Lakota demonstratives

[voorhis at mb.sympatico.ca]

ROOD DAVID S wrote:
>
> I think Connie has put his finger on the source of the "problem" here --
> there is simply far less reason to use "ka" in narrative than to use the
> others.

> ....  I would blame the frequency discrepancy on discourse pragmatics
> rather than any kind of breakdown in the system.

For what it's worth, local (= southern Manitoba) Dakota speakers (not
Lakota) have told me that "ka" is always accompanied by pointing, so
that it now seems to mean not so much 'that far away' as 'look, that one
I'm pointing at'.  Such a usage would certainly preclude its appearance
in narratives except in quotations.  This would seem to be a change in
the system, rather than a breakdown.  Has anyone encountered this
elsewhere?

Paul