dhaN 'past' in OP

[Koontz John E]

I've been looking at =dhaN glossed "past" or "in the past" in the Dorsey
texts.  I'd say that it can be glossed something like "used to," though
this is not really in the glosses Dorsey offers.  He always says "in the
past" or just "(past)."

So far I've noticed about three contetxs, though there are probably more.

1) Applied to a main verb, where "used to" or "it used to be that" seems
   to work best.


"... e'=di dha'=zhi=a he," ehe' dhaN', s^aN' s^i'              e'gaN, ...
     there dont't go  DEC  I said PAST yet   you arrived there having

     Don't go there, I [used to] say, and just as soon as you got there
     ...

1890:17.9

"Ppahe'=wadhahuni    ujna'=      khe= dhaN t?e'=adhe,"  a'=bi=  ama
 Hill   he eats them you told it CONT PAST I killed him he said QUOT

I have killed (the) Devouring Hill that you [used to] tell of," he said.

1890:28.17

"Mm!  S^e' c^?e'=dhe u'daN=akh=ama=dhaN.

 Mm!  It [used to] be a good thing [difficult?] to kill that [kind].

 E=a'c^haN=xc^i c^?e'=wadhadhe=c^c^e=iNthe," a'=bi=ama
 how       very you kill them  IRR   PERHAPS she said

 However does one kill them?" she said

1890:28.17-18

2) applied to a noun, where the idea is something like "which formerly" or
   "the former."

"NaN'ppa=hi=      ge= dhaN wiN iN'dhiNgi=ga,"            a=bi=ama
 chokecherry bush the PAST one come back with one for me he said

"Get me one of the chokecherry bushes about [like you used to]," he said.

Preceding sentence:  walk to seek medicine for me

1890:36.15

WakkaN'dagi=  khe=dhaN wi' t?e'=adhe," a'=bi=ama
water monster the PAST I   I killed him he said

"It's I who killed the water monster [that there used to be]," he said

1890:112:20


3) With a subordinate verb, producing with a sense like "when formerly,"
   or "it used to be that."

"Ni'as^iNga=ama e'=di hi'=       hnaN=dhaN=di,
 Person     the there he arrived only PAST LOC

 w[a]a'dhahuni=hnaN=i he,?" a'=bi=ama.
 he ate them   only   DEC   she said

"[It used to be that] if a person just showed up he'd just eat them," she
said.

Note that in this last sentence Dorsey glosses =hnaN (modern =naN) as
'only' and elaborates by explaining 'only arrived' as 'arrived (as a
rule)'.  English 'just' seems a good rendition.

1890:32.3-4

JEK