Hesitation Pronouns

Observation
ᐊᐃᐦ᙮᙮᙮᙮᙮ ᒌ ᒧᐧᐁᐤ ᙮᙮᙮᙮᙮ᓂᒣᓴ᙮ aih… chii muweu …namesa. Uh… s/he ate… fish.

Pronouns like ᐊᐃᐦ aih 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 ᐊᐃ Click here to hear this word ai ᐊᐃᒡ Click here to hear this word aich ᐊᐃᐦ Click here to hear this word aih ᐊᐃᐦ Click here to hear this word aih
Inanimate ᐊᐃ Click here to hear this word ai ᐊᐃᐦ Click here to hear this word aih ᐊᐃᔫ Click here to hear this word aiyuu ᐊᐃᔫᐦ Click here to hear this word aiyuuh

Example:

ᐊᐃᒡ᙮᙮᙮᙮ ᒌ ᑕᑯᔑᓂᒡ᙮᙮᙮᙮ ᐁᓛ ᑲᔦᐦ ᒫᕐᑭᕇᑦ᙮ Click here to hear this word aich… chii takushinich…elaa kiyaah maarkiriit. Uh… they arrived… Ella and Marguerite.