Aho!

[Jimm Goodtracks]

That is an interesting find, and all your explanations are plausible, especially the 2nd one.  I do not recall coming across this before, and I can not find any thing like it in the IOM Dictionary.  The imperative works just as you say, and I know of no deviation.  The collected texts from Dorsey, and those from Julia Small, a monolingual speaker, did not have examples as you have found.

The mystery needs be reviewed by a higher power, namely the Siouan List, to whom I am going to cc this reply for their input by the professional experts and those who may have some explanation for this occurrence, or able to leave as a Hamilton phenomena.   

From: Campbell, Sky 
Sent: Friday, February 21, 2014 10:44 AM
To: Jimm G. GoodTracks 
Subject: Aho!

Hope all is well up your way J.

 

Quick question about something I’ve noticed in Hamilton and Irvin’s books.  After some of the commands/imperatives, there is an extra syllable after the verb.  For example, they have:

 

wa-ka a-ta-ka-ræ – see the snake

 

I have no idea what the “ka” is doing after (what would be for us) “ada”.  But with Hamilton, he doesn’t differentiate between “k” and “g” so it may actually be a “g” for us.  He uses this quite a bit for commands but I’m not understanding why and so far I haven’t found any clues.  From what I can tell, it isn’t a form of plural since he uses –wi and he uses the singular 2nd person when the “ka” is used.  And he doesn’t always use it for the singular imperative form which is what adds to my confusion.

 

I have 3 possibilities that spring to mind.

 

First, the “ka” might be a contracted form of “gasun” which perhaps might be indicating that whatever the speaker wants done, they want it done now.  Not sure about this one since you usually see “gasun” at the beginning of a statement.

 

Second is that the ending imperative “re” may actually be a contraction of an older form “kare/gare” and it has just stopped being used.  That one is just a random guess LOL.

 

Finally, I am wondering if the “ka” is actually perhaps “ke/ge” to refer to “in like manner” (ithke) but since it is an imperative, the “e” changes to an “a”.  If so, then the above sentence would perhaps say something like “Look at the snake (in like manner).”  And if so, I wonder if the context of the conversation would indicate just exactly what the “like manner” means.

 

What do you think?

 

Sky Campbell, B. A.

Language Director

Otoe-Missouria Tribe

580-723-4466 ext. 111

sky at omtribe.org

 


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