Nishnaabemwin Reference Grammar

Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
Chapter 1. Introduction to Nishnaabemwin
	1.1 Introduction
		1.1.1 Nishnaabemwin and Syncope
	1.2 Language, Dialect, Idiolect and Variety
	1.3 The Algonquian Language Family
	1.4 An Overview of Anishinaabemowin Dialects
		1.4.1 Dialects within Nishnaabemwin
	1.5 Source Materials
		1.5.1 Dialect, Community, and Individual Index Codes
	1.6 Introduction to the Study of Grammar
	1.7 Additional Reading
Chapter 2. Phonology and Orthography
	2.1 Introduction
	2.2 Practical and Phonetic Orthographies
		2.2.1 Letters, Phones, and Phonemes
	2.3 The Vocal Tract
	2.4 Vowels
		2.4.1 The Classification of Vowels I: Vowel Quality
		2.4.2 The Classification of Vowels II: Vowel Quantity
		2.4.3 Nasalized Vowels
	2.5 Consonants
		2.5.1 The Classification of Consonants
		2.5.2 Summary of Consonants
	2.6 Syllables and Stress
		2.6.1 Stress and Syncope
		2.6.2 Main Stress in a Word
		2.6.3 The Form of Nishnaabemwin Words
		2.6.4 Prefixes, Suffixes, Stems, Prenouns and Preverbs
	2.7 Clitics
	2.8 Phonological Processes
		2.8.1 Consonant Processes
		2.8.2 Processes Related to Vowels
	2.9 Borrowed Vocabulary
	2.10 Inflection
	2.11 Morphemes, Underlying Forms, and Phonological Derivations
		2.11.1 Allomorphy, and the Meanings of Morphemes
		2.11.2 Dictionary Entries and Inflection
	2.12 Derivational and Inflectional Morphology
	2.13 Additional Reading
Chapter 3. Parts of Speech
	3.1 Introduction
	3.2 Guidelines for Determining Parts of Speech
	3.3 Nouns
		3.3.1 Dependent and Independent Nouns
		3.3.2 Grammatical Gender: Animate and Inanimate Nouns
		3.3.3 Pronouns
		3.3.4 Dubitative Pronouns
		3.3.5 Pronouns of Kind
		3.3.6 Pausal (Generic, Substitutive) Pronouns
		3.3.7 Interrogative Pronouns
	3.4 Verbs
		3.4.1 Transitivity and Animacy
		3.4.2 Animate Intransitive Verbs with Objects (VAIO Verbs)
		3.4.3 Ditransitives
		3.4.4 Inverse-Only Transitive Animate Verbs (VTAI Verbs)
		3.4.5 Participles
	3.5 Adverbs
		3.5.1 Temporal Adverbs
		3.5.2 Locational Adverbs
		3.5.3 Manner Adverbs
		3.5.4 Conjunctive Adverbs
		3.5.5 Quantificational Adverbs
		3.5.6 Adverbs of Degree
		3.5.7 Negative Adverbs
		3.5.8 Interrogative Adverbs
		3.5.9 Evidential Adverbs
	3.6 Numbers
	3.7 Particles
	3.8 Prenouns, Preverbs, and Pre-Adverbs
		3.8.1 Prenouns
		3.8.2 Preverbs
		3.8.3 Pre-Adverbs
Chapter 4. Noun Inflection
	4.1 Introduction
	4.2 Noun Inflection Stem Classes
	4.3 Gender (Animate and Inanimate)
	4.4 Number (Singular and Plural)
		4.4.1 Inherently Plural Nouns
		4.4.2 Mass Nouns
	4.5 Noun Obviatives (Proximate and Obviative)
		4.5.1 Obviative Forms of Names
	4.6 Noun Contemptives and Diminutives
	4.7 Noun Pejoratives
		4.7.1 Relative Ordering of the Diminutive/Contemptive and the Pejorative
	4.8 Noun Locatives
	4.9 Noun Possession
		4.9.1 Indefinite (Unspecified) Possessors
		4.9.2 The Form of the Person Prefixes
		4.9.3 Possessed Noun Theme Suffix
		4.9.4 Obviative Possessors
		4.9.5 Plural Possessor Suffixes
		4.9.6 Locatives with Possessors and Obviative Possessors
	4.10 Noun Vocatives
	4.11 Noun Preterits
	4.12 Noun Preterit Dubitatives
	4.13 The Ordering of Nominal Suffixes
	4.14 Participles
	4.15 Summary Table of Noun Inflections
	4.16 Additional Reading
	4.17 Text Fragment: Email Correspondence
Chapter 5. Animate Intransitive Verb Inflection
	5.1 Introduction
	5.2 Different Ways of Assessing Transitivity
	5.3 VAI Subclasses
	5.4 Regular Animate Intransitive Verb (VAI) Inflection
		5.4.1 VAI Independent, Conjunct & Imperative Templates
	5.5 Phonologically-Defined Stem Subtypes of Regular VAI Verbs
		5.5.1 Long-Vowel Final VAI Verbs
		5.5.2 Short-Vowel Final VAI Verbs
		5.5.3 Nasal-Final VAI Stems
	5.6 Notes on Mode Suffixes
	5.7 Syncope and the Presentation of Paradigms
	5.8 Dialect Variation in Inflection
	5.9 Additional Reading
	5.10 VAI Paradigms
		5.10.1 VAI, Independent Order, Positive
		5.10.2 VAI, Independent Order, Negative
		5.10.3 VAI Conjunct Order, Positive
		5.10.4 VAI, Conjunct Order, Negative
		5.10.5 VAI Imperative Order, Immediate, Delayed, and Prohibitive
		5.10.6 VAI, Iteratives, Positive and Negative
		5.10.7 VAI Participles, Positive
		5.10.8 VAI Participles, Negative
	5.11 VAIO Verbs
		5.11.1 VAIO, Independent Order, Positive
		5.11.2 VAIO, Independent Order, Negative
		5.11.3 VAIO, Goal Focus Participles, Positive, daawe, \'sell Y\'
		5.11.4 VAIO, Goal Focus Participles, Negative
		5.11.5 VAIO, Imperative Order
	5.12 Pseudo-Intransitive Verbs
		5.12.1 VAI Pseudo-Intransitive, Independent Order, Positive, gchi-nendam, \'be glad\'
		5.12.2 VAI Pseudo-Intransitive, Independent Order, Negative, gchi-nendam, \'be glad\'
Chapter 6. Inanimate Intransitive Verb Inflection
	6.1 Introduction
	6.2 Phonologically-Defined Inflectional Subclasses of VII Verbs
	6.3 Impersonal Verbs
	6.4 VII Paradigms
		6.4.1 VII Independent Order, Positive
		6.4.2 VII Independent Order, Negative
		6.4.3 VII Conjunct Order, Positive
		6.4.4 VII Conjunct Order, Negative
		6.4.5 VII Iteratives, Positive and Negative
		6.4.6 VII Participles, Positive
		6.4.7 VII Participles, Negative
Chapter 7. Transitive Animate Verb Inflection
	7.1 Introduction
	7.2 The Topicality Hierarchy
		7.2.1 The Selection of Person Prefixes in VTA Verbs
		7.2.2 VTA Theme Suffixes
	7.3 VTA Independent Order Inflectional Template
	7.4 VTA Conjunct Order Inflectional Template
		7.4.1 Alternate VTA Conjunct Forms with Third Person Actors
	7.5 VTA Imperative Order Inflectional Template
		7.5.1 The Relationship of VTA Independent Order to Noun Inflection
	7.6 VTA Stem Classes
		7.6.1 Example VTA Imperative Forms
	7.7 VTA Paradigms
		7.7.1 VTA, Independent Order, Indicative Mode, Positive
		7.7.2 VTA, Independent Order, Preterit Mode, Positive
		7.7.3 VTA, Independent Order, Dubitative Mode, Positive
		7.7.4 VTA, Independent Order, Preterit Dubitative Mode, Positive
		7.7.5 VTA, Independent Order, Neutral Mode, Negative
		7.7.6 VTA, Independent Order, Preterit Mode, Negative
		7.7.7 VTA, Independent Order, Dubitative Mode, Negative
		7.7.8 VTA, Independent Order, Dubitative Preterit Mode, Negative
		7.7.9 VTA, Conjunct Order, Neutral Mode, Positive
		7.7.10 VTA, Conjunct Order, Preterit Mode, Positive
		7.7.11 VTA, Conjunct Order, Dubitative Mode, Positive
		7.7.12 VTA, Conjunct Order, Preterit Dubitative Mode, Positive
		7.7.13 VTA, Conjunct Order, Indicative Mode, Negative
		7.7.14 VTA, Conjunct Order, Preterit Mode, Negative
		7.7.15 VTA, Conjunct Order, Dubitative Mode, Negative
		7.7.16 VTA Participles, Indicative Mode, Positive
		7.7.17 VTA Imperative, Immediate Mode
		7.7.18 VTA Imperative, Delayed Mode
		7.7.19 VTA Imperative, Prohibitive
Chapter 8. Transitive Inanimate Verb Inflection
	8.1 VTI Theme Suffixes
		8.1.1 Patterned Variation in Theme Suffix /-am/
		8.1.2 Glide Insertion after Theme Suffixes /-oo/ and /-i/
	8.2 Pseudo-Intransitive (Objectless TI) Verbs
	8.3 VTI Inflectional Templates
	8.4 VTI Paradigms
		8.4.1 VTI Independent Order, Positive
		8.4.2 VTI Independent Order, Negative
		8.4.3 VTI Conjunct Order, Positive
		8.4.4 VTI Conjunct Order, Negative
		8.4.5 VTI Participles, Positive
		8.4.6 VTI Participles, Negative
		8.4.7 VTI Iteratives
		8.4.8 VTI Imperative Order, Immediate, Delayed, and Prohibitive
Chapter 9. The Derivation of Intransitive Verbs
	9.1 Introduction and Background
	9.2 Roots and Initials
	9.3 Medials
	9.4 Basic Word Structure
	9.5 Primary and Secondary Derivation
	9.6 Meaning, Word Structure and Metaphor
	9.7 Nishnaabemwin Ambiguity in Stative/Inchoative Senses of Verbs
	9.8 The Structure of Morphemes; Link Vowels and Consonants
	9.9 Problems in Identifying and Segmenting Morphemes
	9.10 Paired VAI and VII Finals
		9.10.1 Attributive (Descriptive) Expressions
		9.10.2 Verbs of Physical Location and Motion
		9.10.3 Verbs of Motion
		9.10.4 Goal Focus Verbs with Instrumental Causative Finals
		9.10.5 Object of Perception Verbs
		9.10.6 Overt Lexical Passive Verbs
		9.10.7 Other Paired Intransitive Finals
		9.10.8 Paired Forms with Identical VAI and VII Finals
		9.10.9 Final Pairs Showing Other than Standard Correspondences
		9.10.10 Paired Finals in Secondary Derivation: Verbs of Being
	9.11 Inanimate Intransitive Verbs
		9.11.1 Impersonal Verbs
		9.11.2 Verbs Describing Properties of Specific Classes of Objects
		9.11.3 Verbs of Abundance
		9.11.4 The Augment /-magad/ or /-migad/
	9.12 Animate Intransitive Verbs
		9.12.1 Verbs of Motion
		9.12.2 Substance of Path Motion Verbs
		9.12.3 General Motion and Activity Verbs in /-(sh)kaa/, /-taa/, and l-ii/
		9.12.4 Motion Expressions Involving Directionals
		9.12.5 Verbs Describing Body Part Attributes
		9.12.6 Bodily Actions and Movements
		9.12.7 Word Stems in Derivation with /-shin/, ‘fall, lie’
		9.12.8 Word Stem Initials with /-jin/
		9.12.9 Physical Actions of Parts of the Body with /-ni/
		9.12.10 Middle Verbs with /-ho/
		9.12.11 Verbs of Physical Orientation
		9.12.12 Verbs of Sensory Experience
		9.12.13 Verbs of Speaking
		9.12.14 Verbs of Thinking and Feeling
		9.12.15 Verbs Commonly Taking Number Roots
		9.12.16 Other Animate Intransitive Finals
		9.12.17 Actor-Focus Detransitivizing Finals
		9.12.18 Reflexive /-idizo/
		9.12.19 Reciprocal /-idi/
		9.12.20 Incorporated Goal Verbs
		9.12.21 VAI Finals Used in Secondary Derivation
	9.13 Roots and Initials
		9.13.1 Directional Roots
		9.13.2 Relative Roots
		9.13.3 Other Roots and Initials
	9.14 Summary Notes on Roots and Preverbs
	9.15 Additional Reading
Chapter 10. The Derivation of Transitive Verbs
	10.1 Introduction
	10.2 The Structure of Transitive Verbs
	10.3 Basic Causatives
	10.4 Instrumental Causative Finals
		10.4.1 Instrumental Causatives Involving Specific Parts of the Body
		10.4.2 Body-Location Instrumental Causative Finals
		10.4.3 Action-Based Instrumental Causatives
		10.4.4 Examples of Causative Instrumental Finals
		10.4.5 Examples of Instrumental Causatives with Verbs of Breaking and Severing
	10.5 Verbs of Transport
	10.6 Verbs of Perception and Thought
	10.7 Accompaniment and Benefactive (Applicative) Finals
		10.7.1 Accompaniment (Comitative) Verbs
		10.7.2 Benefactives/Applicatives
	10.8 Verbs with Body Part Medials
	10.9 Verbs with Classificatory Medials
	10.10 Verbs with Other Medials
	10.11 Other Transitive Finals
Chapter 11. The Derivation of Nouns and Adverbs
	11.1 Nouns
	11.2 Unanalyzable Primary Nouns
	11.3 An Assortment of Noun Finals
		11.3.1 General Animate and Inanimate Noun Finals
		11.3.2 Noun Finals Pertaining to Plants and Plant Products
		11.3.3 Noun Finals Pertaining to Fauna
		11.3.4 Other Noun Finals
	11.4 Diminutives and Contemptives
		11.4.1 Productive Diminutive /-ens/ and Contemptive /-enh/
		11.4.2 Other Diminutives and Contemptives
	11.5 Nouns Finals with Classifiers and Classifier-like Elements
		11.5.1 Classificatory Elements on Verbs of Counting
	11.6 Nominalizers
	11.7 Reduplication in Nouns
	11.8 Participles and Deverbal Nouns
		11.8.1 True Participles
		11.8.2 Participial Nominals
	11.9 Compound Nouns
		11.9.1 Some Example Compound Sets
	11.10 A Brief Introduction to Adverb Finals
		11.10.1 Some Adverb Finals
	11.11 Locational Roots
	11.12 Deriving Preverbs and Prenouns
	11.13 Additional Reading
Chapter 12. Nominals and Pronominals
	12.1 Introduction
	12.2 Some Terminology
	12.3 Ways of Identifying Discourse Entities
		12.3.1 Making Reference to Generalized Activity
		12.3.2 Indefinites
		12.3.3 Mass Nouns
		12.3.4 Definite Expressions
		12.3.5 Nominal Possessive Constructions
		12.3.6 Conjoined Noun Phrases
		12.3.7 Demonstrative Presentationals (Asserting Immediate Location)
		12.3.8 Quantificational Modifiers of Nouns
		12.3.9 Relative Clauses
		12.3.10 Compound Nominals
		12.3.11 Qualification of a Nominal with Prenouns
		12.3.12 Dnawa, ‘Kind of’ Constructions
		12.3.13 Substitutionary Pronouns
		12.3.14 Indefinite, Universal, and Negative Pronouns
		12.3.15 Personal Pronouns
	12.4 Proximate and Obviative: Foregrounding and Backgrounding
	12.5 Examining a Short Narrative
	12.6 Additional Reading
Chapter 13. Verbs and Their Semantic Roles
	13.1 Semantic Roles
		13.1.1 Macroroles (Actor and Goal), Agent and Patient
		13.1.2 The Semantic Roles and Macrorole of Intransitive Verbs
		13.1.3 Semantic Role Charts
		13.1.4 Incorporation of Patients
		13.1.5 The Semantic Role of Force
		13.1.6 The Semantic Role of Experiencer
		13.1.7 The Semantic Roles of Recipient and Theme
		13.1.8 VAIO Objects and Their Relationship to Ditransitive Secondary Objects
		13.1.9 The Semantic Role of Beneficiary (Benefactive)
		13.1.10 The Semantic Role of Instrument
		13.1.11 Other Semantic Roles
		13.1.12 Summary of Semantic Role Relationships
	13.2 Semantic Relations of Relative Roots and Relative Preverbs
	13.3 Sentential Complements
		13.3.1 Intransitive Verbs that Take Sentential Complements
		13.3.2 Direct and Indirect (Reported) Quotation
		13.3.3 Demonstrative Complementizers
		13.3.4 Tense and Modality in Complement Clauses
		13.3.5 Notional Groupings of Verbs Taking Sentence Complements
		13.3.6 Adverbial Predicators
		13.3.7 Subject-of-Complement Copying Verbs
		13.3.8 Secondary Role VTA Verbs
	13.4 Changing Verbal Perspectives on a Scene
		13.4.1 Decreasing the Number of Semantic Roles Associated with a Verb
		13.4.2 Increasing the Number of Semantic Roles Associated with a Verb
	13.5 Summary
Chapter 14. Being and Becoming
	14.1 The Verbs of Identity Aawi and Aawan
	14.2 Denominal Verbs of Being with Finals /-wi/ and /-wan/.
	14.3 Locational/Existential Verbs Yaa and Yaa(mgad)
	14.4 Existence in a Particular Location with Dgo and Dgon (Dgomgad)
	14.5 Locational Verbs Bi and Te
	14.6 Verbs of Abundance
	14.7 Verbs of Quantity and Number
Chapter 15. Location and Manner
	15.1 Locational Perspectives
	15.2 The Lexical Expression of Location
		15.2.1 With Verbs Specifying Motion
		15.2.2 With a Directional Root or Preverb
		15.2.3 Demonstrative Locative Adverbs
	15.3 General Directional Adverb Nakeyaa, Nikeyaa
	15.4 Indefinite Location with Ngoji
	15.5 Universal Location
	15.6 Dubitative Locational Adverb Dbi
	15.7 General Locational Adverbs
		15.7.1 Locational Terms with /-yahii/ and /-yahiing/
	15.8 Locational Adverbs with Noun-like Finals
	15.9 Some Specific Locational Vocabulary Sets
	15.10 Locative Nouns
	15.11 Using Clauses to Express Location
	15.12 Expressing Manner
		15.12.1 Expressions of Similarity (Likeness)
Chapter 16. Time and Circumstance
	16.1 Expressing Time
	16.2 Tense and Mood
		16.2.1 Present Tense
		16.2.2 Past Tense
		16.2.3 Future Tense
		16.2.4 Modal Preverb Daa-
		16.2.5 Expressing Obligation
		16.2.6 Expressing Desires and Wishes (Optatives)
		16.2.7 Expressing Habituality
		16.2.8 Directional Preverbs as Time Markers
	16.3 Aspectual Verbs and Preverbs
	16.4 Verb Mode
	16.5 The Iterative
	16.6 Expressions of Specific Time
	16.7 Expressing Time with Temporal Adverbs
	16.8 Temporal Relationships Between Clauses
	16.9 Evidentiality
		16.9.1 Evidential (Dubitative) Adverbs
		16.9.2 Dubitative Mode
		16.9.3 Preterit Dubitative Mode
	16.10 Negation
		16.11.1 Purpose
		16.11.2 Reason
		16.11.3 Results
		16.11.4 Conditionals
Chapter 17. Quantity and Degree
	17.1 Relative Roots
	17.2 Degree Adverbs and Preverbs
	17.3 Quantification with Mnik
	17.4 Numbers and Number Expressions
	17.5 Various Expressions of Quantity and Degree
	17.6 Comparison
	17.7 The Semantic Functions of Reduplication
	17.8 Additional Reading
Chapter 18. Syntax and Communicative Functions
	18.1 Introduction
	18.2 Nishnaabemwin Parts of Speech
	18.3 Grammatical Features of Nouns, Pronouns, Verbs and Adverbs
		18.3.1 Nouns
		18.3.2 Pronouns
		18.3.3 Verbs
		18.3.4 Adverbs
	18.4 Phrases, Clauses, and Sentences
		18.4.1 Gender, Number, and Obviation
		18.4.2 Proximity
		18.4.3 Pragmatics
		18.4.4 Complex Sentences and the Independent and Conjunct Orders
		18.4.5 Headedness and Head-Marking in Nishnaabemwin Clauses and Phrases
		18.4.6 Subordinators (Complementizers)
		18.4.7 Subordinated Verbs
		18.4.8 Predicative Adverbs
		18.4.9 Main Verbs Inflected with Conjunct Order
	18.5 The Role of Word Order in Nishnaabemwin
	18.6 Grammatical Relations in Nishnaabemwin
		18.6.1 Semantic and Syntactic Relations Revisited
	18.7 Expressions with Mii
		18.7.1 Mii as a Discourse Sequencer
		18.7.2 Mii in Focusing Constructions
		18.7.3 Mii with Independent Order
	18.8 Identificational Constructions
	18.9 Communicative Functions
		18.9.1 Asking Questions (Interrogatives)
		18.9.2 Issuing Commands (Imperatives)
	18.10 Coordination
	18.11 Disjunction
	18.12 Expressing Feelings and Attitudes
	18.13 Baby Talk and Verbs of Compassion
	18.14 Additional Reading
Glossary
	A
	B
	C
	D
	E
	F
	G
	H
	I
	K
	L
	M
	N
	O
	P
	Q
	R
	S
	T
	U
	V
	W
	X
	Y
References
Index
	A
	B
	C
	D
	E
	F
	G
	H
	I
	J
	K
	L
	M
	N
	O
	P
	Q
	Q
	S
	T
	U
	V
	W
	Y
	Z