{"id":166,"date":"2009-12-10T16:44:13","date_gmt":"2009-12-10T21:44:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.eastcree.org\/eastcree\/?page_id=166"},"modified":"2025-10-03T13:41:02","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T17:41:02","slug":"inflections-obviative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eastcree.org\/cree\/en\/grammar\/southern-dialect\/nouns\/inflections-obviative\/","title":{"rendered":"Obviative Inflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Nouns Inflected for Obviation<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n
Observation<\/caption>\r\n
\u14c2\u1419\u1438\u1426\u144c\u14d0 \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u166e<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nniwaapahten ashtutin.<\/td>\r\nI see a hat.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u1427\u140b\u1438\u1426\u1455\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u152b\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nwaapahtam ashtutiniyuu<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\nShe sees a hat.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Notice the suffix -iyuu<\/span> on \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u152b ashtutiniyuu<\/span>. It is called OBVIATIVE. Obviative inflection happens when there are several third persons in a story. For example, a child and a hat or a frog.<\/p>\r\n
\u1427\u140b\u1438\u1426\u1455\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u152b \u140a\u14d0 \u140a\u1427\u140b\u1525\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nwaapahtam ashtutiniyuu<\/strong> an awaash.<\/td>\r\nThat child sees a hat.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u148c \u1427\u140b\u1438\u14a3\u1424 \u140a\u1528\u1483\u1426 \u140a\u14d0 \u140a\u1427\u140b\u1525\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nchii waapameu ayikh<\/strong> an awaash.<\/td>\r\nThat child saw a frog\/frogs.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

The form awaash<\/span> is called PROXIMATE, ayikh<\/strong><\/span> and ashtitiniyuu<\/strong><\/span> are called OBVIATIVE.<\/p>\r\n

For animate nouns, the obviative suffix is -h<\/span>, like in ayikh<\/span> above. The number distinction is over-ridden. -h<\/span> could mean one or many frogs.<\/p>\r\n

For inanimate nouns, the obviative singular has a special suffix -iyuu<\/span>. The obviative plural looks just like the proximate plural.<\/p>\r\n

Animate Noun<\/h5>\r\n
\u00a0<\/td>\r\nproximate<\/strong><\/td>\r\nobviative<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
singular<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1528\u1483<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nayik<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1528\u1483\u1426<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nayikh<\/strong><\/td>\r\nfrog<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
plural<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1528\u1472\u14a1<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nayikach<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1528\u1483\u1426<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nayikh<\/strong><\/td>\r\nfrogs<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
Inanimate Noun<\/h5>\r\n
\u00a0<\/td>\r\nproximate<\/strong><\/td>\r\nobviative<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
singular<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nashtutin<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u152b<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nashtutiniyuu<\/strong><\/td>\r\nhat<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
plural<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nashtutinh<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nashtutinh<\/strong><\/td>\r\nhats<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Because of the rule of obviation, a noun possessed<\/a> by a third person carries the obviative marking.<\/p>\r\n
\u1405\u1456\u1431\u1525\u1473\u1472\u14d0\u1426<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nutaapishkaakanh<\/td>\r\nhis\/her scarf<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u1405\u14c7\u14a3\u14ef\u14bb\u1426<\/td>\r\n\u00a0<\/td>\r\nunamesimh<\/td>\r\nhis\/her fish<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Obviation plays an important role in Cree, not just for nouns, and pronouns but also for verbs forms. It allows speakers to rank the importance of participants in a story in ways that are impossible to convey in English. The rule is that you can only have one proximate person or thing at a time in a story, all others must be marked obviative.<\/p>\r\n

The proximate-obviative contrast works like a spotlight on the story participants. The spotlight is the proximate and it can only shine on one person or one group at a time, all the other story participants end up in the obviative. [see story analysis<\/a>]<\/p>\r\n

This is how proximate and obviative forms look in sentences.<\/p>\r\n
\u00a0<\/td>\r\nProximate<\/strong><\/td>\r\nObviative<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u00a0<\/td>\r\nsingular<\/strong><\/td>\r\nplural<\/strong><\/td>\r\nsingular<\/strong><\/td>\r\nplural<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
Animate<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1438\u14ab\u1424 \u140a\u1528\u1483\u166e<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1438\u14ab\u1405\u14a1 \u140a\u1528\u1472\u14a1\u166e<\/td>\r\n\u1427\u140b\u1438\u14a3\u1424 \u140a\u1528\u1483\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n\u1427\u140b\u1438\u14a3\u1424 \u140a\u1528\u1483\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
niwaapamaau ayik.<\/td>\r\nniwaapamaauch ayikach<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\nwaapameu ayikh.<\/td>\r\nwaapameu ayikh<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
I see a frog.<\/td>\r\nI see frogs.<\/td>\r\nShe sees a frog.<\/td>\r\nShe sees frogs.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
Inanimate<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1438\u1426\u144c\u14d0\u00a0\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u166e<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1438\u1426\u144c\u14d0 \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n\u1427\u140b\u1438\u1426\u1455\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u152b\u166e<\/td>\r\n\u1427\u140b\u1438\u1426\u1455\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
niwaapahten ashtutin.<\/td>\r\nniwaapahten ashtutinh<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\n\"speak\" waapahtam ashtutiniyuu<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\n\"speak\" waapahtam ashtutinh<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
I see a hat.<\/td>\r\nI see hats.<\/td>\r\nShe sees a hat.<\/td>\r\nShe sees hats.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
\r\n
\u00a0<\/div>\r\n