
Ustah āātan-wumoowāākw
Ustah āātan-wumhtiikw
Ustah āātan-wumumookw