The Verbs ‘to see’ -yę- and ‘to look’ in Wyandot
ahuyęˀ She saw him.
[ah-hoo-yen-en]
a- factual
-hu- feminine-zoic singular agent + masculine singular patient ‘she-him’
-yę- verb root ‘to see’
-ˀ punctual aspect
kwayęhs We (n) see it often, frequently, regularly
[kwah-yenhs]
kwa- 1st person inclusive plural ‘we (n)’
-yę- verb root ‘to see’
-hs habitual aspect, ‘often, frequently, regularly
tetsikyatateyęˀ We two will see each other again.
[teh-tsee-kyah-tah-teh-yen-en]
t- dualic
-e- future
-tsi- repetitive
-ky- 1st person inclusive dual agent ‘we two (n)’
-atate- reflexive ‘each other’
-yę- verb root ‘to see’
-ˀ punctual aspect
tetsikwatateyęˀ We (plural) will see each other again
[teh-tsee-kwah-tah-tey-yen-en]
t- dualic
-e- future
-tsi- repetitive
-kw- 1st person inclusive plural agent ‘we plural (n)’
-atate- reflexive ‘each other’
-yę- verb root ‘to see’
-ˀ punctual aspect
To Look At: -akahta[1]–
sahakahtaˀndah Again he went to look at, visit it.
[sah-hah-kah-tah-an-dah]
s- repetitive
-a- factual
-h- masculine singular agent ‘he’
-akahta- verb root ‘to look at’
-ˀnd- dislocative root suffix
-ah punctual aspect
tsakahtaˀndah You two go look at it.
[tsah-kah-tah-an-dah]
ts- imperative + 2nd person dual agent ‘you two’
-ak- semi-reflexive voice
-ahta- verb root ‘to look at’
-ˀnd- dislocative root suffix
-ah imperative aspect
To Look At –yandra-[2]
tehuyandraˀ He looks at him.
[teh-hoo-yan-drah-ah]
te- dualic
-hu- masculine singular agent + masculine singular patient ‘he-him’
-yandra- verb root ‘to look at’
-ˀ stative aspect
tanyǫyeyandrah Somebody is looking at me.
[tan-yon-ye-yan-drah]
t- dualic
-anyǫye- indefinite agent + 1st person singular patient ‘one-me’
-yandra- verb root ‘to look at’
-h stative aspect
[1] The Wendat form differs in being –akahkw- (Potier 1920:164), which may exist in Wyandot as well..
[2] This appears to differ from the other verb meaning ‘to look at’ in that it uses the dualic prefix and clearly specifies in the patient of the pronominal prefix what is being looked at.