Unstable stems are verb stems which end in a vowel that changes to a different vowel in some verb forms. Stable stems use the same stem ending vowel in all forms.
(1a) Unstable VAI stems ending in (ii)
These verbs list in the dictionary with the ending (uw) which is the indicative 3rd person singular form. However the actual stem ending vowel is (ii).
This shift is triggered by the 3rd person suffix for the independent indicative: (w). This suffix is also present on the plural form: (w-ak). Other endings do not induce this change, i.e. all non 3rd person indicative mode endings. Unstable ii stems use the actual stem vowel (ii) without a shift in all the indicative mode negative endings, unlike unstable stems ending in ąą.
VAI Unstable Stems Ending in (ii) Indicative Mode
| Meaning | Build | Final form |
|---|---|---|
| I — | nu(····ii)m | nu····ih |
| You — | ku(····ii)m | ku····ih |
| He or She — | —-(····ii)w | ····uw |
| We — (exclusive) | nu(····ii)hnąą | nu····ihnah |
| We all — (exclusive) | nu(····ii)hnookw | nu····ihnookw |
| We — (inclusive) | ku(····ii)hnąą | ku····ihnah |
| We all — (inclusive) | ku(····ii)hnookw | ku····ihnookw |
| You (pl) — | ku(····ii)hmąą | ku····ihmah |
| They — | —-(····ii)wak | ····uwak |
| There is — | —-(····ii)n | ····iin |
Note vowel shift (ii) => (u) in 3rd person forms
VAI Negative Stem Ending in (ii) Indicative Mode
| Meaning | Build | Final form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| I — not | ustah nu(····ii)wii | ustah nu····iiw | |
| You — not | ustah ku(····ii)wii | ustah ku····iiw | |
| He or She — not | ustah —-(stem-ii)-wii | ustah ····iiwih | |
| We — not (exclusive) | ustah nu(····ii)wíhnąą | ustah nu····iiwíhnah | |
| We all — not (exclusive) | ustah nu(····ii)wíhnookw | ustah nu····iiwíhnookw | |
| We — not (inclusive) | ustah ku(····ii)wíhnąą | ustah ku(····ii)wíhnah | |
| We all — not (inclusive) | ustah ku(····ii)wíhnookw | ustah ku(····ii)wíhnookw | |
| You (pl) — not | ustah ku(····ii)wíhmąą | ustah ku····iiwíhmah | |
| They — not | ustah —-(····ii)wíiwak | ustah ····iiwiik | |
| There is not — | ustah —-(····ii)wun | ustah ····iiwun |
Example: apúw vai he is there
ndápih I am there
ktápih
apúw
ndapíhnah
ndapihnookw
ktapíhnah
ktapihnookw
ktapímah
apúwak
apiin There is being there
ustah ndapiiw I am not there
ustah ktapiiw
ustah apíiwih
ustah ndapiiwíhnah
ustah ndapiiwihnookw
ustah ktapiiwíhnah
ustah ktapiiwihnookw
ustah ktapiiwíhmah
ustah ktapiiwiik
ustah apíiwun
Other examples:
Míitsuw. He eats.
Miitsuwak. They eat.
stem = (miitsii)
Ustah miitsíiwih. He eats not.
Ustah miitsiiwiik. They are not eating.
Kuyah katāāw-míitsih? Did you want to eat?
Nuyah numawih-miitsih. I am going to eat.
Nāākmah katāāw-míitsuw.
He intends to eat.
Nuyāānookw nuwiikih-miitsihnookw. We all like to eat.
wiikih- pv like to
Míitsiin. People are eating.
Ustah apiiwíik.
They aren't here.
(apúw stem = (apii) )(1b) Other VAI stems ending in (ii)
Stems ending in (-kwii) are a variant of the unstable stem ending in (ii). They undergo an additional phonological change in the 3rd person indicative mode forms where the ‘oh’ sound of the ‘uw’ ending causes the (w) preceding the (u) to drop off because the sounds blend together.
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.
Negative forms, including the 3rd person forms retain the original stem ending (-kwii) as well:
Ustah awāān masihkwiiwih.
Nobody is colored red.
i.e : the negative ending does not trigger the shift from (ii) to (u)
(2) Unstable stems ending in (ąą)
The dictionary lists these with an ending in (āāw) because the 3rd person indicative mode used for the dictionary listing shifts the vowel from āā to ąą. The listing shows other forms that use the true stem vowel (ąą) before endings.
These unstable stems shift from (ąą) to (āā) before the (w) and (w-ak) endings for the 3rd person sg or pl indicative mode forms
The shift to (āā) also occurs for the 3rd person sg and pl negative endings, unlike the unstable verbs ending in ii which do not shift for the negatives.
VAI Stem Ending in (ąą) Indicative Mode
| Meaning | Build | Final form |
|---|---|---|
| I — | nu(····ąą)m | nu····ąh |
| You — | ku(····ąą)m | ku····ąh |
| He or She — | —-(····ąą)w | ····āāw |
| We — (exclusive) | nu(····ąą)hnąą | nu····ąhnah |
| We all — (exclusive) | nu(····ąą)hnookw | nu····ąhnookw |
| We — (inclusive) | ku(····ąą)-hnąą | ku····ąhnah |
| We all — (inclusive) | ku(····ąą)-hnookw | ku····ąhnookw |
| You (pl) — | ku(····ąą)hmąą | ku····ąhmah |
| They — | —-(····ąą)wak | ····āāk |
| There is — | —-(····ąą)n | ····ąąn |
Note vowel shift (ąą) => (āā) in 3rd person forms
VAI Negative Stem Ending in (ąą) Indicative Mode
| Meaning | Build | Final form |
|---|---|---|
| I — not | ustah nu(····ąą)wii | ustah nu····ąąw |
| You — not | ustah ku(····ąą)wii | ustah ku····ąąw |
| He or She — not | ustah —-(····ąą)wii | ustah ····āāwih |
| We — not (exclusive) | ustah nu(····ąą)wíhnąą | ustah nu····ąąwíhnah |
| We all — not (exclusive) | ustah nu(····ąą)wíhnookw | ustah nu····ąąwíhnookw |
| We — not (inclusive) | ustah ku(····ąą)wíhnąą | ustah ku····ąąwíhnah |
| We all — not (inclusive) | ustah ku(····ąą)wíhnookw | ustah ku····ąąwíhnookw |
| You (pl) — not | ustah ku(····ąą)wíhmąą | ustah ku····ąąwíhmah |
| They — not | ustah —-(····ąą)wíiwak | ustah ····āāwiik |
| There is not — | ustah —-(····ąą)wun | ustah ····ąąwun |
Example: āāw vai-ąą go
ndąh I go
ktąh
āāw
ndąhnah
ndąhnookw
ktąhnah
ktąhnookw
ktąhmah
āāk
ąąn
ustah ndąąw I go not
ustah ktąąw
ustah āāwih
ustah ndąąwihnah
ustah ndąąwihnookw
ustah ktąąwihnah
ustah ktąąwihnookw
ustah ktąąwihmah
ustah āāwiik
ustah ąąwun
Unstable VAIs in (ąą) do shift to the (āā) form with negative endings (unlike the unstable stems in (ii) which fail to shift to (u) in negative forms)
Summary:
VAI Unstable Stems Indicative Mode
| Stem ending vowel | 3rd sg form | 3rd pl form | Negative 3rd sg form | Negative 3rd pl form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (····ąą) | (····āāw) | (····āāk) | ustah (····āāwih) | ustah (····āāwiik) |
| (····ii) | (····uw) | (····uwak) | ustah (····iiwih) | ustah (····iiwiik) |
| (····kwii) | (····kuw) | (····kuwak) | ustah (····kwiiwih) | ustah (····wiiwiik) |