Optative
The optative is a modal (like the future or the factual), meaning that it takes the punctual aspect. It means ‘would’ or ‘should.’ The optative sounds very much like the factual, only the initial a- is somewhat longer. In Jesuit Father Pierre Potier’s writing in the 1740s, he used -â- to represent the vowel (as opposed to using just -a- for the factual. It is difficult to see in the writing in the Narratives whether the optative is used. This is one of only four examples in all of the Narratives in which the greater vowel length is clearly shown by using -aa-.
aarendiˀ He would pass.
[aah-ren-dee-ee]
aa- optative
-r- masculine singular agent – he
-endi- verb root – to pass
-ˀ punctual aspect
ąn tawatǫˀ d aarendiˀ nęh awatenyǫrǫˀ
not it is not possible the he would pass now my uncle
“It is not possible that my uncle would pass.”
A clear example in which we definitely have the optative, but the Narratives only have an -a- is with the verb root -yę- ‘to be’, which uses the optative, but not the factual. Potier writes the word as â,enk (Potier 1920:30).
ayęh It would be.
[aah-yenh]
a- optative
-yę- verb root – to be
-h punctual aspect
Use with the Repetitive
Like with the factual, when it is used with the repetitive prefix, the optative appears twice in one word, before and after the repetitive. In Potier’s writing of the 18th century, the optative and repetitive part would be -âonsa- as opposed to the -onsa- used with the factual. In only one of the 12 times in which this combination appears in the Narratives is there a form that matches Potier’s. None of the five instances of the dualic and the optative, which have a similar doubling of the optative, have this Potier’s reported form. There are no instances of the optative appearing with the cislocative, in which the same doubling of the prefixes is involved.
aǫhsanyǫkyeraˀtaˀ One would still be caused to do it.
[ah-on-hsan-yon-kyeh-rah-ah-tah-ah]
aǫ- optative
-s- repetitive
-any- optative
-ǫ- Indefinite agent – they (ind)
-ky- semi-reflexive voice
-era- verb root – to do
-ˀt- causative root suffix
-aˀ punctual aspect
ąh tawatǫˀ daeˀ d aǫhsanyǫkyeraˀtaˀ tuh
not it is not possible that the one would still be caused to do it there
aˀšaˀ daeˀ ǫngya[n]diˀ n aǫmąˀtakyaˀtayetęh
at a time that it is good the we would carry ourselves, support ourselves
n ǫmąˀdeˀ n ǫmaˀtiˀ
the at this time the a long time ago
It is not possible that one would use that which was good, when we supported ourselves a long time ago.
usahšarahskwah You (s) would leave again.
[oo-saah-shah-rah-skwah]
u- optative
-s- repetitive
-ah- optative
-š- 2nd person singular agent – you (s)
-arahskwa- verb root – to leave
-h punctual aspect
ahęhąǫˀ dae nǫh yawastih d usahšarahskwah
he said that maybe it is good the you should leave again
d istęˀą tahǫmae[n]daǫ ˀ ahǫmąrendarahahs ahayaręngyaˀ
if not when they (m) would not seize him they would trap him He would get away
He said, “If they would not seize him, trapping him, he would get away.“
It is often used when a wish is expressed:
ahažaˀturęhąˀ He would find me.
[aah-hah-zhah-ah-too-ren-han-an]
a- optative
-haž- masculine singular agent + 1st person singular patient – he – me
-aˀt- noun root – body
-ure- verb root – to find
-hą- inchoative root suffix
-ˀ punctual aspect
awehǫˀ ahažaˀturęhąˀ de ˀižaˀaha
she wished he would find me who one (is) a child