Hesitation Pronouns

Observation
ᐋᐃᐦ ᒌ ᒧᐧᐋᐤ  ᓂᒫᔅᐦ᙮ Click here to hear this word aaih … chii muwaau … nimaash. Uh … s/he ate … fish.

Pronouns like ᐋᐃᐦ aaih are used when a speaker cannot think of a particular noun. They act as placeholders for that noun. They are inflected, like other pronouns, indicating that the speaker is aware of the gender (animate or inanimate), number (singular or plural) and obviation status of the missing noun.

Proximate Obviative
singular plural singular plural
Animate ᐋᐃ Click here to hear this word aai ᐋᐃᒡ Click here to hear this word aaich ᐋᐃᐦ Click here to hear this word aaih ᐋᐃᐦ Click here to hear this word aaih
Inanimate ᐋᐃ Click here to hear this word aai ᐋᐃᐦ Click here to hear this word aaih ᐋᐃᔨᐤ Click here to hear this word aaiyiu ᐋᐃᔨᐤᐦ Click here to hear this word aaiyiuh

Examples:

ᐋᐃᒡ ᒌ ᑎᑯᔑᓂᒡ  ᐁᓛ ᑭᔮᐦ ᒫᕐᑭᕇᑦ᙮ Click here to hear this word aaich… chii tikushinich…elaa kiyaah maarkiriit. Uh… they arrived… Ella and Marguerite.