?uN as AUX V.

[Rankin, Robert L]

Hard to say, isn't it?  I also remember a few cases at least where Dakota
had a nasal -aN at the end of certain verbs, but I think other subgroups had
an oral vowel there.  In these instances I'm wordering if we're dealing with
a lexicalized reflex of -?uN that reduced to -aN when unaccented and
affixed.  This is why I said I thought this was a dissertation topic!  The
syntax/morphotactics of some of these vowels may give clues....

Bob

>There is an "a" that occurs in Crow between a main verb and a conjoined
continuative auxiliary, e.g.: huu-a-lawi'-k
       come-A-continue-DECL
       'he kept coming, he was coming along'

It also shows up in Hidatsa, and Mandan has a ha: 'simultaneous'.  Could
these be related to uN?  It's hard to know when you are dealing with such
short morphemes.

Randy