Direction Markers
The verbs studied thus far either take ‘no object’ or take a third person object:
Nuyah nāāwąąw.
I saw him. (3rd person object; VTA Direct Indicative)
Nuyah nāāmun.
I saw it. (3rd person object; VTI Indicative)
Nuyah nŭmíitθih.
I am eating. (No object; VAI Indicative)
Sóokunąąn.
It is raining. (No object; VII Indicative)
VTAs however allow inflection for objects other than a 3rd person object.
This is done is by using a special inverse direction marker -ukw.
The inverse direction marker tells us that the 3rd person participant should be interpreted as the subject of the verb.
Hint: Think ‘nāākmah’ “he” before inverse forms.
The direct direction marker -ąą tells us that the 3rd person participant should be interpreted as the object of the verb.
Direct: (nu) + (stem) + (ąą) + (endings) => I ---- him
Inverse: (nu) + (stem) + (ukw) + (endings) => He ---- me
Inverse mode uses the same structural patterns of prefixes and suffixes and obviation marking as the direct mode but when the direction marker (ukw) is present, it indicates that the person who would have been the subject in direct mode should be interpreted as the object in inverse mode. It also indicates that the person who would have been the object in direct mode should be interpreted as the subject in inverse mode.
Ndahwąąnukw.
(me)-(inverse verb)-(him)
He loves meOne could think of it as a shift in emphasis as if one changed the tone of voice to indicate who is doing what to whom.
ME want him. I want him.
Me want HIM He wants me.The direct marker ąą puts the emphasis on the first participant who becomes the subject, whereas the inverse marker ukw puts the emphasis on the second participant who then is interpreted as the subject.
The inverse direction marker simply tells us to how to interpret the prefixes, stem and endings of a verb. The change of direction does not change the markings for obviation.
Direct Mode
Wtahwąąnąąn.
wu(verb stem-ąą)-wan
(He)-(direct verb)-(him obviative)
He (obviative) loves him.
Inverse Mode
Wtahwąąnŭkāān.
wu(verb stem-ukw)-wan
(He)-(inverse verb)-(him obviative)
He (obviative) loves him.
Monotransitive verbs (VTAs) have two partipants, an animate subject and an animate object. When both participants are 3rd persons, the second mentioned third person is the marked for obviation . As shown above it does not matter which direction marker is used, the second mentioned 3rd person is the obviative one.
So when using inverse mode, remember that the order of participants is the same as in the direct mode form. The obviative markings are determined by the order of the participants. The use of the inverse direction marker will shift the interpretations of subject and object, but keeps the markings as they were.
Inverse mode verbs are noteworthy for several reasons:
(1) Using inverse mode is the only way one can inflect a verb to say things like ‘he saw me’ or ‘he saw you’.
(2) Inverse mode forms can be objective or absolute, but only for phrases in the 3rd person. The effect is apparent for the 2nd participant just like direct forms, but this participant is interpreted as the subject in inverse forms. The dog chased the cat vs A dog chased the cat).
Remarks on the Algonquian Independent Indicative Author(s): Ives Goddard Source: International Journal of American Linguistics, Vol. 40, No. 4, (Oct., 1974), pp. 317-327 Published by: The University of Chicago Press
(3) 3rd person inverse forms have two third person participants, the obviative participant is interpreted to be the subject, and the non-obviative participant is interpreted as the object. This comes in handy when the subject must be an obviative noun or person, for example a dependent noun.
His father saw him.
Nāākmah óoxan wunāāwkāān.
wu-(nāāw)-(ukw)-an
Also inverse mode allows one to select the focus of a narrative keeping it on one person, or shifting the focus to another person, which is one way the obviative system may be used:
He saw his father and his father saw him.
Wunāāwąąn ooxan wąąk ooxan wunāāwkāān.
(4) Inverse mode allows one to use an inanimate subject (It, they)
For phrases such as “The falling rocks hurt him.”
(To be discussed next chapter)
(5) Inverse forms are not passives.
Kŭnāāwukw.
He saw you.
The subject = he and the object = you.
There is no evidence that these verbs have any passive quality requiring translation such as ‘you were seen by him’, as I would recommend against thinking of inverse verbs in these terms. When a personal pronoun is used with the singular subject of a verb in the inverse, it is always “nāākmah.” If inverse forms were passives, that pronoun would be the pronoun corresponding to the person encoded by the prefix. Silently thinking the word ‘nāākmah‘ before an inverse form may be helpful, as a hint to learning this mode.
Nāākmah kŭnāāwukw.
Him, he saw you.
Yoda style translation may also be helpful in the study of these forms.
Kunāāwukw.
Saw you, he did.
(6) Passive forms do exist in Mahican, when the subject is indefinite. VTAs build these forms using a modified inverse marker (ukāā) for all forms except for the 3rd person, which uses the X form of the direct indicative mode paradigm: (stem)-ąąw.
Nāāwkah.
I was seen (nāāw)-(ukāā)
Nāāwąąw.
He was seen.
(7) Subordinative and conjunct inverse forms do exist and will be discussed as we encounter them.
Conjugation paradigms with examples:
Inverse Indicative Mode
(stem)-(ukw)-(w endings)
Has an animate 3rd person subject ‘He’
The inverse object may be any person.
He -------------------------------------- me
He -------------------------------------- you
He (obviative) ---------------------- him
He -------------------------------------- us
He -------------------------------------- you (pl)
He (obviative) ---------------------- them
These forms are neither objective or absolute except for the 3rd person forms which are objective and take an obviative ending.
("He" The animate noun => him) and the plural ("They" The animate nouns => him).
Absolute forms for the 3rd person forms will be discussed below.
These forms are constructed using the inverse marker (ukw) instead of the direct marker ąą. The w endings are added to the marker. This direction marker (ukw) tells us that the usual pattern of prefixes and endings to indicate the subject and object of the verb are reversed. The w endings tell us that the participants are animate and the pattern of the endings tell us which person is participating as the object of the inverse verb. (he-me / he-you / he-him etc)
VTA Inverse Indicative Mode Objective Forms (Singular Subject)
| Structure | Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| nu-(stem)-(ukw)-w | nu-(stem)-ukw | He — me |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-w | ku-(stem)-ukw | He — you |
| wu-(stem)-(ukw)-wan | wu-(stem)-ukāān | He (obviative) — him |
| nu-(stem)-(ukw)-wunah | nu-(stem)-ukoonah | He — us (exclusive) |
| nu-(stem)-(ukw)-unookw | nu-(stem)-ukoonookw | He — us all (exclusive) |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-wunah | ku-(stem)-ukoonah | He — us (inclusive) |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-unookw | ku-(stem)-ukoonookw | He — us all (inclusive) |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-uwah | ku-(stem)-ukoowah | He — you (pl) |
| wu-(stem)-(ukw)-uwąąwan* | wu-(stem)-ukoowąąn* | He (obviative) — them |
| X Form N/A |
* optionally some speakers may use the shorter 3rd sg ending for plural subjects:
wu-(stem)-(ukw)-wan => wu-(stem)-ukāān
Example using the verb mihkoomāāw vta remind s.o., bring something to s.o.’s mind
Numihkoomukw
He reminds me
Kumihkoomukw
He reminds you
Wumihkoomkāān
He (obv) reminds him
Numihkoomkoonah
He reminds us
Numihkoomkoonookw
He reminds us all
Kumihkoomkoonah
He reminds us
Kumihkoomkoonookw
He reminds us all
Kumihkoomkoowah
He wants you (pl)
Wumihkoomkoowąąn
He (obv) reminds them
Note the 3rd person form, the ending (ukāān) is formed by (ukw)-(wan) which contracts to (ukāān).
Examples:
Niimanāāw numawih-nāāwukw.
The man is going to see me.
Kunāāwukw.
He sees you.
Niimanāān wŭnāāwkāān.
The man (obv) saw him.
ahwąąnāāw love s.o.
Pxāānum ndahwąąnukw.
The woman- she loves me.
Ktahwąąnukw.
She loves you.
Wtahwąąnkāān Pxāānmāān.
The woman (obv) loves him.
(when two animate 3rd person parties are involved, the one marked as obviative drives the verb in the inverse modes)
Awąąsus ndahwąąnŭkóonah.
The child loves us.
Awāān ktahwąąnukóonah.
Someone loves us.
Ndahwąąnkoowah.
He loves you (pl).
Niimanāān wtahwąąnkoowąąn tkwaxak.
The man loves them- the loves of bread.
Particularities for certain stem types:
Stems that end in (aw) blend with (ukw) to form (ąąkw)
Stems ending in (uw) blend with (ukw) to form (ookw)
Examples:
Aąpchiiw ngunθútąąkw.
He always listens to me.
nu-(kunuθutaw)-ukw
Kunθútąąkw.
She listens to you.
ku-(kunuθutaw)-ukw
Kumawih-kunúθtąąkw.
She will be listening to you. (note change in syncopation pattern when the preverb is added)
Ngatāāw-pāāshookw.
He wanted to bring me.
nu-(pāāsuw)-ukw
One VTA stem ends in (x) and it contracts with (ukw) also.
(x) + (ukw) => (xookw)
kwxāāw vta be afraid of s.o.
Ngwáxąąw. Nāākmah kwáxookw?
I am afraid of him. Is he afraid of you?
VTA stems ending in (h) contracts with (ukw) and other suffixes beginning with u to form oo
(h) + (ukw) => (hookw)
anihāāw vta treat s.o. so
nąąthāāw go after s.o. to get or fetch s.o. (Prince) ; stem = (nąątahw)
kaxkąątāāhāāw vta break the bones, legs of s.o.; stem = kaxkąątāāhw
skwusāāw vta cut s.o.; stem = (sukwusw)
Ndunihookw.
He treated me so.
Nąąthąąw.
I hit him. (direct, indicative mode)
Nąąthookw.
He hit me. (inverse mode) nu(nąątahw)ukw
Ngaxkąątāāhookw.
He broke my leg.
nsukwusąąw.
I cut him up. (direct, indicative mode)
Nsukwusookw.
He cut me up. (inverse mode)
nu(sukwusw)ukw
VTA Special Stems
| Structure | Inflection Result | Example | Inflected | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (stem-uw)-ukw | (stem)ookw | pāāsuwāāw | mbāāsookw | He brings me |
| (stem-aw)-ukw | (stem)ąąkw | kŭnuθtáwāāw | ngunθútąąkw | He listens to me |
| (stem-x)-ukw | (stem)xookw | kwaxāāw | ngaxookw | He fears me |
| (stem-h)-ukw | (stem)hookw | anihāāw | ndunihookw | He treats me so |
Only one VTA is irregular, as far as I know: anāāw vta say to s.o.
VTA Irregular Verb
| Direct objective | Direct absolute | Inverse objective |
|---|---|---|
| ndunąąw | ndunah +noun | ndukw |
| ktunąąw | ktunah +noun | ktukw |
| wtunąąn | anāāw +obv-noun | wtukāān |
| ndunąąnah | ndunáhnah +noun | ndukoonah |
| ktunąąnah | ktunáhnah +noun | ktukoonah |
| ktunąąwah | ktunáhmah +noun | ktukoowah |
| wtunąąwąąn | anāāk +obv-noun | wtukoowąąn |
The (n) in the verb stem drops before ukw in forms with a prefix on the stem.
When a preverb takes the prefix, the (n) does not drop.
Ngátāāw-unukw.
He intends to say to me.
Negative Inverse Indicative Mode
In the related language Munsee Delaware, negative inverse forms are not specified for a objective or an absolute inverse subject. In other words, the negatives endings with w endings do not exclusively refer to objective inverse subjects. (Reference Ives Goddard Delaware Verbal Morphology)
I am not sure if the same holds true for Mahican but would assume it does.
VTA Negative Inverse Indicative Objective Forms Singular Subject
| Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoow | He — me not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoow | He — you not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiin* | He (obv) — him not |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiinah* | He — us not (exclusive) |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiinookw* | He — us all not (exclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinah* | He — us not (inclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinookw | He — us all not (inclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiiwah | He — you (pl) not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiiwąąn* | He (obv) — them not |
*
ukoowiin contracted from -ukoowiiwan
ukoowiinah contracted from -ukoowiiwunah
ukoowiiwąąn contracted from -ukoowiiwąąwan
Examples
Ustah kŭnāāwkóow.
He saw you not.
Ustah ngiisih-nāāwukoow.
He was not able to see me.
Niimanāāw ustah kpāāsookoow.
That man did not bring you. (note contraction -uw-ukw to -ookw)
Ustah ngatāāw-nāāwŭkoowiinah.
He intends not to see us.
Ustah awāān kunāāwkóowiinah.
Noone saw us.
Ustah wunāāwŭkoowiiwąąn.
He does not see them.
Ustah wunāāwŭkoowiin.
He does not see him/her.
Because Mahican has different forms for 3rd person plural versus singular and marks differently for sg and pl obviative participants, there is no ambiguity in the inverse 3rd person objective forms as is the case in Munsee Delaware for example.
Plural Subject Inverse Indicative Objective Forms
(They-me They-you etc)
(stem)-(ukw)-(w endings, plurals)
These forms are built from the singular forms using the plural and obviative endings where appropriate. Contractions follow usual patterns. Some forms remain the whether the object is plural or not.
VTA Inverse Indicative Objective Forms (Plural Subject)
| Structure | Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| nu-(stem)-(ukw)-wak | nu-(stem)-ukāāk | They — me |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-wak | ku-(stem)-ukāāk | They — you |
| wu-(stem)-(ukw)-wah | wu-(stem)-ukwah | They (obviative) — him |
| nu-(stem)-(ukw)-wunąą-ak | nu-(stem)-ukoonąąk | They — us (exclusive) |
| nu-(stem)-(ukw)-wunookw | nu-(stem)-ukoonookw | They — us all (exclusive) |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-wunąą-ak | ku-(stem)-ukoonąąk | They — us (inclusive) |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-wunookw | ku-(stem)-ukoonookw | They — us all (inclusive) |
| ku-(stem)-(ukw)-uwąą-ak | ku-(stem)-ukoowąąk | They — you (pl) |
| wu-(stem)-(ukw)-wąąw-ah | wu-(stem)-ukoowąą | They (obviative) — them |
| X Form N/A |
Nāāwukāāk.
They see me.
Kunāāwukāāk.
They see you.
Ktahwąąnkāāk.
They love you.
Nāākmąąwąh ngátāāw-nahnkāāk.
They want to kill me.
Pxāānumāā wunāāwukoowąą.
The women (obv) saw them.
Awąąs’sak ndahwąąnŭkóonąąk.
The children love us.
Awāāniik ktahwąąnukóonąąk.
Some people love us.
Katāāw-nahnŭkóowah niimanāāk.
The men they want to kill you (pl).
Awąąs’sah wtahwąąnkoowąą poosiisak.
The children (obv) love them- the cats.
Examples with other stem types:
Nāākmąąwąh ąąm kunθutąąkāāk.
They should listen to you
kŭnuθtáwāāw listen to s.o. (stem-aw)
Mbāāshóokāāk.
They are bringing me.
[pāāshuwāāw bring s.o.] (stem-uw)
Ndúkāāk.
They said to me.
(this verb drops (n) from the stem if prefixed)
Ngátāāw-unukāāk
They intend to say so to me
(non-prefixed forms do not drop the (n) from the verb stem)
Ktúkāāk.
They say to you.
Ndayoomah wtúkwah.
My sons (pl obv) told him.
Negative Plural Subject Inverse Indicative Objective Forms
VTA Negative Inverse Indicative Objective Forms (Plural Subject)
| Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiik | They — me not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiik | They — you not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiiwah | They (pl obv) — him not |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiinąąk | They — us not (exclusive) |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowiinookw | They — us all not (exclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinąąk | They — us not (inclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiinookw | They — us all not (inclusive) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowiiwąąk | They — you (pl) not |
| ustah wu-(stem)-ukoowiiwąą | They (obv) — them not |
(Reminder: Negative forms are not specified for objective or absolute subject)
Ustah ndahwąąnkoowiik.
They love me not.
Ustah knāāwkoowíik.
They saw you not.
Ustah ndahwąąnŭkoowiinąąk.
They want us not.
Singular vs plurals for inverse forms:
Wunāāwkāān.
He sees him.
wu-nāāw-ukw-w-an
Ustah wunāāwkoowiin.
He sees him not.
wu-nāāw-ukw-oowii-w-an
Wunāāwkoowąąn.
He sees them.
wu-nāāw-ukw-wąąw-w-an
Ustah wunāāwkoowiiwąąn.
He sees them not.
wu-nāāw-ukw-oowii-wąąw-w-an
Wunāāwkwah.
They see him.
wu-nāāw-ukw-w-ah
Ustah wunāāwkoowiiwah.
They see him not.
wu-nāāw-ukw-oowii-w-ah
Wunāāwkoowąą.
They see them.
wu-nāāw-ukw-uwąąw-w-ah
Ustah wunāāwkoowiiwąą.
They see them not.
wu-nāāw-ukw-oowii-uwąąw-w-ah
Word order variations:
wiikāānumāāw vta take pleasure, delight in s.o., like s.o.
Niin niimāānąą ustah wiikāānmukoowiiwąą patāātθak.
Those men don't like potatoes.
Patāātθak niin niimāānąą ustah wiikāānmukoowiiwąą.
Those men don't like potatoes.
Ustah wiikāānmukoowiiwah niin niimāānąą patāātuθ.
Those men don't like (the) potato.
Ustah wiikāānmukoowiiwąą niin niimāānąą patāātθak.
Those men don't like (the) potatoes.
Inverse Mode, Absolute Forms
(Noun Required Construction)
(stem) + (ukw) + (m endings)
The direct mode for VTAs has a complete set of objective forms and a complete set of absolute forms. The inverse mode only has absolute forms for 3rd person forms.
In direct mode, absolute and objective forms affect the verb object:
Nāāwāāw niimanāān.
He saw a man. (absolute)
Wunāāwąąn niimanāān.
He saw the man. (objective)
In inverse mode, it is the subject which is affected.
Niimanāān nāāwukw.
A man saw him. (absolute)
Niimanāān wunāāwkāān.
The man saw him. (objective)
There are no 1st person or 2nd person forms for use with an absolute animate subject in inverse mode.
Passive forms built using (ukāā) with context clues may be used instead to speak of vague or indefinite subjects.
Demonstrative pronouns can provide some definiteness for the forms we have already discussed if desired.
VTA Inverse Indicative Absolute Forms
Noun Required Construction
| Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nu-(stem)-ukw | a, some noun(s) — me |
| ku-(stem)-ukw | a, some noun(s) — you |
| —-(stem)-ukw | a, some noun(s) — him |
| nu-(stem)-ukóhnah | a, some noun(s) — us (excl) |
| nu-(stem)-ukóhnookw | a, some noun(s) — us all (excl) |
| ku-(stem)-ukóhnah | a, some noun(s) — us (incl) |
| ku-(stem)-ukóhnookw | a, some noun(s) — us all (incl) |
| ku-(stem)-ukóhmah | a, some noun(s) — you (pl) |
| —-(stem)-ukāāk | a, some noun(s) — them |
The subject of these absolute forms are not specified for number (subject could be one or many) and are unspecified for gender as well. Therefore these forms may be used for an animate or inanimate absolute 3rd person subject that could be singular or plural.
(Reference Ives Goddard Delaware Verbal Morphology)
Nāāwukw niimanāān.
'A' man saw him.Could this be confused with nāāwukw from the objective mode set?
Nāāwukw.
He saw me.No, because the objective form does not require a noun, and if a noun was added an obviative ending would not be used since there would only be one 3rd person participant. The obviative ending here on niimanāāw signals the participation of two 3rd persons making it clear this is a absolute mode 3rd person form and not an objective mode 1st person form.
I found many instances of forms with double consonant prefixes, sometimes followed by a short vowel. It is therefore permissible to say and write 1st and second persons forms as:
Nŭnāāwukw.
He saw me.Could this phrase has two translations?
Niimanāāw óoxan nāāwukw.
The man's father saw me.
No, because an obviative possessed noun could not be considered to be absolute or indefinite, since it refers to a definite person, so the translation of ‘A man’s father saw him’ makes no sense.
More absolute examples:
Nāāwkāāk niimanāān.
'A' man saw them.
Nahnukw poosíisan.
''A'' cat killed him.
(When two animate 3rd person parties are involved, the one marked as obviative drives the verb in inverse modes)
Examples using an absolute inanimate inverse subject:
Xíikan nahnukw.
''A'' knife killed him.
(inanimate nouns do not take obviative endings)
Xiikanan nahnkukw.
Knives killed him.
(Absolute forms do not add plural endings that pertain to the verb object (interpreted subject in inverse mode))
(The (an) on xiikan is the inanimate plural ending)
Xíikan nahnkāāk.
''A'' knife killed them.
(inanimate nouns do not take obviative endings)
Xiikanan nahnkāāk.
Knives killed them.
(Inanimate nouns do not take obviative endings.)
The same verb form is used for a plural subject as for a singular subject. The required noun will use singular or plural or obviative endings as appropriate. The verb will not add an obviative ending since absolute forms do not allow for that.
Niimāānąą ahwąąnkāāk patāātθak.
Some men love (the) potatoes.
Obviative subject -absolute plural verb - proximate object
Niimanāān ahwąąnkāāk patāātθak.
A man loves (the) potatoes.
Niimanąą ahwąąnukw patāātuθ.
Some men love (the) potato.
Niimanāān ahwąąnukw patāātuθ.
A man loves (the) potato.
VTA Negative Inverse Indicative Absolute Forms
The negative forms use the negative suffix with m endings.
(ukw) – (oowii) + (m endings)
Noun Required Construction
| Paradigm | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoow | a, some noun(s) — me not |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoow | a, some noun(s) — you not |
| ustah —-(stem)-ukwoowih | a, some noun(s) — him not |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowíhnah | a, some noun(s) — us not (excl) |
| ustah nu-(stem)-ukoowíhnookw | a, some noun(s) — us all not (excl) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowíhnah | a, some noun(s) — us not (incl) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowíhnookw | a, some noun(s) — us all not (incl) |
| ustah ku-(stem)-ukoowíhmah | a, some noun(s) — you (pl) not |
| ustah —-(stem)-ukoowíik | a, some noun(s) — them not |
Negative forms in inverse mode are interchangeable as far as use for objective and absolute sets are concerned. Otherwise said, negative inverse forms do not specify for an objective versus an absolute subject. This means one a choice to use a verb form that adds endings according to the interpreted subject (objective forms) or forms that use endings for a plural interpreted object (absolute forms).
Examples:
Ustah nāāwkóowih niimanāān.
''A'' man saw him not. (or some men...) (from the objective set)
Ustah nāāwkoowíik niimanāān.
''A'' man saw them not. (from the absolute set)
Pxāānmāāk ustah nŭnāāwkóow.
Some women see me not. (prefix added for clarity)
Pxāānmāān ustah nāāwkóowih.
Some women see him not.
Poosiisak ustah numawih-nahnukoowihnah.
Cats are not going to kill us.
Ustah ahwąąnkoowíik pxāānmąą.
Women don't love them.
(This m ending form references 'them' non-ambiguously)
Ustah wtahwąąnkoowiiwah niin pxāānmāān.
That woman does not love them.
Ustah ahwąąnkoowih pxāānmāān.
(The or A) woman does not love him.
Ustah awāān nāāwkoowíhnah.
Noone saw us (excl).
(nu)-(nāāw)-(ukw)-(oowii)-(hnah) m ending set
Ustah awāān nāāwkoowíinah.
Noone saw us (excl).
(nu)-(nāāw)-(ukw)-(oowii)-(wunah) w ending set