{"id":8319,"date":"2012-06-12T13:09:02","date_gmt":"2012-06-12T17:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.eastcree.org\/cree\/?page_id=8319"},"modified":"2017-07-17T21:10:40","modified_gmt":"2017-07-18T01:10:40","slug":"vai","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.eastcree.org\/cree\/en\/grammar\/southern-dialect\/verbs\/cree-verb-stems\/vai\/","title":{"rendered":"VAI"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t \t \r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n

<\/a>VAI (Verb Animate Intransitive)<\/h1>\r\n

VAI stems can end in one of six different vowels : -e, -aa, -ii, -uu, -i, -u<\/span>.<\/p>\r\n
Ending<\/th>\r\nExample<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>
e<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u14a3\u1455\u1427\u1401\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nnimetawe<\/span>-n<\/td>\r\nI am playing<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
aa<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u14c2\u1439\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nninipaa<\/span>-n<\/td>\r\nI am sleeping<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
ii<\/td>\r\n\u14c5\u1426\u148c\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nnuuhchii<\/span>-n<\/td>\r\nI come from…<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
uu<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u14c3\u1434\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nniniipuu<\/span>-n<\/td>\r\nI am standing<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
i<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u1455\u1431\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nnitapi<\/span>-n<\/td>\r\nI am sitting<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
u<\/td>\r\n\u14c2\u14c2\u1472\u14a7\u14d0<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nninikamu<\/span>-n<\/td>\r\nI am singing<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Link to the Conjugation Table<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n

For stems ending in -uu<\/span>, and -i<\/span>, a stem vowel can dissapear in the third person proximate independent indicative. (This is called “vowel coalescence” for what happens to -uu<\/span>, and “vowel harmony” for what happens to -i<\/span>):<\/p>\r\n
\u14c3\u1434-\u1405<\/td>\r\nniipuu<\/span>-u<\/td>\r\n\u2192<\/td>\r\n\u14c3\u1434<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\nniipuu<\/td>\r\ns\/he is standing<\/td>\r\n(one u disappears)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u140a\u1431-\u1405<\/td>\r\napi<\/span>-u<\/td>\r\n\u2192<\/td>\r\n\u140a\u1434<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\napuu<\/td>\r\ns\/he is sitting<\/td>\r\n(the i becomes u)<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

VAI verbs with stems ending in -n<\/span>, have a special behaviour. The nasal vowel n<\/span> becomes h<\/span> in the 3rd person proximate inflection in the conjunct indicative paradigms (#11 and #12).<\/p>\r\n
\u1431\u14a5\u1511\u14d0<\/span><\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\npimishin<\/span><\/span> (#10)<\/td>\r\n\u2192<\/td>\r\n\u1401 \u1431\u14a5\u1511\u1426<\/span>\u1483<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\ne pimishih<\/span>-k<\/span> (#11)<\/td>\r\nwhenever s\/he is lying down<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u2192<\/td>\r\n\u1431\u14a5\u1511\u1426<\/span>\u146b<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\npimishih<\/span>-ke<\/span> (#12a)<\/td>\r\nwhen s\/he is going to lie down<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>
\u2192<\/td>\r\n\u142f\u14a5\u1511\u1426<\/span>\u1483\u1426<\/td>\r\n\"Click<\/td>\r\npemishih<\/span>-kh<\/span> (#12b)<\/td>\r\nevery time s\/he lies down<\/td>\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

Note that the third person proximate conjunct suffix for vai n<\/span>-stem verbs is -k<\/span> rather than the -t<\/span> used with vowel stems.<\/p>\r\n

See the Conjugation Table<\/a> for n-stems.<\/p>\r\n

VAI aa, e, <\/span>and n <\/span>stems use a shorter passive suffix (unspecified actor form): they shorten the -naanuu<\/span> suffix or merge it with the stem. Compare:<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Stem<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n Person<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/tr>
aa<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\nX<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n\u14c2\u1439\u14c5<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\nnipaa<\/strong>+naanuu=nipaanuu<\/strong><\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\npeople sleep, there is a sleepover<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n(short suffix: -nuu)<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/tr>
e<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\nX<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n\u14a3\u1455\u1427\u140b\u14c5<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\nmetuwe<\/strong>+naanuu=metawaanuu<\/strong><\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\npeople play, there is playing<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n(short suffix: -aanuu)<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/tr>
n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\nX<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n\u1455\u146f\u1511\u14c8\u14c5<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n\t \t \r\n\r\ntakushin<\/strong>+naanuu=takushinaanuu<\/strong><\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n people arrive, there an arrival<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n (short suffix: -aanuu)<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/tr>
Other stems<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/tr>
u<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\nX<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n\u14c2\u1472\u14a7\u14c8\u14c5<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\nnikamu<\/strong>+naanuu=nikamunaanuu<\/strong><\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\npeople sing, there is a singing event<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n(regular suffix: -naanuu)<\/td>\t \t \r\n\r\n<\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>

The same happens for the X’ forms (unspecified actor Obviative): the long suffix -naanuuyuu<\/span> becomes -nuuyuu<\/span> after an aa<\/span> stem, or -aanuuyuu<\/span> with an e<\/span> or n<\/span> stem.<\/p>\r\n

\t \t \r\n\r\n
<\/div>\t \t \r\n\r\n
\t \t \r\n\r\n