Quapaw potential mode.

R. Rankin r.rankin at latrobe.edu.au
Tue Jun 20 00:45:37 UTC 2000


wie    naN-hi         aN-o-   ki-      ttoN-we   tta-i-tte-   naN,
1sg alone-EMP  1PAT-in-BEN-depend-PL POT-?-POT-as
Me alone just me      they depend       would     as
Since they would be depending on just me alone,

 wi-tteke o-a-ki-we-bda-bda a-b-di$taN.
 my-mo.bro in-1AGT-BEN-INDF-1AGT-work-1AGT-work on-AGT-stop
 my mother’s brother  I  work-work  I  ceased
 I stopped working for my (maternal) uncle.

The exact structure and meaning of the compounded potential particles,
tta-í-tte is unclear, unless maybe the second -tte is perhaps -the, your
'evidential'.  For Dorsey, the meaning resulted in the meaning ‘would’.
Even a single instance of POTENTIAL ASPECT used in this past scenario
yields ‘would’ as the best English translation, since reference is to
the future in the past.  (see next eg.)

The next sentence occurs earlier in the same autobiography.

koíçôttà wittéke wákiwébdabdá tte.
at that point in time, my mother’s brother  I for him work-work would
At that point in time I would go to work for my (maternal) uncle.

POTENTIAL MODE used in this past scenario yields ‘would’ as the best
English translation, since reference is to the future in the past.



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