Help please

Michael Mccafferty mmccaffe at INDIANA.EDU
Wed Jun 30 12:23:21 UTC 2004


Yes, basically. What is interesting about verbal -ni and its evolutionary
product nounal -ni (I just couldn't help tossing in the Andrewsian term
"nounal"! :) is that you'll find both alive and well in the texts. In
other words -ni words behave like nouns sometimes and like verbs
sometimes.

Michael


On Tue, 29 Jun 2004, Richley Crapo wrote:

> Is that -ni ("customary tense") equivalent to a noun formative suffix?
> Richley
>
> >>> schwallr at mrs.umn.edu 06/29/04 13:22 PM >>>
> At 01:50 PM 6/29/2004, you wrote:
> >Actually, tecuani literally means "one who eats people", and is more
> >generically translated as beast. So, an ocelotl can be considered a
> >tecuani, but a tecuani is not necessarily always an ocelotl.
>
>
> The other important thing is that while "tecuani" functions as a noun for
> us, it is technically the customary form of the verb.  Taken apart it is
> "te:-cua:-ni"
> "te:" direct object - someone
> "cua:" verb stem - eat
> "ni" customary tense
>
> "he/she/it customarily eats someone (i.e. people)
>
>
>
>
>
> John F. Schwaller
> Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean
> 315 Behmler Hall
> University of Minnesota, Morris
> 600 E 4th Street
> Morris, MN  56267
> 320-589-6015
> FAX 320-589-6399
> schwallr at mrs.umn.edu
>
>
>

"...and cicadas sing
a rare and different tune..."

R. Hunter



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