Nouns with Person Inflection

• Possessed Nouns
• Extended Stems
• Dependent Nouns

Dependent Nouns

Observation

ᓂᒧᔓᒻ		nimushum	my grandfather
ᓂᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ		nishtikwaan	my head

Nouns like ᓂᒧᔓᒻ nimushum and ᓂᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ nishtikwaan are called DEPENDENT nouns. They always appear with a prefix indicating a person.

ᒋᒧᔓᒻ		chimushum	your grandfather
ᒋᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ		chishtikwaan	your head
ᐅᒧᔓᒻᐦ		umushumh	his/her grandfather
ᐅᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ		ushtikwaan	his/her head

In the Cree dictionary, a noun like ᓂᒧᔓᒻ nimushum is indicated as nad (noun animate dependent ), while a noun like ᓂᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ nishtikwaan is indicated as nid (noun inanimate dependent). Dependent nouns include the name of relatives (kinship), body parts, and personal belongings. For example:

ᓂᓃᒋᐦᐄᑯᒡ		niniichihiikuch	nad	my parents
ᐅᑐᔑᒥᔅᐧᑳᒥᒫᐤ		utushimiskwaamimaau	nad	a niece, step-daughter
ᐅᑐᔑᒥᔅᐧᑳᒻᐦ		utushimiskwaamh	nad	her/his niece, step-daughter
ᐅᐦᑐᐃ		uhtui	nad	her/his harpoon for sturgeon, whale
ᐅᔅᑯᓐ		uskun	nid	his/her liver
ᐧᐄᐧᐃᑦ		wiiwit	nid	her/his suitcase, luggage
ᒥᑐᐦᑎᓐ		mituhtin	nid	heel

Paradigm for Animate DEPENDENT NOUN

ᐅᒥᔅᐦ umis-h (nad) older sister

POSSESSOR	NOUN			English TRANSLATION
2	ᒋᒥᔅ		chimis	your older sister
2	ᒋᒥᓯᒡ		chimisich	your older sisters
1	ᓂᒥᔅ		nimis	my older sister
1	ᓂᒥᓯᒡ		nimisich	my older sisters
2p	ᒋᒥᓯᐧᐋᐤ		chimisiwaau	your older sister
2p	ᒋᒥᓯᐙᐅᒡ		chimisiwaauch	your older sisters
21p	ᒋᒥᓯᓂᐤ		chimisiniu	our older sister
21p	ᒋᒥᓯᓂᐅᒡ		chimisiniuch	our older sisters
1p	ᓂᒥᓯᓈᓐ		nimisinaan	our older sister
1p	ᓂᒥᓯᓈᓂᒡ		nimisinaanich	our older sisters
3	ᐅᒥᔅᐦ		umis-h	his/her older sister(s)
3p	ᐅᒥᓯᐧᐋᐤᐦ		umisiwaauh	their older sister(s)
3′(p)	ᐅᒥᓯᔨᐤᐦ		umisiyiuh	his/her/their older sister(s)

The prefix mi-

Dependent nouns denoting body parts and personal belongings take the prefix mi- to indicate that there is no specific possessor.

Animate
ᓂᑖᔅ		nitaas	my sock
ᐅᑖᔅᐦ		utaas-h	his/her socks
ᒥᑖᔅ		mitaas	a sock
ᓃᔓ ᒥᑖᔅᐦ		niishu mitaas-h	two socks

ᐊᓐ ᐃᔅᐧᑳᐤ ᒌᐦ ᐧᐋᐱᐦᑎᒻ ᐋᐦ ᒥᐦᐧᑳᔨᒡᐦ ᒥᑖᔅᐦ᙮
an iskwaau chiih waapihtim aah mihkwaayichh mitaas-h.
That woman saw red socks.

Inanimate
ᓂᐦᑎᐧᐃᑮ		nihtiwikii	my ear
ᒥᐦᑎᐧᐃᑮ		mihtiwikii	an ear
ᓂᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ		nishtikwaan	my head
ᒥᔥᑎᐧᑳᓐ		mishtikwaan	a head

The suffix -imaau

Nouns denoting relatives (also called kinship nouns) take the suffix, -imaau when there is no specific possessor. These nouns are all animate as they denote people.

Animate
ᐅᑳᐐᐦ		ukaawiih	his/her mother
ᓂᑳᐐ		nikaawii	my mother
ᐅᑳᐐᒫᐤ		ukaawiimaau	a mother
ᐅᒧᔓᒻᐦ		umushumh	his grand father
ᓂᒧᔓᒻ		nimushuum	my grandfather
ᐅᒧᔓᒥᒫᐤ		umushumimaau	a grand father
ᐐᒋᔖᓐᐦ		wiichishaanh	his sibling
ᓃᒋᔖᓐ		niichishaan	my sibling
ᐐᒋᔖᓂᒫᐤ		wiichishaanimaau	a sibling
ᐅᑐᔑᒥᔅᐧᑳᒻᐦ		utushimiskwaamh	her/his niece, step-daughter
ᐅᑐᔑᒥᔅᐧᑳᒥᒫᐤ		utushimiskwaamimaau	a niece, step-daughter

The suffix -im

When dependent nouns use the suffix –im, it indicates that the relationship includes another (3rd) person.

ᐅᔥᑭᔒᐦ		ushkishiih	his (own) nail(s)/claw(s)
ᐅᔥᑭᔒᒻᐦ		ushkishiimh	his nail/claw (from an animal or somebody else)
ᓂᔥᑭᔒ		nishkishii	my (own) nail
ᓅᔥᑭᔒᒻ		nuushkishiim	my nail/ claw (from an animal or somebody else)

Notice the change in the prefix, ᓅᔥᑭᔒᒻ nuushikshiim literally means ni-u-shkishii-m my his-claw. To know more, read: Junker, Marie-Odile. 2003. East Cree Dependent Nouns and Disjoint Reference, Algonquian and Iroquian Linguistics 28(1): 11-13.