Pronouns (Northern dialect)

Pronouns in East Cree are used for various purposes. This page is about Indefinite Pronouns. (see also quantifiers)

Indefinite pronouns

Observation:

ᓂᐧᐋᐸᒫᐤ ᓀᑌᐦ ᐊᐧᐁᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word Niwaapimaau naataah awaan. ‘I can see someone over there.’ (animate)
ᓂᐧᐋᐱᐦᑖᓐ ᓈᑖᐦ ᒑᐧᑳᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word Niwaapihtaan naataah chaakwaan. ‘I can see something over there.’ (inanimate)

ᐊᐧᐋᓐ awaan and ᒑᐧᑳᓐ chaakwaan in the examples above are called “indefinite pronouns”. The words ᐊᐧᐋᓐ awaan and ᒑᐧᑳᓐ chaakwaan are polysemic between three English meanings: 1) ‘someone’ and ‘something’, 2) ‘a person’ and ‘a thing’, 3) ‘who’ and ‘what’ (see interrogative pronouns)’.

Proximate Proximate Obviative Obviative
singular plural singular plural
Animate ᐊᐧᐋᓐ Click here to hear this word awaan ᐊᐧᐋᓂᒌ Click here to hear this word awaanichii ᐊᐧᐋᔨᐤᐦ Click here to hear this word awaayiuh ᐊᐧᐋᔨᐤᐦ Click here to hear this word awaayiuh
Inanimate ᒑᐧᑳᓐ Click here to hear this word chaakwaan ᒑᐧᑳᓂᐦᐄ Click here to hear this word chaakwaanihii ᒑᐧᑳᔨᐤ Click here to hear this word chaakwaayiu ᒑᐧᑳᔨᐤᐦ Click here to hear this word chaakwaayiuh

ᐊᐧᐋᓐ awaan and ᒑᐧᑳᓐ chaakwaan can sometimes be the equivalent of the English nouns ‘person’ or ‘thing’. Compare the sentences below where they can be translated either by an English pronoun or an English noun.

ᓂᐧᐋᐱᒫᐤ ᐊᐧᐋᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word niwaapimaau awaan. ‘I see someone/a person.’
ᓂᐧᐋᐱᐦᑖᓐ ᒑᐧᑳᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word niwaapihtaan chaakwaan. ‘I see something/a thing.’

Like a noun, ᒑᐧᑳᓐ chaakwaan takes nominal inflection in possessive constructions.

ᓂᒑᐧᑳᓂᒻᐦ Click here to hear this word nichaakwaanimh ‘my things’
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