Tense

[Henning Garvin]

I have a small question that regards tense in Ho-Chunk and Siouan in
general.  Most of the literature that I have gone through (and I could have
somehow missed it) doesn’t give tense a very strong treatment.
What I have seen is that Ho-Chunk seems to make a future - non-future
distinction based on the suffix
-kjene or the intentive -kje.

Most often, the 3Pl subject form -ire (or -hire) is given to indicate the
subject.  However, in getting forms this actually is the past tense.

Jagu aire?
Jagu e-ire?
What say-3Pl?
What did they say?

Jagu anaaNk?
Jagu e-naaNk?
What say-3Pl?
What are they saying?

I think Miner is the only one that correctly lists these forms.  Yet there
is no extensive treatment of tense in his work.  This seems to be the only
form that indicates something took place in the past rather than not in the
future.
Past can be indicated through the absence of the positional in other cases.

waNk  naNka naNwaNnaNks^aNnaN.

waNk  naNka  naNwaN-naNk-s^aNaN.

man   that (sit) sing-POS (sit)-Declarative

That man is singing (seated).

waNk naNka naNwaNnaN.

waNk naNka naNwaN- naN

man that (sit) sing- Declarative.

That man sang.

In the above forms the demonstrative can be replaced with the indefenite
article -iz^aN or the defenite article -ra with the same effect.

My question is if you all think there is more to tense in Ho-Chunk than what
i have read?  What is happening in other Siouan langauges.  I believe I read
in a paper somewhere that Lakhota also makes a future-non-future
distinction.  Do positionals have a similar effect (I’m especially curious
about Chiwere)?  Thank you.

On a side note, a budding linguist like myself, and as a person with a
vested interest in Ho-Chunk langauge study I really appreciate this List.
You all have no idea how much more efficient and valuable my studies have
become based on the archives and current comments on this List.  Thank you
all again.

Henning Garvin
UW-Madison
Anthropology/Linguistics

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