{"id":325,"date":"2009-12-28T10:14:01","date_gmt":"2009-12-28T15:14:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/beta.eastcree.org\/eastcree\/?page_id=325"},"modified":"2017-09-12T13:44:11","modified_gmt":"2017-09-12T17:44:11","slug":"indefinite","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eastcree.org\/cree\/en\/grammar\/northern-dialect\/pronouns\/indefinite\/","title":{"rendered":"Indefinite Pronouns"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Indefinite Pronouns<\/h1>\r\n
Observation<\/caption>\r\n
\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1438\u14ab\u1424 \u14c0\u144c\u1426 \u140a\u1427\u1401\u14d0\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nniwaapimaau naataah awaan.<\/td>\r\nI can see someone<\/strong> over there.<\/td>\r\nanimate<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1431\u1426\u1456\u14d0 \u14c8\u1456\u1426 \u1491\u1427\u1473\u14d0\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nniwaapihtaan naataah chaakwaan.<\/td>\r\nI can see something<\/strong> over there.<\/td>\r\ninanimate<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

\u140a\u1427\u140b\u14d0<\/span> awaan<\/span> and \u1491\u1427\u1473\u14d0<\/span> chaakwaan<\/span> in the examples above are called “indefinite pronouns”. The words \u140a\u1427\u140b\u14d0<\/span> awaan<\/span> and \u1491\u1427\u1473\u14d0<\/span> chaakwaan<\/span> are polysemic between three English meanings: 1) ‘someone’ and ‘something’, 2) ‘a person’ and ‘a thing’, 3) ‘who’ and ‘what’ (see interrogative pronouns<\/a>)’.<\/p>\r\n
<\/td>\r\nProximate <\/strong>
<\/strong><\/td>\r\n		Obviative <\/strong>
<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
<\/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\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1427\u140b\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1427\u140b\u14c2\u148c<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1427\u140b\u1528\u1424\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1427\u140b\u1528\u1424\u1426<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
awaan<\/td>\r\nawaanichii<\/td>\r\nawaayiuh<\/td>\r\nawaayiuh<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
Inanimate<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1491\u1427\u1473\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1491\u1427\u1473\u14c2\u1426\u1404<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1491\u1427\u1473\u1528\u1424<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1491\u1427\u1473\u1528\u1424\u1426<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
chaakwaan<\/td>\r\nchaakwaanihii<\/td>\r\nchaakwaayiu<\/td>\r\nchaakwaayiuh<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

\u140a\u1427\u140b\u14d0<\/span> awaan<\/span> and \u1491\u1427\u1473\u14d0<\/span> chaakwaan<\/span> can sometimes be the equivalent of the English nouns ‘person’ or ‘thing’. Compare the sentences below where they can be translated either by an English pronoun or an English noun.<\/p>\r\n
\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1431\u14ab\u1424 \u140a\u1427\u140b\u14d0\u166e<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nniwaapimaau awaan<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\nI see someone\/a person.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u14c2\u1427\u140b\u1431\u1426\u1456\u14d0 \u1491\u1427\u1473\u14d0\u166e<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nniwaapihtaan chaakwaan<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\nI see something\/a thing.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Like a noun, \u1491\u1427\u1473\u14d0<\/span> chaakwaan<\/span> takes nominal inflection in possessive constructions.<\/p>\r\n
\u14c2\u1491\u1427\u1473\u14c2\u14bb\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nnichaakwaan<\/strong>imh<\/td>\r\nmy things<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

(see also quantifiers)<\/p>\r\n

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