Two object pronouns in a transitive verb

Koontz John E John.Koontz at colorado.edu
Wed Mar 1 07:04:40 UTC 2000


 On Tue, 29 Feb 2000, Koontz John E wrote:

> On Tue, 29 Feb 2000, SOUP wrote:
> > Considering that kahi' is a verb requiring three participants this use of
> > pronouns seems quite logical.
>
> Thinking further, I seem to recall that kahi is an example of a comitative
> structure used in Dakotan, involving prefixing k- to a verb of motion,
> like ahi.

Yes.  See Boas & Deloria 1941:94-95.  This is the 'something to someone'
form for ahi.  It seems that it may be the only form attested for the ahi
stem.  B&D specify the inflection as "like 1" and 1 has (for the
'something to someone' form of au):  kau', waka'u, maya'kau.  I interpret
these as representative first person forms.

Of ahi, etc., B&D say 'the verbs of going, cming and arriving with the
prefix ?a- express to go, come, arrive carrying; also collective, to go,
come, arrive ina group, evidently with the same meaning of bringing others
along; ...' (94).

There is nothing further on this, e.g., on possible forms with two
explicit objects.  Note, however, that most'something to someone' forms
that I'm aware of in Siouan languages require that 'something' be
expressed by nothing or, perhaps, wa- or an analog, with third person
reference.

However, I cannot guarantee that Dakotan (or some Dakotan dialects) might
not be an exception.  Handling of various irregular datives is one area
where even close dialects of Dakotan reputedly differ, or so I believe
David Rood once told me.

On the other hand, I've always been warned to be careful of accepting
forms in religious tranlations (i.e., the main ones extant) from English
(or Greek and Hebrew, as in the case of the Santee bible) into the various
Siouan languages, for precisley this reason:  unwitting use of Anglicisms
(or whatever) by well meaning translators.

Note that David Rood, who might have an opinion on this, is away, and not
receiving email at the moment.  So is Robert Rankin, though he's usually
diffident about Dakotan.  The rest of you, notably the Dakotanists, are
all very quiet.

It's interesting that the dative prefix precedes the locative a in these
forms.  Something similar happens with the suus prefix and adhiN 'to have'
in Dhegiha and Chiwere (there, an^iN).



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