OP khe-Gender

[Koontz John E]

Here is a list of words with khe (KE'2 in the SIouan Archives, for
k<e-breve>) following them in about the first two hundred pages of the
Dorsey texts.  It may seem puzzling that z^'ibe 'lower leg' isn't in this
list.  This is because it occurs first after page 200!

What appears from this list is that a number of perhaps surprising
categories of things are khe-nouns.  If I were more widely read in
classificatory systems, it might be that I would be less surprised.

As students of Dhegiha are already aware =khe is used frequently with dead
or (perhaps involuntarily or unnaturally) supine animate nouns.  I think
it was Catherine who suggested that perhaps we should just start adding
khe to the list of animate articles.

It also seems to be regularly used with "long" body parts, even if they
might typically be thought of as oriented vertically, like legs.  So far
the main body part I know of with which =the is used is 'ears' (inner and
outer, which are quite different things in Omaha-Ponca).  I havne't looked
yet to see if there are others.  (The =the article is used, of course,
with pairs or other multiple body parts, though, as we have seen, only in
certain rather marked contexts.)

The =khe article is used with long tools, like 'bows' and 'arrows' and
weapons generally, as well as 'bridles'.

It is also used with containers, like 'bags' and 'bowls' and 'quivers' and
'deep hollows'.

It is regularly used with 'hills', but not exclusively, e.g., we also find
ppahe'=dhaN.

It is used with 'edges'.

Also with some things that might be considered expanses, like 'snow',
'sky', 'cloud', and 'ground', and maybe 'sand' and 'water' and 'ice' and
'thicket'.

It is used with some less obvious things like 'deed', and 'slice' and
'food'.

a' 'arm'
a'dhiN 'ridge'
baghu' 'peak (mountain)'
dhie' 'side, flank'
ha'az^iNga 'cord'
he' 'horn'
hedhu'baz^aN 'swing'
hiNxpe' 'fine feather'
huhu' 'fish' (dead or at last caught)
i'e 'words'
iN'?e 'stone'  (hmm - also =the - maybe plural only - and =dhaN)
is^ta'ha 'eyelid'
kkaN'ha 'border, edge'
ma' 'snow'
maN 'arrow'
maNc^hu' '(dead) grizzly bear'
maN'de 'bow'
maN'ghe 'sky'
maNxpi' 'cloud'
maN'z^iha 'quiver'
maN'zedhahe 'bridle'
maN'zewethiN 'sword'
ma's^aN 'feather'
naN'de 'side of the tent'
ni(N)'gha 'stomach'
ni'as^iNga ppia'z^i 'bad man (dead)'
ni'as^iNga sighdha=i 'person's trail (tracks)'
niN 'water'
niN'de 'cooked stuff'
nini'ba 'pipe'
niN'ttaNga 'large body of water'
nu'ghe 'ice'
nu'z^iNga 'boy (dead, lying)'
ppah'e 'hill'
ppe'z^e 'grass'
ppiza' 'sand'
s^aN'ttaNga '(dead) wolf'
s^iN'gaz^iNga 'infant (lying)'
si' 'foot'
si'gdhe 'footprint'
sihi' 'foot'
siN'de 'tail'
snede=a'xti=s^naN 'what is usually really long' (foot)
ttaN'de 'ground'
ttanu'kka 'fresh meat'
tta'xti '(dead) deer'
tte' 'buffalo meat' (dead buffalo?)
ttemaN'ge 'buffalo breast'
ttez^e'ga 'buffalo thigh (upper leg)'
tti' 'lodge (thrown down, i.e., taken down)'
tti' 'lodges (collective)'
tti'ha a'kkibesaN 'tentskin fold'
u'?e 'field'
uc^hi'z^e 'thicket'
uhaN'ge 'beginning, end (margin)'
umiN'z^e 'couch, bed'
u's?u 'slice'
u's^kaN 'deed'
uxdhu'xa 'deep hollow'
uxpe' z^iNga 'small bowl'
u'z^iha 'bag'
wa?u' 'woman (lying, bound)'
wac^hi's^ka 'creek'
wadha'the 'food'
wahi' 'bone'
wahu'ttaNdhiN 'gun'
wakkaN'da(gi) '(dead) water deity'
wakku' 'awl'
wappe' 'weapon'
we's?a 'snake'
xa'de tti 'grass lodge'
xdhabe' 'tree' (presumably fallen)
z^aN' 'wood'
z^aN'z^iNga 'stick'
z^e' 'penis'
z^u'ga 'body'


John E. Koontz
http://spot.colorado.edu/~koontz