UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Nouns

Nouns are words used to refer to physical objects (such as people, animals, places, and objects) and abstract concepts.

chekoa

child

dè

land

kwıı̀k'ı̀ı

gun

godı

story

Nouns in Tłı̨chǫ can be divided into various subclasses; in the dictionary, we divide them into simple nouns, compound nouns, and phrasal nouns. As their name suggests, simple nouns consist of a single noun, as defined above.

tłı̨

dog

ladà

table

ts'èko

woman

what'à

esker

nàowo

law; culture; knowledge

Compound nouns, by contrast, consist of a string of multiple nouns combined together, which act as if they were a single noun.

dechı̨kǫ̀

log cabin

łıekwǫ̀

fish meat

mı̨̀kweè

net sinker

Finally, phrasal nouns are more similar in structure to short, formulaic sentences, consisting of multiple nouns, verbs, postpositions, and so on. However, despite their structural complexity, these phrasal nouns function in the greater context of the sentence in the same way as simple and compound nouns.

wet’à gots’edee

telephone

ası̀ı dehshee k’è

garden

behchı̨ı̨̀ k’èdı̀ı dǫǫ̀

driver

Unlike in English, there is no distinction in Tłı̨chǫ between singular and plural nouns; the same form of the noun is used regardless of how many of that noun are present. For example:

tłı̨

dog; dogs

tłı̨ ı̨łè

one dog

tłı̨ nàke

two dogs

tłı̨ łǫ

many dogs

In the above example, when used on its own, it is ambiguous whether tłı̨ refers to one dog or several dogs; to clarify how many dogs are present, one must either specify a particular number or use a quantifier.

Verb conjugation is also used to indicate whether a noun is singular or plural. For instance:

Tłı̨ łıwetse eɂà.

The dog is eating fish tails.

Tłı̨ łıwetse geɂà.

The dogs are eating fish tails.

In the above example, even though the form of the noun tłı̨ does not change, the use of the subject marker e- in the first sentence indicates that the subject of the verb (in this case, the one who is eating, so, the dog) is singular, whereas the use of the subject marker ge- in the second sentence indicates that the subject of the verb is plural. In this way, verb conjugation can specify whether a noun is singular or plural, even though the noun itself does not change.

Eneèko godı łǫ k’èèzǫ.

The old man knows a lot of stories.

Eneèko godı łǫ k’ègeezǫ.

Old people know lots of stories.

Ownership (or possession) of nouns is indicated in Tłı̨chǫ using prefixes, attaching to the beginning of the noun. These so-called ‘possessive prefixes’ are as follows:

se- my

Ehtł'è sedaà adzà.

There is dust in my eye.

ne- your

Nekwı̀ ı̨zhıı̀ anele!

Put your head down!

we- his; her; its

Welachı̨ı̨̀ k'e satsǫ̀tł'ı xàı̨tł'ı.

The chains fell off of his wrists.

go- our

Goyatıı̀ ǫ̀ts'eehshı̀.

We are losing our language.

naxı̨- your (plural)

Naxı̨goht'ǫǫ̀ sı̀ı k'ǫǫ̀t'a hazhǫǫ̀ wek'enaɂatso.

Your clothes have all just been washed.

gı- their

Hazhǫǫ̀ gıgoht'ǫǫ̀ nawhehtso.

All of their clothes are wet.

ede- one's own

Edekwı̀ghà k'ı̨ı̨hwho.

He cut his own hair.

ełe- one another’s; each other’s

Ełeàgı̨ą agı̨ı̨t’e.

They are friends with one another.

Possession of a noun can also be indicated using so-called ‘possessive pronouns’; distinct, separate words used to indicate ownership. These are:

sets'ǫ- my

Sets’ǫ whǫǫ elı̀.

My phone is ringing.

nets'ǫ- your

Nets’ǫ whǫǫ elı̀.

Your phone is ringing.

wets'ǫ- his; her; its

Wets’ǫ whǫǫ elı̀.

His phone is ringing.

gots'ǫ- our

Gots’ǫ whǫǫ elı̀.

Our phone is ringing.

naxı̨ts'ǫ- your (plural)

Naxı̨ts’ǫ whǫǫ elı̀.

Your phone is ringing.

gıts'ǫ- their

Gıts’ǫ whǫǫ elı̀.

Their phone is ringing.

edets'ǫ- one's own

Edets’ǫ whǫǫ elı̀.

His own phone is ringing

ełets'ǫ- one another’s; each other’s

Ełets’ǫ whǫǫ ats’ele

Let’s call each other’s phones.

Most simple and compound nouns in Tłı̨chǫ can use either possessive prefixes or possessive pronouns to indicate ownership, with little (if any) difference in meaning between the two. However, some nouns (particularly nouns borrowed from English) can only take possessive pronouns. For example:

bı̨ı̨̀

beans

sets’ǫ bı̨ı̨̀

my beans

BUT NOT

*sebı̨ı̨̀

*my beans

It is not fully understood why certain nouns reject possessive prefixes; this matter requires further research and documentation. However, it appears that most simple and compound nouns can accept either possessive prefixes or possessive pronouns, depending on context and the preference of the individual speaker. In the dictionary, nouns which can only accept possessive pronouns are labelled as ‘class 2’ nouns, whereas nouns which can accept either are listed as ‘class 1’.

Some nouns in Tłı̨chǫ can only occur in their possessed forms; these are referred to as ‘inalienable nouns’, and typically refer to family members, body parts, and some close personal possessions. In contrast, normal Tłı̨chǫ nouns, which may occur without possessive prefixes, can be referred to as ‘alienable’ nouns.

gokwı̀

our heads

gomǫ

our mothers

godıı̀

our food

As the above example demonstrates, the Tłı̨chǫ word for head is -kwı̀; however, a fluent speaker will never use the word -kwı̀ on its own. Rather, they must specify whose head is being referred to using a possessive prefix. For example:

Sekwı̀ eya.

My head hurts.

BUT NOT

*Sets’ǫ kwı̀ eya.

*My head hurts

OR

*Kwı̀ eya.

*The head hurts.

The possessive prefixes used by inalienable nouns are the same as those used by other, alienable Tłı̨chǫ nouns; the only difference is that inalienable nouns must always have one of these prefixes attached at all times. The only exception to this lies in compound nouns; inalienable nouns may be attached, without a possessive prefix, to another noun to form a new, alienable compound noun. For example:

łıwezǫǫkwı̀

trout head

Łıwezǫǫkwı̀ wekw'ǫǫ̀ łǫ kàɂaa gǫ̀hłı̨ hǫt'e.

There are lots of different bones in a trout's head.

In the dictionary, inalienable nouns are always listed in their first-person plural possessed form (i.e. our), with the prefix go-. All other possible possessed forms for the noun are listed underneath the main entry.

goza

son

gokè

foot