Introduction to Ojibwe Command and Question Grammar

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Much has been written and debated about the origin of Native Americans. Scientific anthropology insists that they must have come over a land bridge or the ice during the last ice age and that they are descendants of Asiatic forbears.

Mormons claim that they are descendants of the Lost Tribe of Joseph through one of his sons, Manasseh.

There is evidence that there was traffic and trade across the Atlantic between West Africa and South America with migrations into what is now Mexico and the southeast region of the United States. Even genetic ancestors from Europe are not yet ruled out. Other esoteric claims of alien spacecraft push credulity to the limit.

Some people, especially the Hopi, believe that they arrived through a "hole" in time. "Most Native Americans reject these saying that their ancient stories say that they originated on the American continent. 

 

Ojibwe Language

Introduction to Ojibwe Language

Introduction to Ojibwe Noun and Pronoun Grammar

Introduction to Ojibwe Numbers
and Money

Introduction to Ojibwe Verbs
and Preverbs

Introduction to Ojibwe
Verb Grammar

Introduction to Ojibwe Command and Question Grammar

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HISTORY OF COMMERCE
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Commands. Imperative

Imperative is formed with suffixes. Suffixes differ depending on a category of a verb. We will not discuss all the details (slight differences depending on stem of a verb) and will encounter just suffixes and not examples:
Examples of imperative see in Verb Paradigms.

Imperative suffixes for vta verbs:

 

you s. suffix

you pl. suffix

we suffix

 me  -shin  -shig

xxx

 us  -shinaam  -shinaam

xxx

 him    -ig  -aadaa
 them    -ig  -aadaanig
 yourself  -dizon  -dizog  -dzodaa
 each other

xxx

 -dig  -didaa

Imperative suffixes for vti verbs:
 

 

class 1

class 2

 you s.  -an  -n
 you pl.  -amok  -ok
 we  -andaa  -daa

Imperative suffixes for vai verbs:  

Suffix

 you s.  -n
 you pl.  - g
 we  -daa

We'll take for example two vai verbs: namadabi (he sits) and biindige (he enters):

namadabi-n = sit (you s.)!
namadabi-g = sit (you pl.)!
namadabi-daa = let's sit!
biindige-n = enter (you s.)!
biindige-g = enter (you pl.)!
biindige-daa = let's enter!

Prohibitive Imperative

In Prohibitive Imperative a prohibitive word gego (don't do!) and special suffixes are used. Examples of Prohibitive see in Verb Paradigms.

Prohibitive Imperative suffixes for vta verbs:

 

you s. suffix

you pl. suffix

we suffix

 me  gego -shiken  gego -shikegon

xxx

 us  gego -shikangen  gego -shikangen

xxx

 him  gego -aaken  gego -aakegon  gego -aasidaa
 them  gego wiinwaa -aaken  gego -aakegon  gego -aasidaanig
 yourself  gego -dziiken  gego -diziikegon  gego -dizosidaa?
 each other

xxx

 gego -dikegon?  gego -disidaa

Prohibitive Imperative suffixes for vti verbs:

 

class 1

class 2

 you s.  gego -angen  gego -ken
 you pl  gego -angegon  gego -kegon
 we  gego -anzidaa  gego -sidaa

Prohibitive Imperative suffixes for vai verbs:

Suffix

 you s. gego -ken/-gen
 you pl. gego -kegon/-gegon
 we gego -sidaa/-zidaa

If a verb ends in a consonant, "k" in a suffix changes into "g": /-gen/, /-gegon/.

Examples:

gego namadabi-ken � don't sit (you s.)!
gego namadabi-kegon � don't sit (you pl.)!
gego namadabi-sidaa � let's don't sit!

gego dagoshin-gen � don't arrive (you s.)!
gego dagoshin-gegon � don't arrive (you pl.)!
gego dagoshin-zidaa � let's don't arrive!

"Yes/no" Questions and Negations

"Yes/no" questions, which need "yes" or "no" answer are formed using special question marker - a word ina or na. It always stands after the first word in a question:

giwiisin ina? = are you eating?
giminikwe na? = are you drinking?
ginamadab ina? = are you sitting?
gigii-anokii na bijiinaago? = did you work yesterday?
giwii-izhaa na adaawewigamigong waabang? = will you go to the store tomorrow?

Negations are formed with a word gaawiin = «no, not» and a negative suffix /-sii/ or /-zii/ for vai and vta, /-siin/ or /-ziin/ for vti and vta, /-sinoon/ or /-zinoon/ for vii. A consonant in a suffix depends on a stem ending - 's' after a vowel and 'z' after a consonant:

gaawiin niwiisinisii = I'm not eating
gaawiin niminikwesii = I'm not drinking
gaawiin ningii-anokiisii bijiinaago = I didn't work yesterday
gaawiin niwii-izhaasii adaawewigamigong waabang = I won't go to the store tomorrow

Negative suffix is added at the end of a verb in singular. But in plural it is usually put before plural suffix for vai verbs or between singular and plural parts of a suffix of vti-s and vta-s:

gaawiin wiisini-sii-wag = they are not eating
gaawiin niwaaband-an-ziin = I don't see it
gaawiin niwaaband-an-ziin-an = I don't see them
gaawiin niwaabam-aa-sii = I don't see him
gaawiin niwaabam-aa-siin-aan = we (exc) don't see him

Questions with: who, what, when, where, why, etc.

Questions with words: who, what, when, where, why, etc are formed in a different way than "yes/no" questions. Verbs in these questions stand in B form (or conjunct order). Initial vowel change in B form (changed conjunct) occurs in this case:

/a/ becomes /e/,
/aa/ becomes /ayaa/,
/e/ becomes /aye/,
/i/ becomes /e/,
/ii/ becomes /aa/,
/o/ becomes /we/,
/oo/ becomes /waa/,
/ji/ becomes /ge/,
/ga/ becomes /ge/.

Note. Though B form with an initial vowel change is used in different regions usually in the same cases, it could be formed differently in different subdialects. This rule of an initial vowel change occurs in its complete form only in Minnesota Ojibwe. In other subdialects it is very much reduced and often replaced with other grammatical changes (preverbs e-, gaa-, etc.)

Initial vowel change affects also past and future tense prefixes: /gii-/ changes into /gaa-/, /ga-/ into /ge-/, and /wii-/ into /waa-/. Initial vowel change affects the first syllable of a verb, making no difference of what this first syllable actually is - tense prefix, preverb or a verb itself.

aaniin ezhinikaazoyan? = what is your (s) name (how are you called)?
aaniin ezhinikaazod? = what is his/her name (how is s/he called)?
aandi ezhaayan? = where are you (s) going?
aaniish pii gaa-dagoshing? = when did s/he arrive?

aaniin = what, how
aandi = where
aandi onji = where from
aniish pii = when

In answers A form (independent order) is used:

aaniin ezhinikaazoyan? - ojiig nindizhinikaaz
what is your s. name? - my name is Marten

aaniish pii gaa-dagoshinan? - ningii-dagoshin bijiinaago
when did you s. arrive? - I arrived yesterday

 
Note. Questions with 'where'.
In Ojibwe verbs can contain so called relative roots, which always show initial vowel change in B form. Izhi- and onji- are most often used examples of such roots. These roots force initial vowel change of a verb in B form.
Questions with 'where' (despite other wh-questions) don't need initial vowel change in a verb (B form without initial vowel change is used there). But in these questions mostly verbs with relative roots are used. So initial vowel change occures in where-questions very often. Though it is not a grammatical rule for where-questions, but a result of using words with relative roots.

Obviative

First of all here is an excerpt with short linguistic explanation of obviative:

"Obviation is a grammaticized system of organization in which 3rd persons are ranked in prominence, and where this ranking has consequences for the morphosyntax.

"In Algonquian all third persons are ranked in prominence. The most prominent 3rd person in the span is called the PROXIMATE; all others are called OBVIATIVES. If there is only 3rd person in the span, it will, by default, be the proximate. If there is more than one, one will be the proximate; all others will be obviative. Proximates occur whenever there is a 3rd person. Obviatives arise only in contexts involving multiple 3rd persons. Given that multiple 3rd persons must be ranked in obviation status. Three factors emerge as relevant, one semantic (a), one syntactic (b), and one pragmatic (c):

a. Animates outrank inanimates; humans generally outrank animates. (including vii verbs obviative - not discussed here - weshki-ayaad)

b. A genitive outranks its head. (= 3rd person possessive - weshki-ayaad)

c. A more topical 3rd person outranks a less topical one." (Judith Aissen)

We will encounter two last cases (b and c) only in these notes and will do it upside down, so -

Obviative is a change of vta verb, an animate noun (and animate demonstrative pronouns and verbs, used with that noun) which are used with 3d person animate subject. Because of this change obviative is sometimes called the 4th person. Obviative appears:

1) If an animate subject stands in 3d person (singular or plural) and takes a vta verb and an animate object (= does something with any animate object). Then both vta verb and object (and demonstrative pronouns and verbs, used with the object) change their forms. This changed form is called � obviative.

2) If an animate noun in possessive form belongs to a possessor, which stands in 3d person (singular or plural). Then this noun (and demonstrative pronouns and verbs, used with this noun) change their form into obviative.

Nouns and verbs in obviative take special suffixes. Demonstrative animate pronouns in obviative are changed into plural inanimate demonstrative pronouns regardless to real number.

Noun obviative suffix is /-an/, or /-n, -yan, -wan/.

There is no fixed word order in sentences in Ojibwe language. Both subject and object could be placed before or after a verb freely. The main sense of obviative in this case is to distinguish a subject (main, proximate third person) from an object (other, obviative third person), cause if both of them are in 3d person the verb could belong to either of them.
In the next incorrect sentence with no obviative it is absolutely impossible to tell where is a subject and where is an object:

x nimbaabaa o-noondawaan ma'iingan x [x my father he-hears-him a wolf x]

Obviative suffixes solve this problem easily:

nimbaabaa onoondawaan ma�iinganan = my father hears the wolf. 

nimbaabaayan onoondawaan ma'iingan = the wolf hears my father. 

nimbaabaa � my father (no obviative)
omaamaayan � his mother (obviative)
nimbaabaa omaamaayan � my father's mother

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