Focus Pronouns

Observation
ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᒉᐧᑳᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᐦᑕᒫᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukun chekwaan kaa nituweyihtamaan. That’s the thing I wanted.

ᐁᐅᑯᓐ eukun in the sentence above is called a focus pronoun. It is used to indicate who or what is most important at a certain moment.

Proximate Obviative
singular plural singular plural
Animate ᐁᐅᑯᓐ Click here to hear this word eukun ᐁᐅᑯᓂᒡ Click here to hear this word eukunich ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫ Click here to hear this word eukuniyuu ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫᐦ Click here to hear this word eukuniyuuh
Inanimate ᐁᐅᑯᓐ Click here to hear this word eukun ᐁᐅᑯᓐᐦ Click here to hear this word eukunh ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫ Click here to hear this word eukuniyuu ᐁᐅᑯᓐᐦ Click here to hear this word eukunh

Examples:

ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᒪᒃ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukun kaa nitaweyimak. That’s the one I wanted.
ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᒪᒃ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukun an kaa nitaweyimak. That’s the one I wanted.
ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukun an. That ‘s the one!
ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᐧᐁᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukun awen. That ‘s the one!
ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫᐦ ᒉᐧᑳᔫᐦ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᐦᑕᐦᒃ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukuniyuuh chekwaayuuh kaa nitaweyihtahk. Those are the things he wanted

Examples from Hard Times:

ᐊᐧᐁᓐ ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᓐ Johnny ᐧᐁᑕᐦᑐᐦᐃᔨᒥᐦᑦ᙮ Click here to hear this word awen eukun an Johnny wetahtuhiyimiht. Here was Johnny who arrived-by-boat to us. (1446)
ᐁᐅᑯᓐᐦ ᐊᓂᔫᐦ ᐯᐹᐧᐄᒉᐧᐋᑦ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukunh aniyuuh pepaawiichewaat. Those were the ones he goes around with. (1016)

ᐁᐅᒄ eukw is a shorter, uninflected form of ᐁᐅᑯᓐ eukun. (see focus particles)

ᐁᐅᒄ ᐊᓂᔫ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukw aniyuu. That’s the one.
ᐁᐅᒄ ᐊᓐ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukw an. That’s the one.
ᐁᐅᒄ ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᒪᒃ᙮ Click here to hear this word eukw an kaa nitaweyimak. That’s the one I wanted.