Omaha-Ponca bi vs. i with "egaN"

[rlarson at unlnotes01.unl.edu]

> John:
> JOD 1890:17.3

> We'ahide=xti= atta  hi       uxdha'=bi           egaN',
> far away very at it arriving [they] overtook him having

> t?e'=adha=bi=     ama.
> [they] killed him they say

> Having overtaken him at a very distant location, they killed him.

This is a narrative statement.  The thing stated cannot be
directly attested by the narrator.  Hence, both the main clause
and the subordinate clause are marked with -bi.


> JOD 1890:40.9-10

> E'gidhe         z^e'=adi=gdhaN ppe'z^i gdhi'za=bi                 e'gaN,
> it came to pass loincloth      bad     he took his own "they say" having

> we'za=            hnaN adha=bi=ama
> to give the alarm only he went they say

> Then, having grabbed up his vile loincloth, he just went to given the
> alarm.

This is another narrative statement from a myth.  Again, both
clauses are marked with -bi, because the narrator cannot claim
positive knowledge of what he is saying.


> JOD 1890:23.4

> a'=b egaN
> 'he said "they say" having'

This, again, will be part of the narrative of a myth.  Hence,
we find the -bi (==> b) disclaimer as usual.


> JOD 1890:17.9

> "Ga'=ama naghi'de=dhiN'ga=i   e'=gaN e'=di dha'=z^i=a   he" ehe'=  dhaN
>  those   they are disobedient as     there go not   IMP DEC I said PAST

> s^aN' s^i      e'=gaN c^?e'=dhidha=i.
> yet   you went as     they killed you

> 'Those folks are disobedient, so don't go to them!' I said, yet you went,
> so they killed you.

This is a dialogue statement.  The Rabbit's grandmother claims
positive knowledge that those folks are disobedient, and that
"you" (the Rabbit) went.  Hence, these clauses are not marked
with the suppositional particle -bi.  The third person clauses
are marked with the "factual" declarative -i.


> Dorsey 1890:15:7-9

> AN'haN -- negi'ha -- wa?u'z^iNga aka' -- dhine'gi -- Wasa'be --
> dhiNkhe'=tta -- maN'dhiN=a he -- ai' e'gaN -- aN'husa=i egaN' --
> phi ha,...

> Yes -- o mother's brother -- old woman the -- your mother's brother --
> Blackbear -- the-to -- walk thou -- she said having -- she scolded me
> having -- I've come DEC

This is another dialogue statement.  The Rabbit claims to know
from personal experience that the old woman told him to go to
his mother's brother, and that she scolded him.  The third person
clauses preceding both of these egaNs ends in the factual
declarative particle -i, rather than the suppositional -bi which
would be used if the narrator were to make these claims directly.


As I've noted before, there is a substantial minority of cases
where third-person narrative clauses fail to be marked with -bi,
but I think the examples you have given illustrate the rule.
As you do your analysis, I would strongly urge you to divide the
narrative statements from the dialogue statements into separate
piles, and keep a tally of which ones use -bi and which use -i
or neither before the conjunction egaN.  I think you will find
that most narrative statements use -bi, and that virtually all
dialogue statements do not.  Next, you might want to try the
same test with the conjunction ki; I think you will get the same
result.


Rory