PRONOUNS

lesson 8 - pronouns

These are the vocabulary words that will be introduced in this lesson.

Verb roots

bojehto swing c’e see

hémnon read janito tell

jó:ki: dive méjin give

mýtʔa roast píje: swim

wóti catch.fish

Noun roots

c’ámmi: knife k’o:doj place

màko: fish sol song

other

ʔàdiky then dòw commit

k’ána:n bottom.under kàni and, then

verb suffixes

-an say -bo encouragement

-c’o must have -(i)n verb final

-kì:(t) future.finish -man must have

-p imperative -s allow.let

-toto move.about

noun suffixes

-ky agent

pronouns

mi you mímem you dual subject

mima: you dual mímem you plural object

míme you plural mink’i your, yours

mink’an with you mima:k’i your, yours dual

mimek’i your, yours pl. mìhani you

mìhano you mìnaj I to or with you

my him, her, it mỳhaj I to him/her

mym he, she, it mysa: them dual

mysa:m they dual mysá:ki their, theirs dual

myse them plural mysek’i they plural

mysem they plural ni I

nìhaj I nik me

nik’i my nikk’an with me

nísa: us dual nísam we dual subject

part 1 basic pronouns

Pronouns are words like “I,” “me” (first person); “you” (second person); and “he, him, she, her, it” (third person). And of course there are the plural pronouns like “we”, “us,” “they” and “them”. That’s how they work in English.

In English, sentences generally have at least one noun or pronoun. But in Konkow, as you saw in Lesson 2, a sentence without any noun or pronoun is just fine.

We gave as an example só:n. “They released him.”

This came out of the story of Coyote and the Turtle Girls, and the translation was clear because of the context of what was going on in the story. Without that context, só:n could also mean “He released him” or “she released them”. It’s a perfectly good sentence, in any case.
However, Konkow does have a very rich pronoun system. We will start by showing you the subject and object pronouns. Examine the chart below.

1st person subject object

singular ní ník

I me

dual nísa:m nísa:

we(two) us(two)

plural nísem níse

we (more than two) us (more than two)

2nd person subject object

singular mí mín

you you

dual mímem míma:

you (two) you (two)

plural mímem míme

you (more than two) you (more than two)

3rd person subject object

singular mým, mómis mý, mó

he, she, it him, her, it

dual mýsa:m mýsa:

they (two) them (two)

plural mýsem mýse

they (more than two) them (more than two)

The 3rd person singular pronoun mó is less common than mý. You can just use mý in your own speech if you like, but you will occasionally see mó in the stories and other sentences.

NOTE that except for singular “I” and “you”, the subject pronouns all have an -m at the end, just like nouns do. Object pronouns are “bare”- that is, no -m. Another thing to notice is that the pronouns differ according to whether they refer to just one, or two, or more than two people. Think of all these words as having a set of components that go together. For example, first person dual subject has three pieces: the pronoun root ni “first person”, -sa: “dual (two)”, and -m “subject”.) We can represent the parsed pronoun and it’s translation like this:

nísa:m

ní

first.person

-sa:

dual

-m

subj

ours

So you don’t have to memorize 18 pronouns – just memorize 6 components and the order they go in.

THREE pronouns

ní 1st person
mí 2nd person
mý 3rd person

TWO number suffixes

-sa: dual (two)
-se plural (three or more)

ONE subject suffix

-m

The exceptions are these:

ní is the 1st person singular subject, don’t add ‑m to it.
mí is the 2nd person singular subject, don’t add ‑m to it.
ník is the 1st person singular object, so unlike all the other pronouns, you add -k.
mín is the 2nd person singular object, so unlike all other pronouns, you add -n.

It may be helpful to put images with the pronoun concepts we are trying to explain. In the diagram below, the pronouns are grouped into 1st person, 2nd person and 3rd person and by singular, dual and plural occurrences. Their english translations are also given.

Exercises 1 Fill in the pronoun

Using the English translation as your guide, put the correct pronouns in the following sentences. Say the sentences out loud, too, for practice. (We aren’t separating all the components of each word, but you should recognize a few components here and there.

EXERCISE 1.

Place these pronouns into the sentences below.

nik - nìsa - mỳm - mínaj - mímem - ni mý

sólmanc’os.

He must have sung.

màko: wótiminc’ehàj, t’akì:n

If you plural catch the fish, I will roast it.

(both of these pronouns are subjects.)

-màja:s hémnon.

We two are reading.

kànaj méjin.

I gave it to you alone.

néno jántop!

Tell me a story!

mỳm sólmanc’os.

He must have sung.

mímem màko: wótiminc’ehàj, ni mý t’akì:n

If you plural catch the fish, I will roast it.

(both of these pronouns are subjects.)

nìsa-màja:s hémnon.

We two are reading.

mínaj kànaj méjin.

I gave it to you alone.

néno ník jántop!

Tell me a story!

As we said, you don’t necessarily have to use a pronoun or a noun in a Konkow sentence. When you read stories, there can be many paragraphs without using pronouns. When do they actually get used? Usually it is for emphasis or clarity, to distinguish one person from another.

Here are some examples from the Lost Swimmer:

píje:tonkàni.

pí

swim

-je:

move.about

-to

around

-n

verb.final

-kàni.

and.then

They swam. [And then]

mým, ʔàdiky, jó:ki:n, jó:ki:n.

mý

-m,

subject

ʔàdiky,

phrase.marker

jó:kiT

dive

-in,

verb.final

jó:kiT

dive

-in.

verb.final

He dove and dove.

The first phrase above has no pronoun, but the second one does, because the subject has changed from a general group “they” to a particular person. But now that it was established that that particular person dove, the next line (13) is still about him, but without using a pronoun.

k’ána:nk’o:dojdi jó:ki:n.

k’ána:n

bottom

-k’o:doj

place

-di

jó:ki(t)

dive

-in.

verb.final

Way down to the bottom he dove.

Since English has to put in a pronoun, the translation has a pronoun even though there is not one in Konkow.

part 2 pronoun suffixes -k’i (possessive) -k’an (with) - EXERCISE 2

As you saw earlier in this lesson there are several suffixes that are added to pronouns. We learned about the three roots and the suffixes for dual and plural. For the subjective case an -m is added. For the objective case the pronoun root is simply used. There are two additional suffixes we would like to call attention to here with pronouns that end with -k’i (possessive) and ones that end with -k’an (with).

The pronoun tree below demonstrates the components.

1st person possessive with

singular nìk’i, nìk níkk’àn

my with me

dual nísa:k’i

ours (two)

plural nísem

our (plural)

2nd person possessive with

singular mínk’i, mìn mík’àn

your, yours with you

dual míma:k’i

your, yours (two)

plural míma:k’i

your, yours (plural)

3rd person possessive with

singular mýk’i mýk’an

his, hers, its with him, her, it

dual mýsá:k’i mýsá:k’an

their, theirs (two) with them (two)

plural mýse:k’i mýse:k’an

their, theirs (plural) with them (plural)

Examples of the -k’i (possessive) and -k’an (with) suffixes on pronouns:

-k'an

nìktúnk’an

nìk

-tú

younger.brother

-k’an

with

with my younger brother

mómkòle:msa hédenak ʔámamàjdykk’àn ʔýda:n

mómkòle:msa

boy

héde

here

-nak

toward

ʔáma

that

-màjdyk

man

-k’àn

with

ʔýda:

motion

-n

verb.final

That boy came here along with that man.

ká:nok’àn

ká:no

old.man

-k’àn

with

with (an) old man

májdykk’an

májdyk

person

-k’an

with

along with a person

kýlec’okk’àn

kýle

woman

-c’ok

two

-k’àn

with

with two women

jémpohk’ik’àn

jémpoh

young.man

-k’i

possessive

-k’an

with

along with the young men

níktùtuk’anàj bísin.

ník

-tùtu

son

-k’an

with

-àj

house

bís

exist

-in.

verb.final

I live with my son.

-k'i

mín, nìk’i hésky!

mín,

you

nì

-k’i

possessive

hésky!

friend

You, my friend!

nìk’i jép’ima háki:n, ʔàmam

nì

-k’i

possessive

jép’ima

young.man

há

-ki:n,

future

ʔàmam

that.one

He will be my husband.

ník’i sỳ:

-k’i

alienably.possessed

sy:

dog

my dog

ʔánte, ník’i pèma ʔámamàn!

ʔánte,

but

ní

-k’i

possessive

pèma

food

ʔámam

that

-àn!

say

But of course that’s my food!

-k'(i)

níkpà

ník(i)

my.possessive

-pà

father's.father

my father’s father

níkdem

nik(i)

possesive

-de

aunt

-m

subject

It’s my aunt.

nìkt’om

nik(i)

possesive

-t’o

grandmother

-m

subject

It’s my grandmother.

EXERCISE 2.

Fill in the appropriate pronoun in the phrases and sentences below.

mýepà:

‘their (plural) mothers’

té:k’i c’ibi:

‘her cub’s claws’.

mìhámmano Ɂýko:n.

You ought to have gone with him.

Ɂámamàde Ɂújimàn ?

Is that your house?

Ɂánte, pèma Ɂámamàn.

But of course, that’s my food!

mýse:k’i mýepà:

‘their (plural) mothers’

mýk’i té:k’i c’ibi:

‘her cub’s claws’.

mìhámmano mỳk’an Ɂýko:n.

You ought to have gone with him.

Ɂámamàde mínk’i Ɂújimàn ?

Is that your house?

Ɂánte, ník’i pèma Ɂámamàn.

But of course, that’s my food!

part 3 pronouns plus -ha "do, be"

It is very common in the stories and elicited sentences to use a different form for first person singular. In place of the simple pronoun ni, we very often find nihaj. Usually, nihaj just translates as “I”, although Dr. Ultan explains that it literally means “it is I,” or “I am (the) one who….”

Here’s an example from Coyote and the Turtle Girls: Coyote sees the Turtle Girls swimming, and asks “How is the water?” They respond “It’s fine.” So then Coyote says:

níhaj bèlem mákpajkì:n.

níhaj

bèlem

also

mákpaj

try

-kì:

future

-n.

verb.final

I too will try it.

níhaj bèlem mákpajkì:n.

ní

-haj

contrastive

bèlem

also

mákpaj

try

-kì:

future

-n.

verb.final

Coyote said, “I too will try it”.

Using Ultan’s explanation, it would literally translate as “I am one who will also try it.”

Just like the previous examples, the word nihaj is present to emphasize that a new person, himself, is about to swim. There are a lot of these pronoun-like constructions. Some even incorporate two persons in the same word.

mìhani (or mìhano) you

mìnaj I to you

mỳhaj I to him/her

Examples:

mìhani bíssàm

mì

you

-ha

aux

-ni

2nd.person

bís

stay

-sà

habitual

-m

past

Were you in the habit of staying there?

míhano bíswononà:m

mí

you

-ha

aux

-no

plural

bís

exist

-wono

remote.past

-nà:

subjunctive

-m

past.tense

You could have been there.

mỳhaj c’ámmi: méjin.

mỳ

she/he

-ha

-j

1stperson.subject

c’ámmi:

knife

méj

give

-in.

1stperson

I gave him the knife.

mỳhaj méjin, c’éboʔàn

mỳ

-haj

aux

méj

give

-in,

1st.pers

c’é

see

-bo

permissive

-ʔàn

consequence

I gave it to him so that he could see it.

mìnaj píkydòwin.

mìn

you

-ha

aux

-j

1stper

pí

swim

-ky

agentive

-dòw

commit

-in

verb.final

I’m going swimming with you.

What these really are, are pronouns attached to the auxiliary verb root -ha “be” or “do.” Here are the four forms analyzed:

nìhaj

nì

1.pro

-ha

-j

1.subj

mìhani

mì

2.pro

-ha

-ni

2.subj

you

mìhano

mì

2.pro

-ha

-no

2.subj

you

mìnaj

mìn

2.pro

-(h)a

-j

1.subj

I to you (h) disappears after a consonant

mỳhaj

mỳ

3.pro

-ha

-j

1.subj

I to him/her

So because -ha ‘be’ is a kind of verb, it carries person markers (-j, 1stpers.subj, -ni, -no, 2ndpers.subj nothing (∅) for 3rd person). person.markers can also occur on the main verbs of sentences. We’ll discuss them in a later lesson.
These are more common than the plain subject pronouns because they are more emphatic. So we see again, that pronouns are primarily used for emphasis.

exercises 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8

These exercises practice pronouns

EXERCISE 3.

Using the Konkow vocabulary you know, along with pronouns, write a short story. How many of the pronouns from this chapter can you use?

EXERCISE 4.

níse

ní, ník

míme

níhaj

mỳse

mìnaj

mí, mín

nísa:

mỳ, mò

mìhani (mìhano)

mỳsa:

mỳhaj

míma:

we (plural)

I, me

y’all

I (am)

they (plural)

I to you

you (singular)

I (dual)

he, she, it

you

they two

I to him/her

you two

Hit Check to see if you have them all correct

níse we (plural)

ní, ník I, me

míme y’all

níhaj I

mỳse they (plural)

mìnaj I to you

mí, mín you (singular)

nísa: I

mỳ, mò he, she, it

mìhani (or mìhano) you

mỳsa: they two

mỳhaj I to him/her

míma: you two

EXERCISE 5.

Fill in the blank spaces with the Konkow pronoun

first person singular

first person plural

second person dual

third person singular

third person dual

third person plural

first person dual

second person singular

second person plural

first person singular ní, ník

first person plural níse

second person dual míma

third person singular mỳ, mò

third person dual mỳsa:

third person plural mỳse

first person dual nísa:

second person singular mí, mín

second person plural míme

EXERCISE 6.

Replace each underlined noun phrase with the appropriate pronoun
Example: mímem Are you and Hank going hang-gliding?

My brother is tall.

I like to walk in the hills.

Jen and Sara are friends.

My mom and her sister are dancers.

You two are great.

Me, you and Leanne are working on language.

All of them put on a dinner.

My sister and I go to pick acorns.

That job is really cool.

You are nice.

mỳ My brother is tall.

nìk I like to walk in the hills.

mỳsa Jen and Sara are friends.

mỳsa My mom and her sister are dancers.

mìma You two are great.

níse Me, you and Leanne are working on language.

míme All of them put on a dinner.

nísa: My sister and I go to pick acorns.

That job is really cool.

mí You are nice.

EXERCISE 7. Write the appropriate Konkow pronoun in the space below each image.

EXERCISE 8. Writing and speaking Konkow

As for all lessons, to really learn from this lesson you need to practice it and use it. Practice composing sentences of your own, using these pronouns and the vocabulary you have learned so far. Do the flashcard activities or use them in your own ways. Now that you know how to say “I” did something, you could start keeping a diary, where you write a sentence or two about your day.

summary

You learned the three pronoun roots:

ní 1st person
mí 2nd person
mý 3rd person

Two “number” suffixes:

-sa: dual (two)
-se plural (three or more)

Three subject suffixes:

-m subject
-k’i possessive
-k’an with (someone)
∅ object is indicated by having no suffix

So you don't have to memorize 18 pronouns – just memorize 6 components and the order they go in.

There are some forms that don’t follow the regular pattern:

ní is the 1st person singular subject, don’t add ‑m to it.
mí is the 2nd person singular subject, don’t add ‑m to it.
ník is the 1st person singular object, so unlike all the other pronouns, you add -k.
mín is the 2nd person singular object, so unlike all other pronouns, you add -n.

Mary Jones

The wonderful Mary Jones videos have lessons organized by topic rather than grammar, and are very good for learning conversational speech.

Click the arrow to start the video. Once started, moving the curser off the image causes the controls to disappear. Move the curser over the image to return the controls.

Want to learn more? All the Mary Jones videos lessons are available HERE

FLASHCARDS - LESSON 8

or you can download a PDF of the lesson here DOWNLOAD - LESSON 8

Each lesson has a set of flashcards that can be printed and used for practice. As you work through the lessons, the sets can be combined to create more advanced sentences. There are several fun games you can play using these flashcards. The cards can be printed either single or double sided depending on what and how you want to play. Three games will be outlined below.

Go Fish

This is a multiple player game. It can be played from a basic level with simply the vocabulary words, to a more advanced game where all the questions are asked in the language. At the most basic level, you can play with an open hand. The object is to get pairs and practice the vocabulary. You will need to print two or four copies of each card to play Go Fish and Concentration.

Concentration

This can be played individually or as a multiplayer game. Cards can be double sided or single sided. Pictures can be facing up or hidden. You can match pictures and/or words.The object is to find matches and pronounce the vocabulary.

Flashcard Drills

This can be played individually or as a two player game. One person shows the image to their partner, who says the Konkow word. This is repeated until each player can identify and pronounce each card in the stack. The amount of cards in the stack can be increased as needed.

Konkow Maidu Language Resource

utilizing linguistic documentation for research and revitalization