Kinship Terms
Kinship terms in Wyandotte are verbs. There are no nouns for mother, father, sister brother, son or daughter. And there are no separate possessives such as ‘my’, ‘your’, ‘his’ or ‘hers.’ The pronominal prefixes take care of that. Pronominal prefixes belong to one of five conjugations: consonant (by far the most common one), a-stem, e-stem, yen-/i- stem and ǫ-/u- stem. There are two grammatical players possible in each pronominal prefix, an agent (which is always a subject when it appears) and a patient (which is a subject when it appears by itself and is an object when it is combined with the agent). A list of some of these pronominal prefixes appears at the end of this lesson.
Mother
There are two different verbs used for ‘to be mother to’ in Wyandot. Both are consonant conjugation. One, -nęˀ– is used almost exclusively in addressing your mother. The term of address has collapsed the pronominal prefix into a short form:
anęˀęh my mother, mom (used when speaking to her)
[ah-nen-nenh]
- feminine-zoic (s) agent + 1st person (s) patient ‘she to me’
-nęˀ– verb root ‘to be mother to’
-ęh stative aspect
The other verb root for mother is -nduˀmę-. This is for referring to and talking about mothers.
anduˀmęh She is mother to me. She is my mother.
[ahn-doo-oo-menh]
- feminine-zoic (s) agent + 1st person (s) patient ‘she to me’
-nduˀmę– verb root ‘to be mother to’
-h stative aspect
unduˀmęh She is mother to her. She is her mother.
[oon-doo-oo-mehn]
u- feminine zoic (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient ‘she to her’
-nduˀmę– verb root ‘to be mother to’
-h stative aspect
sanduˀmęh She is mother to you; your mother.
[san-doo-oo-menh]
sa- feminine-zoic (s) agent + 2nd person (s) patient ‘she to you’
–nduˀmę– verb root ‘to be mother to’
-h stative aspect
With the addition of the causative-instrumental (ci) root suffix -hst-, we can talk about when mothers adopt children.
hunduˀmęˀahstih She adopted him as his mother; his adopted mother.
[hoon-doo-oo-men-en-ah-steeh]
hu- feminine-zoic (s) agent + masculine (s) patient ‘she to him’
-nduˀmę– verb root ‘to be mother to’
-ˀahst- causative-instrumental
-ih stative aspect
yǫnduˀmęˀahstih I adopted you as your mother, I am your adopted mother.
[yon-doo-oo-men-en-ah-steeh]
yǫ- 1st person (s) agent + 2nd person (s) patient ‘I to you’
-nduˀmę– verb root ‘to be mother to’
-ˀahst- causative-instrumental
-ih stative aspect
Step-Mother
For the step-parent to step-child relationship -ndu- (consonant conjugation) is used. It takes the diminutive (dm), which occurs with some kinship relationships and with some possessions. It seems to be a form of endearment.
hunduˀah She is his step-parent; his step-mother.
[hoon-doo-oo-ah]
hu- feminine-zoic (s) agent + masculine (s) patient ‘she to him’
-ndu- verb root ‘to be step-parent to’
-ˀa stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
unduˀah She is her step-parent; her step-mother.
[oon-doo-oo-ah]
u- feminine-zoic (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient ‘she to her’
-ndu- verb root ‘to be step-parent to’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
Father
The verb root for ‘to be a father to’ is –ˀistę– (consonant conjugation).
haˀistęh He is father to me; my father
[ha-ah-yee-stenh]
ha- masculine (s) agent + 1st person (s) patient ‘he to me’
–ˀistę– verb root ‘to be father to’
-h stative aspect
huˀistęh He is father to him; his father
[hoo-oo-ee-stenh]
hu- masculine (s) agent + masculine (s) patient ‘he to him’
–ˀistę– verb root ‘to be father to’
-h stative aspect
sǫmaˀistęh He is father to us; our father
[son-mah-ah-ee-stenh]
sǫma- masculine (s) agent + 1st person plural patient ‘he to us’
–ˀistę– verb root ‘to be father to’
-h stative aspect
skwaˀistęh You are father to us (‘Our Father’ in the Lord’s Prayer)
[skwah-ah-ee-stenh]
skwa- 2nd person (s) agent + 1st person plural patient ‘you to us’
–ˀistę– verb root ‘to be father to’
-h stative aspect
yaˀistęhšraˀ father, fatherhood (noun)
[yah-ah-ee-sten-shrah]
ya- feminine-zoic agent ‘it’
–ˀistę– verb root ‘to be father to’
-hšr- nominalizer
-aˀ noun suffix
huˀistęhšrawastih He is a good father.
[hoo-oo-ee-sten-shrah-wah-steeh]
hu- masculine (s) patient ‘he’
–ˀistę– verb root ‘to be father to’
-hšr- nominalizer
-a noun suffix
-wast- verb root ‘to be good, beautiful’
-ih stative aspect
Step-Father
žanduˀah He is your (s) step-father; he is step-parent to you.
[zhan-doo-oo-ah]
ža- masculine agent (s) + 2nd person (s) patient ‘he to you (s)’
-ndu- verb root ‘to be step-parent to’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
handuˀah He is her step-father; he is step-parent to her.
[han-doo-oo-ah]
ha- masculine (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient ‘he to her’
-ndu- verb root ‘to be step-parent to’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
Exercise: Mother and Father (answers at the end of the lesson)
- She is his mother___________________________________________________
- She is your (singular) mother.________________________________________________
- She is their (mixed) mother._________________________________________________
- She is my adopted mother.___________________________________________________
- I am her adopted mother.___________________________________________________
- She is your stepmother.________________________________________________
- Your (singular) father.____________________________________________________
- Her father.___________________________________________________
- His step-father.___________________________________________________
- Our step-father._________________________________________________
Child
The verb root -(ny)ę– (consonant conjugation) means ‘to have as child’. As with the previous kinship verbs, the parent is represented in the agent/subject role. The child is represented by the patient/object role.
anyęˀah my child (daughter or son), addressing my child
[an-yen-en-ah]
an-
-nyę– verb root ‘to have as child’
-ˀa stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
yenyęˀah I have her as child; my daughter.
[yeh-nyen-en-ah]
ye- 1st person (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient ‘I to her’
-nyę- verb root ‘to have as child’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
hšęˀah You have her as child; she is your daughter.
[hshen-en-ah]
hš- 2nd person (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient ‘you (s) to her’
–ę– verb root ‘to have as child’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
uwęˀah She has her as child; she is her daughter.
[oo-wen-en-ah]
uw- feminine-zoic (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient ‘she to her’
–ę– verb root ‘to have as child’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
haęˀah He has her as child; she is his daughter.
[hah-en-en-ah]
ha- masculine agent (s) + feminine-zoic (s) patient ‘he to her’
–ę– verb root ‘to have as child’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
huwęˀah He has him as child; his son. OR
[hoo-wen-en-ah] She has him as child; her son
huw- masculine (s) agent + masculine (s) patient ‘he to him’ OR
feminine-zoic (s) agent + masculine (s) patient ‘she to him’
–ę– verb root + ‘to have as child’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
hayǫmęˀah She has them (masculine[1]) as children; her sons. OR
[hah-yon-men-en-a] He has them (masculine) as children; his sons. OR
He has them (feminine) as children; his daughters. OR
hayǫm- feminine-zoic (s) agent + masculine plural patient ‘she to them (m)’OR
masculine (s) agent + masculine plural patient ‘he to them (m)’ OR
masculine (s) agent + feminine-zoic (p) patient ‘he to them (f)’
–ę– verb root ‘to have as child’
-ˀa- stative aspect
-h diminutive suffix
hǫtakyęˀą They (masculine or mixed) are parents and children. [hon-tah-kyen- en-an]
hǫ- masculine plural agent, they (masculine or mixed)
-tahky- reciprocal
-ę- verb root ‘to have as child‘
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ą diminutive
Exercise: Children
- I have them (feminine) as children, as daughters.
_______________________________________________________________
- I have them (masculine or mixed) as children, as sons or sons and daughter(s).
_______________________________________________________________
- You have them (feminine) as children, as daughters.
_______________________________________________________________
- You have them (masculine or mixed) as children, as sons or sons and daughter(s)
_______________________________________________________________
- I have him as child, my son. _________________________________________________________
Brothers and Sisters
The verb root used to express the sibling relation of brothers and sisters is -yę–. Often it is used with the reflexive prefix -atat–, or the semi reflexive -at- , both of which take the a- conjugation. As the reflexive adds the meaning of ‘each other’, all of the words that employ it are dual or plural. There is no singular form of this verb.
kyatateˀyęhąh We two (n) are siblings, brothers, sisters.
[kyah-tah-te-e-yeh-hanh]
ky- 1st person inclusive dual agent, we two (one talking to the other)
-atate- reflexive
-ˀyę- verb root ’to be siblings‘
-h- stative aspect
-ąh diminutive suffix
kwatateˀyęhąh We (more than two) (n) are siblings.
[kwah-tah-te-e-yeh-hanh]
kw- 1st person inclusive plural agent, we plural (one talking to others)
-atate- reflexive
-ˀyę- verb root ’to be siblings‘
-h- stative aspect
-ąh diminutive suffix
žateˀyęˀąhą They two (m) are brothers, his/her brother or his sister.
[zhah-teh-eh-yen-en-an-han]
ž- masculine dual agent, they two (masculine/mixed)
-ate- semireflexive
-ˀyę- verb root ‘to be siblings’
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąhą diminutive suffix
hǫˀteˀyęˀąhą They plural (m) are siblings, brothers, brother(s ) and sister(s)
[hon-on-teh-eh-yen-en-an-han]
hǫ- masculine plural agent, they (masculine/mixed)
-ˀte semireflexive
-ˀyę– verb root ‘to be siblings’
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąhą diminutive suffix
yiateˀyęˀąhą They two (f) are sisters.
[yee-ah-teh-eh-yen-en-an-han]
yi- feminine-zoic dual agent, ‘they two (f)
-ˀte semireflexive
-ˀyę- verb root ‘to be siblings’
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąhą diminutive suffix
yǫˀteˀyęˀąhą They plural (f) sisters
[yon-on-teh-eh-yen-en-an-han]
yǫ- feminine-zoic plural agent, they (f)
-ˀte semireflexive
-ˀyę– verb root ‘to be siblings’
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąhą diminutive suffix
heˀyęˀąh He is my sibling, my brother, my younger brother.
[heh-eh-yen-en-anh]
he- 1st person agent + masculine (s) patient, I to him
-ˀyę- verb root ’to be siblings‘
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąh diminutive suffix
yeˀyęˀąh She is my sibling, my sister, my younger sister.
[yeh-eh-yen-en-anh)
ye- 1st person (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient, I to her
-ˀyę- verb root ’to be siblings‘
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąh diminutivesuffix
huˀyęˀąh He is his or her sibling, his or her brother
[hoo-oo-yen-en-anh]
hu- masc. (s) or fem.-zoic (s) agent + masculine (s) patient, (s)he to him
-ˀyę- verb root ’to be siblings‘
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąh diminutive suffix
uˀyęˀąh She is her sibling, her sister
[oo-oo-yen-en-an]
u- feminine-zoic (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient, she to her
-ˀyę- verb root ’to be siblings‘
-ˀ- stative aspect
-ąh diminutive suffix
Exercise: Brothers and Sisters
Translate the following
- aywatateˀyęhąh _________________________________________________________
- tsatateˀyęhąh _________________________________________________________
- ayiatateˀyęhąh _________________________________________________________
- skwatateˀyęhąh _________________________________________________________
Exercise: Older and Younger Brothers and Sisters
- She is your younger sister___________________________________________________
- He is your younger brother__________________________________________________
- He is my older brother___________________________________________________
- She is my older sister.___________________________________________________
- He is your older brother.__________________________________________________
Grandparents and Grandchildren
One verb root for the grandparent and grandchild relationship is -hšutaˀ- As a term of address between the two it takes the following forms. It is a consonant conjugation verb.
ahšutaˀ grandparent (can be used with both mother’s and father’s parents)
[ah-shoo-tah-ah]
ahšut my grandchild (can be used with both son’s and daughter’s children)
[ah-soot]
The forms for terms of reference include the following:
ǫmahšutaˀa She is our grandmother[2]
[on-mah-shoo-tah-ah]
ǫma- feminine-zoic (s) agent + 1st person plural patient, she to us
-hšuta- verb root ‘to be grandparent to’
-ˀ stative aspect
-a diminutive suffix
sǫmahšutaˀa He is grandparent to us, our grandfather. +
[son-mah-shoo-tah-ah]
sǫma- masculine (s) agent + 1st person plural patient, he to us
-hšuta- verb root ‘to be grandparent to’
-ˀ stative aspect
-a diminutive suffix
The verb root -atreˀa- means ‘to have as grandchild.’ It is a- conjugation.
utreˀa[3] She has her as grandchild, her granddaughter.
[oo-treh-eh-ah]
u- feminine-zoic (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient, she to her
-treˀa- verb root ‘to have as grandchild’ + stative aspect
hatreˀa He has her as grandchild, his granddaughter.
[hah-treh-eh-ah]
h- masculine (s) agent + feminine-zoic patient, he to her
-atreˀa- verb root ‘to have as grandchild’ + stative aspect
hutreˀa He has him as grandchild, his grandson OR [hoo-treh-eh-ah] She has him as grandchild, her grandson
hu- masculine (s) agent OR feminine-zoic (s) + masculine (s) patient,
he or she to him
-treˀa verb root ‘to have as grandchild’ + stative aspect
Exercise: Grandparents and Grandchildren
- She is grandparent to them (feminine).__________________________________________
- She is grandparent to them (masculine)____________________________________
- You have him as grandchild._________________________________________________
- You have her as grandchild._________________________________________________
- She has him as grandchild._________________________________________________
Aunts and Uncles–Nieces and Nephews
The verb root for ‘to be aunt to’ is -ahrahak–, an a- conjugation verb. Traditionally it referred only to father’s sisters and father’s brothers’ wives, was extended to all those that mainstream society would call ‘aunts.’. The first example shows how a nephew or niece would address this person:
ahrahak my aunt (term of address)
[ah-rah-hahk]
sahrahak She is your aunt.
[sah-rah-hahk]
s- feminine-zoic (s) agent + 2nd person (s) patient, she to you
-ahrahak verb root ‘to be aunt to’ + stative aspect
uhrahak She is her aunt
[oo-rah-hak]
u- feminine-zoic (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient, she to her
-(a)hrahak- verb root ‘to be aunt to’ + stative aspect
The verb root for ‘to be uncle to’ is awatęnǫrǫˀ, (a- conjugation). Traditionally it referred to just mother’s brothers, but by the end of the 19th century it had the same reference as the English term. The first example is how a niece or nephew would address an uncle:
awatęnǫrǫˀ my uncle (term of address)
[ah-wah-ten-non-ron-on]
In reference we have these terms:
hawatęnǫrǫˀ He is uncle to me; my uncle.
[hah-wah-ten-non-ron-on]
haw- masculine (s) agent + 1st person (s) patient, he to me
-atęnǫrǫ- verb root ‘to be uncle to’
-ˀ stative aspect
žatęnǫrǫˀ He is uncle to you (singular); your uncle.
[zhah-ten-non-ron-on]
ž- masculine (s) agent + 2nd person (s), he to you
-atęnǫrǫ- verb root ‘to be uncle to’
-ˀ stative aspect
hutęnǫrǫˀ He is uncle to him; his uncle.
[hoo-ten-non-ron-on]
hu- masculine (s) agent + masculine (s) patient, he to him
-tęnǫrǫ- verb root ‘to be uncle to’
-ˀ stative aspect
hatęnǫrǫˀ He is uncle to her; her uncle.
[hah-ten-non-ron-on]
h- masculine (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient, he to her
-atęnǫrǫ- verb root ‘to be uncle to’
-ˀ stative aspect
Nephews and Nieces
Just as no verb specifies, ‘daughter’ or ‘son’, or ‘brother’ or ‘sister’, so no verb root specifically means ‘niece’ or ‘nephew.’ There is -yęwatę- ‘to have as niece or nephew’ (yę-/i- conjugation). Traditionally referring only to the children of your sibling of the opposite sex, it came to refer to those mainstream society calls ‘niece ‘and ‘nephew’. All instances of -i- or -ę- at the end of the pronominal prefixes presented below are part of the verb root
The form of address for both your nephew and your niece is:
iwatęˀ a my nephew or niece
[ee-wah-ten-en-ah]
The forms of reference are as follows:
yiwatęˀa I have her as niece; my niece
[yee-wah-ten]
y- 1st person (s) agent + feminine-zoic (s) patient, I to her
-iwatę- verb root ‘to be nephew or niece’
-ˀ- stative aspect
-a diminutive suffix
hešiwatęˀa You have him as nephew; your nephew.
[heh-shee-wah-ten]
heš- 2nd person (s) agent + masculine (s) patient, you to him
-iwatę- verb root ‘to have as nephew or niece’
-ˀ- stative aspect
-a diminutive suffix
hamęwatęˀa He has him as nephew (his nephew).
[hah-men-wah-ten]
ham- masculine (s) agent + masculine (s) patient, he to him
-ęwatę- verb root ‘to have as niece or nephew’
-ˀ- stative aspect
-a diminutive suffix
Exercise
- She is his aunt._____________________________________________________
- He is her uncle._____________________________________________________
- He is our uncle._____________________________________________________
- She has her as niece.____________________________________________________
- You have her as niece._____________________________________________________
Cousins
For cousins, the verb root is -araˀse– ‘to be cousins’ (a- conjugation). Traditionally it was used for people of your own generation who were not of your clan, but came to have the same meaning as it does in mainstream society. The verb always takes the dual or the plural.
ažaraˀseh We two (exclusive) are cousins; my cousin
[ah-zhah-rah-seh]
až- 1st person exclusive dual agent we two (excluding the listener)
-araˀse- verb root ‘to be cousins’
-h stative aspect
kyaraˀseh We two (inclusive) are cousins; my cousin.
[kyah-rah-ah-sen]
ky- 1st person inclusive dual agent, we two (including the listener)
-araˀse- verb root ‘to be cousins’
-h stative aspect
ežaraˀseh They two (m) are cousins, his cousin.
[eeh-zhah-rah-ah-seh]
e- partitive ‘such’
-ž- masculine dual agent, they (m) two
-araˀse- VR ‘to be cousins’
-h stative aspect
hǫrąˀseh They (masculine or mixed) are cousins.
[hon-rah-ah-seh]
hǫ- masculine plural agent, they (masculine or mixed)
-raˀse- verb root ‘to be cousins’
-h stative aspect
Exercise: Cousins.
We (inclusive plural) are cousins._______________________________________________
- We (exclusive plural) are cousins._______________________________________________
- You (plural) are cousins.__________________________________________________
- They two (feminine) are cousins._________________________________________________
- They (feminine plural) are cousins.__________________________________________
In-Laws
Opposite Sex Siblings-in-law: -ndaweˀt- (consonant conjugation; no singular forms)
ǫįndaweˀt We two are sister and brother-in-law.
[on-in-dah-weh-eht]
ǫį- 1st person dual patient, we two
-ndaweˀt verb root ‘to be opposite sex siblings-in-law + stative aspect
tsindaweˀt You two are sister and brother-in-law.
[tseen-dah-weh-eht]
tsi- 2nd person dual patient, you two
-ndaweˀt verb root ‘to be opposite sex siblings-in-law + stative aspect
Brothers-in-law -akyu– (no singular); a- conjugation
hǫkyuh They (p) are brothers-in-law, his brothers-in-law.
[hon-kyooh]
hǫ- masculine plural agent, they (m)
-(a)kyu– verb root ‘to be brothers-in-law
-h stative aspect
awakyuh We (x) are brothers-in-law, my brothers-in-law.
[ah-wah-kyooh]
aw- 1st person exclusive patient plural, we (x)
-akyu– verb root ‘to be brothers-in-law
-h stative aspect
skwakyuh You (p) are brothers-in-law, your brothers in law.
skw- 2nd person plural agent, you (p)
-akyu– verb root ‘to be brothers-in-law
-h stative aspect
To be sisters-in-law (female perspective): aže- to be sisters-in-law (no singular); a-conjugation
ažažeˀ we (x) two are sisters-in-law.
[ah-zha-zheh]
až- 1st person dual exclusive agent, we (x) two (excluding the listener)
-aže- verb root ‘to be sisters-in-law’
-ˀ stative aspect
awažeˀ We (x) plural are sisters-in-law .
[ah-wah-zheh]
aw- 1st person exclusive plural agent, we (x) plural (excluding the listener)
-aže- verb root ‘to be sisters-in-law’
-ˀ stative aspect
skwažeˀ You (p) are sisters-in-law.
[skwah-zheh]
skw- 2nd person plural agent, you (plural)
-aže- verb root ‘to be sisters-in-law’
-ˀ stative aspect
Exercise: Siblings-in-Law
Translate the following:
- You (plural) are sister(s) and brother(s)-in-law __________________________
- We (plural) are sister(s) and brother(s)-in law. __________________________
- They (m) (plural) are sister(s) and brother(s)-in-law. __________________________
- They two are brothers-in-law. __________________________
- We two are brothers-in-law. __________________________
- You two are sisters-in-law. __________________________
- You plural are sisters-in-law __________________________
Son-in-law: -nęmą- (consonant conjugation)
henęmąˀ He is my son-in-law.
[heh-nen-man[4]]
he- 1st person (s) agent + masculine (s) patient I have him
-nęmą- verb root ‘to have as son-in-law’
-ˀ stative aspect
hayenęmąˀ I am his son-in-law. He has me as son-in-law.
[ha-yeh-nen-man]
haye- masculine (s) agent + 1st person (s) patient, he has me
-nęmą- verb root ‘to have as son-in-law’
-ˀ stative aspect
hunęmąˀ He is his son-in-law. OR
[hoo-nen-man] He is her son-in-law.
hu- masculine (s) or feminine-zoic (s) agent + masculine (s) patient
he or she has him
-nęmą- verb root ‘to have as son-in-law’
-ˀ stative aspect
Daughter-in-Law: -skwa- (consonant conjugation)
ayeskwah She has me as daughter-in-law; my mother-in-law.
[ah-yeh-skwah]
aye- feminine-zoic (s) agent + 1st person (s) patient, she has me
-skwa- verb root ‘to have as daughter-in-law’
-h stative aspect
hayeskwah He has me as daughter-in-law; my father-in-law.
[hah-yeh-skwah]
haye- masculine (s) agent + 1st person (s) patient, he has me
-skwa- verb root ‘to have as daughter-in-law’
-h stative aspect
Exercise: Sons and Daughters-in-Law
Translate the Following
- hešenęmąˀ ___________________________________
- sǫmanęmąˀ ___________________________________
- šeskwah ___________________________________
- saskwah ___________________________________
Family
The Wyandotte word for ‘family’ also can mean ‘group’ or ‘crowd’, but the primary meaning relates to family. It is a noun stem, that is a noun derived from a verb root. It belongs to the yę-/i- conjugation, which with the patient as subject has the following forms:
ayikyuhkwaˀ my family
[ah-yee-kyooh-kwa]
ay- 1st person patient, my
-ikyu- verb root ‘to be a matrilineage, family’
-hkw- instrumental root suffix
-aˀ noun suffix
sękyuhkwaˀ your (singular) family
[sen-kyooh-kwah]
sę- 2nd person (s) patient, your
-ękyu- verb root ‘to be a matrilineage, family’
-hkw- instrumental root suffix
-aˀ noun suffix
ukyuhkwaˀ her family
[oo-kyoo-kwah]
u- feminine-zoic (s) patient, her
–kyu- verb root ‘to be a matrilineage, family’
-hkw- instrumental root suffix
-aˀ noun suffix
Exercise: Translate the following into Wyandot
- His family____________________________________________________
- Your (plural) family____________________________________________________
- Their (feminine) family____________________________________________________
- Their (masculine) family_____________________________________________
- Our family.___________________________________________________
Answers to Kinship Exercises
Exercises: Mother and Father
- She is his mother hunduˀmęh
- She is your (singular) mother. sanduˀmęh
- She is their (mixed) mother. hutinduˀmęh
- She is my adopted mother. anduˀmęˀahstih
- I am her adopted mother. yenduˀmęˀahstik
- She is your stepmother. sanduˀah
- Your (singular) father žaˀistęh
- Her father haˀistęh
- His step-father hunduˀah
- Our step-father. sǫmanduˀ
Exercise: Children
- I have them (feminine) as children as daughters. yayenyęˀah
- I have them (masculine or mixed) as children as sons or sons and daughter(s). hayenyęˀah
- You (singular) have them (feminine) as children, as daughters. yahšenyęˀah
- You (sing.) have them (masc. or mixed) as children, as sons (and daughter(s)) hahšenyęˀah
- I have him as child, my son. hinyęˀah
Exercise: Brothers and Sisters
- ayiatakę We two, exclusive are siblings.
- aywatakę We (more than two) , exclusive are siblings.
- yǫtakę They (feminine) are siblings.
- žatakę They (masculine or mixed dual) are siblings.
- hǫtakę They (masculine plural) are siblings.
Exercise: Older and Younger
- She is your younger sister. hšeyęˀaha
- He is your younger brother. hehšeyęˀaha
- He is my older brother. hayeyęˀaha
- She is my older sister. ayeyęˀaha
- He is your older brother. žayęˀaha
Exercise: Grandparents and Grandchildren
- She is grandparent to them (feminine). utihšutaˀa
- She is grandparent to them (masculine/mixed) hutihšutaˀa
- You have him as grandchild. hešatreˀa
- You have her as grandchild. šatreˀa
- She has him as grandchild. hutreˀa
Exercise: Aunts and Uncles, Nieces and Nephews
- She is his aunt. huhrahak
- He is her uncle. hatęnǫrǫˀ
- He is our uncle. sǫmatęnǫrǫˀ
- She has her as niece. amęwatęˀa
- You have her as niece. šiwatęˀa
Exercise: Cousins.
1) We (inclusive plural) are cousins. kwaraˀseh
2) We (exclusive plural) are cousins aywaraˀseh
3) You (plural) are cousins. skwaraˀseh
4) They two (feminine) are cousins. yiraˀseh
5) They (feminine plural) are cousins. yǫraˀseh
Exercise: Siblings-in-Law
- You (plural) are sister(s) and brother(s)-in-law skwandawet
- We (plural) are sister(s) and brother(s)-in law. ǫmandawet
- They (m) (plural) are sister(s) and brother(s)-in-law. hutindawet
- They two are brothers-in-law. žakyu
- We two are brothers-in-law. ažakyu
- You two are sisters-in-law. tsažeˀ
- You plural are sisters-in-law skwažeˀ
Exercise: Translate the following
- His family hukyuhkwaˀ
- Your (plural) family skwękyuhkwaˀ
- Their (feminine) family ǫdikyuhkwaˀ
- Their (masculine or mixed) family hǫdikyuhkwaˀ
- Our family. omękyuhkwaˀ
Conjugations and their Pronominal Prefixes
At the end of this lesson there is a listing of some of the combinations of the agents (usually the subject) and patients (usually the object but sometimes the subject) of the conjugations used for kinship terms
Pronominal Prefixes
Consonant Conjugation
Form Agent Patient Translation
ye- [yeh] 1A FZP I to her
he- [heh] 1A MP I to him
yaye- [yah-yeh] 1A FZpP I to them (feminine)
haye- [hah-yeh-] 1A MpP I to them (masculine or mixed)
yǫ- [yon] 1A 2P I to you (singular)
hše- [sheh] 2A FZP you (singular) to her
hehše- [heh-sheh] 2A MP you (singular) to him
yahše- [yah-sheh] 2A FZpP you (singular) to them (feminine)
hahše- [hah-sheh] 2A MpP you (sing.) to them (masc. or mixed)
a(ye)- [ah(yeh)] FZA 1P she to me
sa [sah] FZA 2P she to you (singular)
u- [ooh] FZA FZP she to her
hu- [hooh] FZA MP she to him
ǫma- [on-mah] FZA 1pP she to us
skwa- [skwah] FZA 2pP she to you (plural)
uti- [ooh-tee] FZA FZpP she to them (female)
huti- [hoo-tee] FZA MpP she to them (all male or mixed)
ha(ye)- [hah-yeh] MA 1P he to me
sǫma- [son-mah] MA 1pP he to us
ža- [zhah] MA 2P he to you (singular)
heskwa- [heh-skwah] MA 2pP he to you (plural)
ha- [hah] MA FZP he to her
hu- [hoo] MA MP he to him
hayǫm- [hah-yonm] MA FZpP he to them (feminine)
FZA MpP she to them (masculine)
MA MpP she to them (masculine)
Pronominal Prefixes: A-Conjugation
Form Agent Patient Translation
y- 1A FZP I have/to her
h- 1A MP I have/to him
š- 2A FZP you have/to her
heš- [hehsh] 2A MP you have/to him
u-* [oo] FZA FZP she has/to her
h- MA FZP he has/to her
hu-* [hoo] FZA MP she has/to him
hu-* [hoo] MA MP he has/to him
ky- 1ndA — we two (inclusive, including the listener)
kw- 1npA — we plural (inclusive, including listeners)
až- [ah-zh] 1xdA — we two (exclusive, excluding listener)
aw- 1xpA — we plural (exclusive, excluding listener(s))
ts- 2dA — you two
skw- 2pA — you plural
yi- [yee] FZdA — they (feminine dual)
yǫ- [yon] FZpA — they (feminine plural)
ž- [zh] MdA — they (masculine or mixed dual)
hǫ- [hon] MpA — they (masculine or mixed plural)
*The -u- replaces the -a-
yę- / i- conjugation
Form Agent Patient Translation
yi- [yee] 1A FZP I to her
ayi [ah-yee] — 1P my
ǫmę- [on-men[5]] —- 1pP our
hi- [hee] 1A MP I to him
ši- [shee] 2A FZP you to her
heši- [heh-shee] 2A MP you (singular) to him
sę- [sen] — 2P your (singular)
skwę- [skwen] — 2pP your (plural)
amę-* [ah-men] FZA FZP She to her
u- [oo] — FZP her (-u- replaces -i-/yę-)
hę- [hen] MA FZP he to her
ǫdi- [on-dee] — FZpP their (f)
hamę-* [hah-men] FZA MP she to him
hu- [hoo] — MP him (-hu- replaces –i-/yę)
hu- [hoo] MA MP he to him
hǫdi- [hon-dee] — MpP their (m)
*This is not the usual pronominal prefix for this conjugation.
[1] The masculine plural group can be composed entirely of males, or males and females.
[2] The toad traditionally received this name as she was the one to bring earth and seeds to the people.
[3] The -a- at the end may be a diminutive.
[4] The -an- here is not pronounced like the English word ‘man’, but like the –an- in ‘debuante’
[5] The -en- here is a nasal vowel, and does not sound like the -en- in ‘men’ more like the -en in ‘entrance’.