{"id":3761,"date":"2011-05-11T13:53:15","date_gmt":"2011-05-11T17:53:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eastcree.org\/cree\/"},"modified":"2017-07-25T12:04:35","modified_gmt":"2017-07-25T16:04:35","slug":"inflections-obviative","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eastcree.org\/cree\/en\/grammar\/northern-dialect\/nouns\/inflections-obviative\/","title":{"rendered":"Obviative Inflection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t \t \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/a>Nouns Inflected for Obviation<\/strong><\/h1>\r\n
Observation<\/caption>\r\n
\u14c2\u1419\u1431\u1426\u1456\u14d0 \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nniwaapihtaan ashtutin.<\/td>\r\nI see a hat.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u1419\u1431\u1426\u144e\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u1528\u1424\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nwaapihtim ashtutiniyiu<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\nShe sees a hat.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Notice the suffix -iyiu<\/span> on \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u1528\u1424<\/span> ashtutiniyiu<\/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
\u148c \u1427\u140b\u1431\u14ab\u1424 \u1404\u1528\u1483\u1426 \u140a\u14d0 \u140a\u1427\u140b\u1511\u1525\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nchii waapimaau iiyikh an awaashish.<\/td>\r\nThis child saw a frog\/frogs.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u1427\u140b\u1431\u1426\u144e\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u1528\u1424 \u140a\u14d0 \u140a\u1427\u140b\u1511\u1525\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nwaapihtim ashtutiniyiu an awaashish.<\/td>\r\nThis child sees a hat.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

The form \u140a\u1427\u140b\u1511\u1525<\/span> awaashish<\/span> is called PROXIMATE, \u1404\u1528\u1483\u1426<\/span> iiyikh<\/strong><\/span> and \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u1528\u1424<\/span> ashtutiniyiu<\/strong><\/span> are called OBVIATIVE.<\/p>\r\n

For animate nouns, the obviative suffix is -h<\/span>, like in \u1404\u1528\u1483\u1426<\/span> iiyikh<\/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 -iyiu<\/span>. The obviative plural looks just like the proximate plural.<\/p>\r\n

Animate Noun<\/p>\r\n
<\/td>\r\nproximate<\/strong><\/td>\r\nobviative<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
singular<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u1404\u1528\u1483<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\niiyik<\/td>\r\n\u1404\u1528\u1483\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\niiyikh<\/strong><\/td>\r\nfrog<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
plural<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u1404\u1528\u146d\u14a1<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\niiyikich<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u1404\u1528\u1483\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\niiyikh<\/strong><\/td>\r\nfrogs<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Inanimate Noun<\/p>\r\n
<\/td>\r\nproximate<\/strong><\/td>\r\nobviative<\/strong><\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
singular<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nashtutin<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u1528\u1424<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nashtutiniyiu<\/strong><\/td>\r\nhat<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
plural<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nashtutinh<\/strong><\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/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\u146d\u14d0\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nutaapishkaakinh<\/td>\r\nhis\/her scarf<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u1405\u14c2\u14ab\u14ef\u14bb\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nunimaasimh<\/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 the proximate and obviative look in sentences.<\/p>\r\n
<\/td>\r\nProximate<\/strong><\/td>\r\nObviative<\/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\u14c2\u1419\u1431\u14ab\u1424 \u1404\u1528\u1483\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1419\u1431\u14ab\u140e\u14a1 \u1404\u1528\u146d\u14a1\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1419\u1431\u14ab\u1424 \u1404\u1528\u1483\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1419\u1431\u14ab\u1424 \u1404\u1528\u1483\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
niwaapimaau iiyik.<\/td>\r\nniwaapimaawich iiyikich<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\nwaapimaau iiyikh.<\/td>\r\nwaapimaau iiyikh<\/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\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1419\u1431\u1426\u1456\u14d0 \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1419\u1431\u1426\u1456\u14d0 \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1419\u1431\u1426\u144e\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14c2\u1528\u1424\u166e<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\n\u1419\u1431\u1426\u144e\u14bb \u140a\u1525\u1450\u144e\u14d0\u1426\u166e<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
niwaapihtaan ashtutin.<\/td>\r\nniwaapihtaan ashtutinh<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\n <\/em>waapihtim ashtutiniyiu<\/strong>.<\/td>\r\nwaapihtim 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>
\"Click<\/a><\/td>\r\nNouns<\/a><\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/a><\/td>\r\nTop<\/a><\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>
\t \t \r\n\r\n
<\/div>\t \t \r\n\r\n
\t \t \r\n\r\n