Obviative/Proximate and the Omaha verb system

[Koontz John E]

On Fri, 31 Aug 2001, Wablenica wrote:
> Here are some -AN verbs with nasal -a that cannot be explained with
> "nasalization spread":

And, of course, nasalization spread could fairly be argued to have had a
crucial part in producing AN.

> -hAN, to stand (and numerous compounds)

This one may be related to the OP thaN 'the (standing)' animate obviative
article (inflected like the other animate obviative articles), which seems
in some what to be paired with the OP the 'the (upright)' inanmiate
article (not inflected).

(Note that usually *th => h in Dakotan.)

The interesting thing about the inflection of thaN, as Bob Rankin has
recently noted, is that it pairs with a stem *he in the first and second
persons:  a-thaN=he, dha-thaN=s^e.  Although there's no sign of =he in the
third person in OP, one could imagine *thaN=he contracting to *the.

> yukxAN,  to exist (for)

There's a thaN 'have; be plentiful at' stem in OP.

> Plus -mA(N)/-be verbs
> -mAN, 1) brood, hatch; -> -me (L.), -be (D.)
> 	2) file, rub, grind
> is^tiNmA, to sleep.
> naxmA, to conceal
> mimA, circular
> s^mA, deep

At the moment I don't recognize these as having cognates.

> I have a question: all e-ablaut-triggers begin with (7)e-, k-, s-, or
> s^-, with occasional l- (diminutive la). What are the generalizations?

I'm not sure I see one.  In OP e is the default, as indicated, and a is
conditioned by =(b)i, =z^i (zhi), =ga ~ =a in verbs, and by =di, =tta in
nouns.  Common verbal enclitics that don't condition a are =tte (cf.
Dakotan =kte), =xti, =(s^ ~ h ~ 0)na, =s^te.