Grammar
Derived Nouns
Nouns ending in -siu (Names for profession)
| ᐋᐃᐦᑯᓈᐦᒑᐤ᙮ | ᐋᐃᐦᑯᓈᐦᒑᓯᐤ | |
| aaihkunaahchaau. | = | aaihkunaahchaasiu |
| S/he makes bannock. | bannock maker |
When the suffix -siu is added to a VAI verb stem, it gives an animate noun used to describe a profession or the work that someone does.
| VAI Verb | > | NA Noun | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒫᒑᐤ᙮ | chiskutimaachaau. | S/he teaches. | ᒋᔅᑯᑎᒫᒑᓯᐤ | chiskutimaachaasiu | teacher |
| ᒋᔅᒋᓄᐦᐊᒫᒑᓯᐤ | chischinuhamaachaasiu | teacher (older word) | |||
| ᓵᒋᐦᐄᐧᐋᐤ᙮ | saachihiwaau. | S/he loves. | ᓵᒋᐦᐄᐧᐋᓯᐤ | saachihiiwaasiu | a loving person |
| ᒋᔅᑖᐹᐧᐃᒋᒑᐤ᙮ | chistaapaawichichaau. | S/he washes. | ᒋᔅᑖᐹᐧᐃᒋᒑᓯᐤ | chistaapaawichichaasiu | laundry person |
| ᐋᐃᐦᑯᓈᐦᒑᐤ᙮ | aaihkunaahchaau. | S/he makes bannock. | ᐋᐃᐦᑯᓈᐦᒑᓯᐤ | aaihkunaahchaasiu | bannock maker |
| ᐲᐧᓵᔮᐃᐦᑯᓈᐦᒑᐤ᙮ | piiswaayaaihkunaahchaau. | S/he makes bread. | ᐲᐧᓵᔮᐃᐦᑯᓈᐦᒑᓯᐤ | piiswaayaaihkunaahchaasiu | bread maker |
| ᓂᑭᒨ᙮ | nikimuu. | S/he sings. | ᓂᑭᒧᓯᐤ | nikimusiu | singer |
| ᐱᒥᓂᐧᐋᐤ᙮ | piminiwaau. | S/he cooks. | ᐱᒥᓂᐧᐋᓯᐤ | piminiwaasiu | cook |
| ᒥᓂᐦᐧᑳᐤ᙮ | minihkwaau. | S/he drinks. | ᒥᓂᐦᐧᑳᓯᐤ | minihkwaasiu | drinker |
| ᔑᔓᐦᐄᒑᐤ᙮ | shishuhiichaau. | S/he paints. | ᔑᔓᐦᐄᒑᓯᐤ | shishuhiichaasiu | painter |
| ᐧᐋᐱᓂᒑᐤ᙮ | waapinichaau. | S/he throws things away. | ᐧᐋᐱᓂᒑᓯᐤ | waapinichaasiu | garbage person |
| ᐧᐋᐱᐦᐋᑯᓈᐤ᙮ | waapihaakunaau. | S/he shovels snow. | ᐧᐋᐱᐦᐋᑯᓈᓯᐤ | waapihaakunaasiu | snowplow operator |
| ᐧᐋᐱᐦᐄᒑᐤ᙮ | waapihiichaau. | S/he sweeps. | ᐧᐋᐱᐦᐄᒑᓯᐤ | waapihiichaasiu | sweeper (Wemindji) |
| ᒋᓯᐦᐄᒑᐤ᙮ | chisihiichaau. | S/he sweeps. | ᒋᓯᐦᐄᒑᓯᐤ | chisihiichaasiu | sweeper |
When these nouns use the possessive prefixes, the -siu part is replaced by -siim, made of the possessive suffix -im.
| ᓂᐧᐋᐱᓂᒑᓰᒻ | waapinichaasiim | my garbage person |
| ᓂᑎᓵᒥᐦᒑᓰᒻ | nitisaamihchaasiim | my snowshoe maker |
| ᓂᒋᔅᑖᐹᐅᒋᒑᓰᒻ | nichistaapaauchichaasiim | my laundry person |
| ᐅᒋᔅᑖᐹᐅᒋᒑᓰᒻᐦ | uchistaapaauchichaasiimh | his laundry person |
Some possessed nouns look like they are directly derived from the verb stem.
| ᓂᐱᒫᒋᐦᐄᐙᒻ | nipimaachihiiwaam | my life giver |