The Three Verbs ‘To Say’
There are three verb roots that mean ‘to say’. Each one belongs to a different conjugation (determined by the form the pronominal prefixes take). Which one you use depends on what aspect the verb takes. All forms of the verb only take a subject expressed through an agent. Or patient. And they do not incorporate any nouns. They are simple verbs.
Verb Root: -(y)ęhąǫ- or -ihǫ-
Conjugation i-/yę
Aspects: punctual and imperative
Subject agent
Punctual
Factual Modal
aˀihǫˀ I said. I just said.
[ah-ah-ee-hon-on]
aˀ- factual
-ihǫ- 1st person agent ‘I’ + verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
ahšihǫˀ You (s) said. You just said.
[ah-shee-hon-on]
a- factual
-hš- 2nd person singular agent ‘you’
-ihǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
aˀyęhąǫˀ She just said.
[ah-ah-yen-hah-on-on]
aˀ- factual
-yęhąǫ- feminine-zoic singular agent ‘she’ + verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
aˀyęhąǫˀ aˀseh She just said, “Go, go away”
[ah-ah-seh]
aˀseh Go away
aˀ- translocative
-s- imperative + 2nd person singular agent ‘you’
-e- verb root ‘to go’
-h imperative aspect
ahęhąǫˀ He said. He just said.
[ah-en-han-on-on]
- factual
-h- masculine singular agent ‘he’
-ęhąǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
aˀkwęhąǫˀ We (inc) said, just said. [talking to someone who said the same thing]
[ah-ah-kwen-han-on-on]
aˀ- factual
-kw- 1st person inclusive plural agent ‘we (n)’
-ęhąǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
aˀamęhąǫˀ We (x) said [talking to a person who was not talking]
[ah-ah-ah-men-han-on-on]
aˀ- factual
-am- 1st person exclusive plural agent ‘we (x)’
-ęhąǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
aˀskwęhąǫˀ You (pl) said
[ah-ah-skwen-han-on-on]
aˀ- factual
-skw- 2nd person plural agent ‘you (p)
-ęhąǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
aˀmęˀndihǫˀ They (f) said.
[ah-ah-men-en-dee-on-on ]
aˀ- factual
-męˀnd- feminine-zoic plural agent ‘they (f)’
-ihǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
ahendihǫˀ They (m) said.
[ah-hen-dee-hon-on]
t- factual
-hend- masculine plural agent ‘they (m)’
-ihǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
aˀayęhąǫˀ One or they (indefinite i.e.., ‘people’) said
[ah-ah-ah-yen-han-on-on]
aˀ- factual
-ay- indefinite agent ‘they or one’
-ęhąǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ punctual aspect
Future
eyihǫˀ I will say
[eh-yee-hon-on]
ehšihǫˀ You (s) will say.
[eh-shee-hon-on]
eyęhąǫˀ She will say
[eh-yen-han-on-on]
ehęhąǫˀ He will say
[eh-hen-han-on-on]
ekwęhąǫˀ We (n) will say (including the listener(s)).
[eh-kwen-han-on-on]
eawęhąǫˀ We (x) will say.
[eh-ah-weh-han-on-on]
emęndihǫˀ They will say.
[eh-men-dee-hon-on]
ehęndihǫˀ They (m) will say.
[eh-hen-dee-hon-on]
eayęhąǫˀ One (ind) will say, they (indefinite) will say.
[eh-yen-han-on-on]
Imperative
tsihǫˀ Say it (speaking to one person)
[tsee-hon-on]
ts- imperative + 2nd person singular agent ‘you (s)’
-ihǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ imperative aspect
stihǫˀ Say it (speaking to a group of people)
[stee-hon-on]
st- imperative + 2nd person plural agent ‘you (plural)’
-ihǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-ˀ imperative aspect
Verb Root: -atǫ-
Conjugation: a-
Aspects: habitual and purposive
Subject agent
Habitual
iyatǫh I say (often)
[ee-yah-tonh]
i- partitive ‘such’
y- 1st person singular agent ‘I’
-atǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-h habitual aspect
išatǫh You (s) say (often)
[ee-shah-tonh]
i- partitive ‘such’
š- 2nd person singular agent ‘you (singular)
-atǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-h habitual aspect
iwatǫh She says (often).
[ee-wah-tonh]
ihatǫh He says (often).
[ee-hah-tonh]
ikwatǫh We (including the listener) say (often).
[ee-kwah-tonh]
awatǫh We (excluding the listener) say (often).
[ah-wah-tonh]
iskwatǫh You (plural) say.
iyǫtǫh They (f) say.
[ee-yon-tonh]
Purposive
yatǫdeˀ I am going to say.
[yah-ton-deh-eh]
y- 1st person singular ‘I’
-atǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-deˀ dislocative root suffix + purposive aspect
šatǫdeˀ You (s) are going to say.
[shah-ton-deh-eh]
š- 2nd person singular agent ‘you (s)
-atǫ- verb root ‘to say’
-deˀ dislocative root suffix + purposive aspect
atǫdeˀ She is going to say.
[ah-ton-deh-eh]
hatǫdeˀ He is going to say.
[hah-ton-deh-eh]
kwatǫdeˀ We (including listener(s)) are going to say.
[kwah-ton-deh-eh]
awatǫdeˀ We (excluding listener(s)) are going to say.
[ah-wah-ton-deh-eh]
skwatǫdeˀ You (plural) are going to say.
[skwah-ton-deh-eh]
yǫtǫdeˀ They (feminine) are going to say.
[yon-ton-deh-eh]
ǫtǫdeˀ They (ind) are, someone is going to say.
[on-ton-deh-eh]
Verb Root: -ę- (e- conjugation): stative aspect
Conjugation : e-
Aspect stative
Subject patient
iwayęh I am saying, I have said.
[ee-wah-yenh]
iw- partitive ‘such’
-ay- 1st person singular patient ‘I’
-ę- verb root ‘to say’
-h stative aspect
isęh You (s) are saying, have said.
[ee-senh]
i- partitive ‘such’
-s- 2nd person singular patient ‘you (s)’
-ę- verb root ‘to say’
-h stative aspect
iyamęh She is saying, has said.
[ee-yah-menh]
iy- partitive ‘such’
-am- feminine-zoic singular patient ‘she’
-ę- verb root ‘to say’
-h stative aspect
teˀamęh She did not say.
[teh-eh-menh]
teˀ- negative
-am- feminine-zoic patient ‘she’
-ę- verb root ‘to say’
-h- stative aspect
ihamęh He is saying, has said.
[ee-hah-menh]
i- partitive ‘such’
-ham- masculine singular patient ‘he’
-ę- verb root ‘to say’
-h stative aspect
tehamęh He is not saying; he did not say.
[teh-hah-menh]
te- negative
-ham- masculine singular patient ‘he’
-ę- verb root ‘to say’
-h stative aspect
iǫmęh We are saying, have said.
[ee-on-menh]
iskwęh You (p) are saying, have said.
[ee-skwenh]
iyǫnęh They (f) are saying, have said.
[ee-yon-neh]
ihǫnęh They (m) are saying, have said.
[ee-hon-nenh]
ižayęh Someone is saying, has said
[ee-zhah-yenh]