Participles (nominalizations)

Observation
ᒋᔅᑯᑕᒫᒉᐤ chiskutamaacheu he teaches
ᒋᔅᑯᑕᒫᒉ kaachiskutamaachet the one who teaches, a teacher

Words like ᑳᒋᔅᑯᑕᒫᒉᑦ kaachiskutamaachet are verbs that are used as nouns. They are called participles or nominalizations. Like nouns, participles are used to identify people and things, like professions and machines. Literally they mean ‘the one who…’ or ‘the thing that…’, but they become lexicalized and function as nouns in the sentence.

Verb Participle
ᓰᓂᐹᑕᐦᐄᒉᐸᔫ ᑳᓰᓂᐹᑕᐦᐄᒉᐸᔨᒡ
Click here to hear this word siinipaatahiichepayuu Click here to hear this word kaasiinipaatahiichepayich
it wrings wringer on washing machine
ᐃᔅᐧᑳᐦᑐᐧᐄᐸᔫ ᑳᐃᔅᐧᑳᐦᑐᐧᐄᐸᔨᒡ
Click here to hear this word iswkaahtawiipayuu Click here to hear this word kaaiskwaahtuwiipayich
it goes up elevator

Participles are made from the conjunct indicative neutral third person singular of a verb. They end with a conjunct verbal suffix -t, -k or –ch, depending on their original verb type (vai, vti, vii). They usually begin with the preverb kaa- which is written together with the verb to make a participle.

Animate noun participles are marked as (nap) and Inanimate noun participles are marked as (nip) in the Cree lexicon.

ᑳᐧᐁᐸᐦᐋᑯᓀᑦ Click here to hear this word kaawepahaakunet (nap) snow plow
ᑳᓂᔥᑐᑳᑌᑦ Click here to hear this word kaanishtukaatet (nap) three-wheeler
ᑳᑲᔅᒋᐦᑖᑦ kaakaschihtaat (nap) hero, winner
ᑳᑲᓇᐧᐁᔨᐦᑕᐦᒃ kaakanaweyihtahk (nap) caretaker
ᑳᒥᐦᑯᐸᔨᓈᓅᒡ Click here to hear this word kaamihkupayinaanuuch (nip) measles
ᑳᐅᐦᑌᐸᔨᐦᒡ Click here to hear this word kaauhtepayihch (nip) fruit salts, fizzing medicine (lit. it fizzes)
ᑳᒋᐦᑳᔥᑌᐦᑎᐦᒡ kaachihkaashtehtihch (nip) movie
ᑳᑎᐦᑎᐸᔨᒡ kaatihtipayich (nip) a tire

Participle Inflection

Their inflection pattern is partly like verbs, partly like nouns. In the Southern dialect, the verbal marker is used to form the plural and the obviative, while in the Northern dialect, the noun marker is used (see Northern participle inflection). In the possessive, the kaa- is usually dropped except for some (Inland) speakers who can say the possessive with and without the kaa-.

Noun Animate Participle
singular ᑳᐧᐁᐸᐦᐊᑯᓀᑦ kaawepahaakunet a snow plow
plural ᑳᐧᐁᐸᐦᐊᑯᓀᐧᑖᐤ kaawepahaakunetwaau snow plows
obviative (singular and plural) ᑳᐧᐁᐸᐦᐊᑯᓀᔨᒡᐦ kaawepahaakuneyacht (she sees a/many…) snow plow(s)
Noun Inanimate Participle
singular ᑳᑎᐦᑎᐸᔨᒡ kaatihtipayich a tire
plural ᑳᑎᐦᑎᐸᔨᐧᑳᐤ kaatihtipayikwaau many tires
obviative singular ᑳᑎᐦᑎᐸᔨᔨᒡ kaatihtipayirich (she sees a…) tire
obviative plural ᑳᑎᐦᑎᐸᔨᔨᒡ kaatihtipayiyacht (she sees many…) tires

Possessive

ᑳᐱᒥᐦᔮᒪᑲᐦᒡ Click here to hear this word kaapimihyaamakahch* (nip) airplane
ᓂᐱᒥᐦᐃᔮᒪᑲᓂᒻ Click here to hear this word nipimihiyaamakanim (C) (nap) my airplane
ᓂᑳᐱᒥᐦᐃᔮᒪᑲᓂᒻ Click here to hear this word nikaapimihiyaamakanim (I) (nap) my airplane

* the final h of the stem becomes n