VTA Person Prefix

Observation
ᒋᐧᐋᐱᒥᓐ᙮ ᓰ᙮ Click here to hear this word chiwaapimin. you see me.
ᒋᐧᐋᐱᒥᑎᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word chiwaapimitin. I see you.

In both these forms, the person prefix is chi. This is because of the person hierarchy that says that chi ‘you’ ranks above ni ‘I’.

Cree person hierarchy:
2 > 1 > 3 > 3′ > 0 > 0′
ᒌᔨ > ᓃᔨ > ᐧᐄᔨ > ᐊᐧᐋᔨᐤᐦ > ᒑᐧᑳᓐ > ᒑᐧᑳᔨᐤ
chiiyi > niiyi > wiiyi > awaayiuh > chaakwaan > chaakwaayiu
ᒌᔮᓂᐤ > ᓃᔮᓐ > ᐧᐄᔨᐧᐋᐤ  
chiiyaaniu > niiyaan > wiiyiwaau  
ᒌᔨᐧᐋᐤ  
chiiyiwaau  

VTA verbs have two roles, an actor and a goal. In the independent order, the person prefix with the higher ranked role in the person hierarchy will be selected.

Northern Dialect English Actor Rank Goal Prefix
ᒋᐧᐋᐱᒥᓐ Click here to hear this word chiwaapimin you see me 2 > 1 chi
ᒋᐧᐋᐱᒥᑎᓐ Click here to hear this word chiwaapimitin I see you 1 < 2 chi
ᒋᐧᐋᐱᒫᐤ Click here to hear this word chiwaapimaau you see her 2 > 3 chi
ᒋᐧᐋᐱᒥᒄ Click here to hear this word chiwaapimikw she sees you 3 < 2 chi
ᓂᐧᐋᐱᒫᐤ Click here to hear this word niwaapimaau I see her. 1 > 3 ni
ᓂᐧᐋᐱᒥᒄ Click here to hear this word niwaapimikw she sees me. 3 < 1 ni
ᐧᐋᐱᒫᐤ Click here to hear this word waapimaau she sees him (the other). 3 > 3′
ᐧᐋᐱᒥᑰ Click here to hear this word waapimikuu he (the other) sees her. 3′ < 3

There are no person prefixes in the conjunct and imperative orders. The same selection of person prefixes applies in noun possession.