Lakota wa- 'variety object'

[REGINA PUSTET]

> > > (1) thi-w-í-wa-'uN
> > >     house-things.PAT-paint-1SG.AG-paint
> > >     'I paint the house in many places'
> > >
> > > (2) thi-'í-wa-'uN
> > >     house-paint-1SG.AG-paint
> > >     'I paint the house'
>
> Can one add a color to either of these sentences?
> If the w(a)- before i
> does refer to the color painted with or the place
> painted, in short to the
> paint application, then one would assume that only
> (2) can take a color
> argument.

I'm still experimenting. A new hypothesis has just
formed in my mind regarding these troublesome multiple
wa-s, but I need more data to substantiate it. Plus,
I'll bring your question up in the next Lakota
session.

> By contrast, in the Omaha-Ponca examples cited, the
> first or inner wa-
> seems to refer to the indefinite object, e.g., an
> unspecified question in
> we'maNghe' 'to ask an unspecified question; to
> questin', vs. i'maNghe
> where the question is specific, while the second or
> outer wa- seems to
> indicate multiplicity of the questions, e.g., in
> wawe'maNghe 'to ask
> (different, several, various) questions' or,
> perhaps, 'to interrogate'.
>

This is a great example for a variety object reading.


> I've just now also stumbled on this remark, p. 54,
> in Boas & Deloria:
>
> "Transitive verbs may employ a double wa, one being
> direct, the other
> indirect object:  waho'kuNk?iya 'he advises him',
> wawa'hokuNk?iya 'he
> adsvises people about things', ignu' 'he mentions it
> to him', wi'gnu 'he
> mentions (unkind) things to him', wawi'gnu 'he
> mentions (unkind) things to
> people', ...
>
> "It appears from these examples that the double wa
> ins the most
> generalized term.  It is not always possible to
> trace the exact meaning of
> the two objects. ..."

This is exactly the impression that I get from working
on this. And it bothers me. I'm working on a cure ...
more on Tuesday, at the latest.

Regina



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