Wyandot Verb and Noun Roots for Love and Marriage
Words that are bolded are on the recording.
Verb Roots
To Marry -ngya-
hungyayih He is married
[hoon-gyah-yeeh]
hu- masculine singular patient ‘he’
-ngya- verb root ‘to marry’
-yi stative aspect
ungyayih She is married
[hoon-gyah-yeeh]
u- feminine-zoic singular patient ‘he’
-ngya- verb root ‘to marry’
-yi stative aspect
ungyahšre She is going to get married.
[oon-gyah-shreh]
u- feminine-zoic singular patient ‘she’
-ngya– verb root ‘to marry’
-hšr- dislocative root suffix
-e purposive aspect
ehutingyakaˀ They (m)[1] will go get married.
[eh-hoo-tin-gyah-kah]
e- future prefix
-huti- masculine or mixed plural[2] patient ‘they (m)’
-ngya- verb root ‘to marry
-kaˀ punctual aspect
To be spouses[3]: -atęnǫh-
kyatęnǫha We two (inclusive) are spouses (addressing your spouse).
[kyah-ten-non-hah]
ky- 1st person inclusive dual ‘we two’
–atęnǫh- verb root ‘to be spouses’
-a stative aspect
ažatęnǫha We two (exclusive) are spouses.
[ah-zhah-ten-non-hah]
až- 1st person exclusive dual ‘we two’
–atęnǫh- verb root ‘to be spouses’
-a stative aspect
hiatęnǫha They two (masculine or mixed) are spouses.
[hyah-ten-non-hah]
hi- masculine dual agent ‘they two’
–atęnǫh- verb root ‘to be spouses’
-a stative aspect
To be together, to be spouses -we-
hiweyh They two (m) are together, spouses, his spouse, her spouse.
[hee-weh-yh]
hi- masculine/mixed dual agent, ‘they two’
-we- verb root ‘to be together’
-yh stative aspect
tsiweyh You two are together, spouses.
[tsee-weh-yh]
tsi- 2nd person dual agent, ‘you two’
-we- verb root ‘to be together’
-yh stative aspect
aiweyh We two (exclusive)[4] are together, spouses.
[ah-ee-weh-yh]
ai- 1st person exclusive dual ‘we two’
-we– verb root ‘to be together’
-yh stative aspect
To be a spouse to: –ǫd-
hǫda He to her is spouse; his spouse, her spouse.[5]
[hon-dah]
h- masculine singular agent + feminine-zoic singular patient ‘he to her’
–ǫd- verb root ‘to be spouse to’
-a stative aspect
Noun Root: sex, marriage: -ndahkw–
yandahkwaˀ sex, marriage
[yan-dah-kwah-ah]
ya- feminine-zoic singular agent ‘it’
-ndahkw- noun root ‘sex, marriage’
-aˀ noun suffix
teˀyandahkwaterih She has not known, experienced sex; is a virgin
[teh-eh-yan-dah-kwah-teh-reeh]
teˀ- negative prefix
-ya- feminine-zoic singular agent ’she‘
-ndakw- noun root ’sex, marriage‘
-a- ` noun suffix
-teri- verb root ’to experience, know‘
-h stative aspect
To love: -ndurǫ- ‘to be valuable’ + -kw- instrumental root suffix
yǫndurǫhkwaˀ You are valued by me. I love you.
[yon-doo-ronh-kwah-ah]
yǫ- 1st person singular agent + 2nd person singular patient ’I to you‘
–ndurǫ– verb root ‘to be valuable’
-kw- instrumental root suffix
-aˀ habitual aspect
hiandurǫhkwaˀ You are valued by him. He loves you
[hyan-doo-ronh-kwah-ah]
hi- masculine singular agent + 2nd person singular patient ‘he-you’
–ndurǫ– verb root ‘to be valuable’
-kw- instrumental root suffix
-aˀ habitual aspect
hesandurǫhkwaˀ You are valued by her. She loves you
[heh-san-doo-ronh-kwa]
hesa- feminine-zoic singular agent + 2nd person singular patient ‘she-you’
–ndurǫ– verb root ‘to be valuable’
-kw- instrumental root suffix
-aˀ habitual aspect
[1]The masculine plural can refer to a group of mixed gender, and there is no dual form for the masculine as patient.
[2] There is no dual patient form, so the plural form is used both for dual and plural.
[3] There is no singular form of this verb.
[4] Judging from the Narratives, the verb root with this meaning does not take the first person inclusive.
[5] This appears to be the only form this verb root takes.