Kw- Prefixation
Prefixing verbs with kw- or ku- is one of the ways we can quickly make a verb into a noun. We often call this kw- nominalization. When a verb becomes a noun by receiving the kw- or ku- prefix, its meaning becomes: "the one that is (verb)" or "that which does (verb)".
Remember that kw- nouns always refer to something that does or performs the action of the verb, not the thing being acted upon.
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Process
The procedure for how to properly nominalize a verb will depend on the verb's scenario, listed below:
1. If the verb begins with we-, delete the we- and add ku-.
Verb:
Meaning: Delete we-: Add ku-: Meaning: |
Wenuw
Runs -nuw Kunuw Runner |
Wenyay
Hunts -nyay Kunyay Hunter |
Wesaaw
Eats -saaw Kusaaw Eater |
Weraaw
Is hot -raaw Kuraaw That which is hot |
Alternatively, speakers sometimes simply add k- to the we- verb, making the prefix kwe-:
We- verb:
Meaning: Add k-: Meaning: |
Wenuw
Runs Kwenuw That which runs |
As seen in:
'Ehaa kwenuw, river (running water) 'Ewaa kunuw or 'Ewaa kwenuw, car (running house) |
Sometimes, a verb nominalized with a ku- prefix will still sound a bit as if it had kw-.
Otherwise, ku- sounds sort of like in the word cushion (but the k is not aspirated).
Otherwise, ku- sounds sort of like in the word cushion (but the k is not aspirated).
2. If the verb begins with a consonant (not ' or w), add ku-.
Verb:
Meaning: Add ku-: Meaning: |
Hepeshiw
Is blue Kuhepshiw The blue one |
Hemii
Grows up Kuhmii Adult, elder |
Meyulk
Is sweet Kumyulk Candy |
Nyekuuy
Is old (said of women) Kunykuuy Old woman |
See how the penultimate shwa (the "e" in the second-to-last syllable) gets deleted when the verb is prefixed with ku-.
3. If the verb begins with u, uu, or w (plus a vowel other than e), add k-.
Verb:
Meaning: Add k-: Meaning: |
Unyeway
Is a friend Kunyeway A friend |
Uuttaq
Opens Kuuttaq Opener |
Waayp
Speaks Kwaayp Speaker |
Winy
Gives Kwiny Giver |
Note that if we were to add kw- to any of these verbs, the resulting sound would be the same as simply adding k-.
4. If the verb begins with a vowel (not u or uu), add kw-.
Verb:
Meaning: Add kw-: Meaning: |
Aakatt
Cuts Kwaakatt Cutter |
Iimaa
Dances Kwiimaa Dancer |
Etaanuw
Drives, makes run Kwetaanuw Driver |
Allehwas
Washes Kwallehwas Washer |
5. If the verb begins with a ' (glottal stop), add kwa-.
Verb:
Meaning: Add kwa-: Meaning: |
'Ehan
Is good Kwa'han The good one |
'Iikuu
Is big Kway'kuu The big one |
'Ichekwii
Are big Kwa'chekwii Those which are big |
'Elyemis
Are small Kwa'elymis The small ones |
For a full guide to inflecting verbs with 'e-, 'i-, or 'ii-, see 'E- and 'Ii Verbs.
The same processes described above can be performed on plural verb forms, resulting in plural nouns.
Common Words
You may have already noticed that certain common words like kurak "old man" are actually kw- nominalized verbs. Sometimes, these words have a practical meaning that is slightly different from their literal meaning. For example:
Kw- noun:
Translation: Literal meaning: Verbal origin: |
Kuhkwany
Mother, parent One who has a child Hekwanyp, gives birth |
Kuhmii
Elder, eldest one One who has grown Hemii, grows up |
Kuhunn
Night That which is dark Hunn, it is dark, night |
Kumlay
Corpse The dead one Melay, dies, is dead |
Kumyulk
Candy, sweets That which is sweet Meyulk, is sweet |
Kuuchutt
Policeman, boss One who orders Uuchutt, orders |
Kuyaayp
The wind That which blows Yaayp, the wind blows |
More ku- words provided near bottom of page.
Describing Nouns
Kw- nouns can be attached to other nouns to describe them, much like adjectives in a sentence.
Noun phrase:
'Ehatt kunyilly Haakwal kuhepshiw 'Emekay kunemshap 'Ekwak kwa'hwatt 'Aashaa kwa'kwas Milyaapan kwa'stik 'Aashaa kwa'shash |
Translation:
Black dog Green lizard White mouse Red deer Yellow bird Small bat Pretty bird |
Literal meaning:
Dog that is black Lizard that is green Mouse that is white Deer that is red Bird that is yellow Bat that is small Bird that is pretty |
Root verb:
Nyilly, is black Hepeshiw, is green/blue Nemeshap, is white 'Ehwatt, is red 'Ekwas, is yellow 'Estik, is small 'Eshash, is pretty |
Kw- Nouns in a Sentence
Kw- nouns can be used in a sentence either by themselves as standalone nouns, or conjoined with another noun which they describe. If used to describe another noun, the kw- noun will come last in the noun phrase, and as such will receive any needed grammatical suffixes that apply to the whole phrase.
'Ewii kwa'stik nyillyches.
The little rattlesnake is black. The rattlesnake that is little is black. kwa'stik < 'estik, is little Nyemetaay kwa'kwas peyaa 'iikuuches. This yellow mountain lion is big. This mountain lion that is yellow is big. kwa'kwas < 'ekwas, is yellow Peyaa 'ehpank kuhepshiwches. This is a blue whale. This is a whale that is blue. kuhepshiw < hepeshiw, is blue Halypuusuutt kwa'kwas peyaa 'estik. This yellow hummingbird is small. This hummingbird that is yellow is small. kwa'kwas < 'ekwas, is yellow. Puu 'ehatt kwa'stikches. That is a little dog. That is a dog that is small. kwa'stik < 'estik, is little. Peyaa kuhepshiwches. This is the blue one. This is that which is blue. kuhepshiw < hepeshiw, is blue 'Elymaam kwa'stik nyiiwar. The little kid is hungry. The child that is small is hungry. kwa'stik < 'estik, is little 'Iikwich kwaamarhvech wesiih. The man who will bury it will drink. kwaamar < aamar, buries (Note the future -h on kwaamarh) Kunuwvech metaawar. The runner is tired. The one who runs is tired. kunuw < wenuw, runs |
Milyaapan kunyilly puu 'estikches.
That black bat is little. That bat which is black is little. kunyilly < nyilly, is black 'Aashaa kuhchalyp 'eshashches. The happy bird is pretty. The bird that is happy is pretty. kuhchalyp < hechalyp, is happy Kunemshap 'iikuuches. The white one is big. That which is white is big. kunemshap < nemeshap, is white 'Ewii kwa'stik peyaa nyilly. This little rattlesnake is black. This rattlesnake that is little is black. kwa'stik < 'estik, is little Kunuwvech metaawars. The runner is tired. The one who runs is tired. Kunuw < wenuw, runs 'Aashaa kwa'shash! What a pretty bird! A bird that is pretty. kwa'shash < 'eshash, is beautiful 'Ily kullyapvech nyilly. The burning wood is black. The wood that is burning is black. kullyap < wellyap, burns 'Aashaa kunyillyvech 'ehattvu ewuuw. The black bird saw the dog. The bird that is black saw the dog. kunyilly < nyilly, is black 'Emat kwa'wirvu wehwall. He digs the hard earth. He digs the ground that is hard. kwa'wir < 'ewir, is hard |
Kw- Nouns with Objects
Above, we saw how kw- nouns can modify other nouns that perform the action of the root verb of the kw- noun.
We can also combine kw- nouns with the objects of the actions they describe, as shown below:
We can also combine kw- nouns with the objects of the actions they describe, as shown below:
Kukwaayp peshuw.
He takes care of cattle.
Kukwaayp kupshuw
Cowboy
The one that takes care of cattle
Kuhnoch peshuw.
She takes care of the ones that are sick.
Kuhnoch < henoch, are sick (plural)
Kuhnoch kepshuw
Nurse
The one that takes care of the sick
Hellyaaw wenyay.
He hunts rabbits. (more likely)
A rabbit hunts. (less likely)
Hellyaaw kunyay.
Rabbit that hunts, (less likely) OR
One who hunts rabbits.
Above, hellyaaw "cottontail rabbit" is the object of the root word wenyay, "hunts".
Now, we can put this whole phrase in a sentence:
Hellyaaw kunyayvech metaawar.
The cottontail hunter is tired.
The one who hunts cottontails is tired.
See how suffixes like -vech and -vu only go on the last word of the noun phrase.
Hellyaaw kunyayvu akewii.
He chased the one who hunts cottontails.
'Ewaa kuchuwvech 'ewily topm.
The house builder threw a rock.
The one who built the house threw a rock.
kuchuw < wechuw, makes, builds
'Ekwiy kuchuw wii nyechuuhii.
They call me the rainmaker.
They call me the one who makes rain.
Hantak kuyipvech 'aashaa kwilaaw ewuuw.
The one that heard a frog saw a mockingbird.
(Could also be "the frog that heard it", but that wouldn't make much sense)
kuyip < yip, hears
'Iikwich tenaay kweyiwvech henoos.
The man that came yesterday is sick.
kweyiw < weyiw, comes (alternate to kuyiw)
'Ewily 'emaay kukullvech kunyaawches.
The one that climbed on top of the rock was a jackrabbit.
kukull < wekull, climbs
'Ehpank kunemshap kuwuuwvech llyemekatt.
The one who saw the white whale was surprised.
The one who saw the whale that was white was surprised.
kunemshap < nemeshap, is white; kuwuuw < ewuuw, sees
'Iitaayvi kunyayvech mat pehwim.
The one that was hunting in the forest got lost.
'Ehatt gaat kwakewiivech nyechuukuw.
The dog that chased the cat bit me.
kwakewii < akewii, chases
(Notice word order: cat after dog)
'Ehatt gaat kunyayvu 'etoo.
I hit the dog that hunted he cat.
'Elymaam kunykuuy kwachekwirrvech henoo.
The child that was teasing the old woman got sick.
kunykuuy < nyekuuy, is an old woman; kwachekwirr < achekwirr, teases, makes fun of
Kwenychekwiivech hekwany kumiivu selyewelyuu.
The old women tickled the baby that cried.
kwenychekwii < nyechekwii, are old (women); kumii < wemii, cries
Hechkullk kethii kusaawvech weshay.
The wolf that ate the gopher was fat.
kusaaw < wesaaw, eats
Hattepaa kunyaaw kunyayvech 'aashaa kwilaaw kwewuuwches.
The coyote that hunted the jackrabbit is the one that saw the mockingbird.
kwewuuw < ewuuw, sees (alternate to kuwuuw)
He takes care of cattle.
Kukwaayp kupshuw
Cowboy
The one that takes care of cattle
Kuhnoch peshuw.
She takes care of the ones that are sick.
Kuhnoch < henoch, are sick (plural)
Kuhnoch kepshuw
Nurse
The one that takes care of the sick
Hellyaaw wenyay.
He hunts rabbits. (more likely)
A rabbit hunts. (less likely)
Hellyaaw kunyay.
Rabbit that hunts, (less likely) OR
One who hunts rabbits.
Above, hellyaaw "cottontail rabbit" is the object of the root word wenyay, "hunts".
Now, we can put this whole phrase in a sentence:
Hellyaaw kunyayvech metaawar.
The cottontail hunter is tired.
The one who hunts cottontails is tired.
See how suffixes like -vech and -vu only go on the last word of the noun phrase.
Hellyaaw kunyayvu akewii.
He chased the one who hunts cottontails.
'Ewaa kuchuwvech 'ewily topm.
The house builder threw a rock.
The one who built the house threw a rock.
kuchuw < wechuw, makes, builds
'Ekwiy kuchuw wii nyechuuhii.
They call me the rainmaker.
They call me the one who makes rain.
Hantak kuyipvech 'aashaa kwilaaw ewuuw.
The one that heard a frog saw a mockingbird.
(Could also be "the frog that heard it", but that wouldn't make much sense)
kuyip < yip, hears
'Iikwich tenaay kweyiwvech henoos.
The man that came yesterday is sick.
kweyiw < weyiw, comes (alternate to kuyiw)
'Ewily 'emaay kukullvech kunyaawches.
The one that climbed on top of the rock was a jackrabbit.
kukull < wekull, climbs
'Ehpank kunemshap kuwuuwvech llyemekatt.
The one who saw the white whale was surprised.
The one who saw the whale that was white was surprised.
kunemshap < nemeshap, is white; kuwuuw < ewuuw, sees
'Iitaayvi kunyayvech mat pehwim.
The one that was hunting in the forest got lost.
'Ehatt gaat kwakewiivech nyechuukuw.
The dog that chased the cat bit me.
kwakewii < akewii, chases
(Notice word order: cat after dog)
'Ehatt gaat kunyayvu 'etoo.
I hit the dog that hunted he cat.
'Elymaam kunykuuy kwachekwirrvech henoo.
The child that was teasing the old woman got sick.
kunykuuy < nyekuuy, is an old woman; kwachekwirr < achekwirr, teases, makes fun of
Kwenychekwiivech hekwany kumiivu selyewelyuu.
The old women tickled the baby that cried.
kwenychekwii < nyechekwii, are old (women); kumii < wemii, cries
Hechkullk kethii kusaawvech weshay.
The wolf that ate the gopher was fat.
kusaaw < wesaaw, eats
Hattepaa kunyaaw kunyayvech 'aashaa kwilaaw kwewuuwches.
The coyote that hunted the jackrabbit is the one that saw the mockingbird.
kwewuuw < ewuuw, sees (alternate to kuwuuw)
Making New Words
Kw- nominalization is very useful in making words for things by describing what the thing does. While Kumeyaay has a large arsenal of words to describe actions, it does not place as much emphasis on specific words for objects, leaving it to us to refer to things by saying what they do, often with help from kw- nominalization. In English, we might make up words like "Box-opener" or "tree-decorator". As Ted Couro explains in Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa, "In 'Iipay Aa, made-up words like these are used much more than in English, and you can make them up with any verb you want." Here are examples of such "made-up words", from Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa, the Barona Inter-Tribal Dictionary, and other sources:
English word:
Excavator Boomerang Car Clock Coffee Alcohol Barber Computer Drone City Student Tape recorder |
'Iipay Aa equivalent:
Kuhwall Kupuwk 'Ewaa kunuw 'Enyaa kuknaa 'Ehaa kunyilly 'Ehaa kurap Hellytaa kwaakatt Shuuluk kuumall Kuman shuuluk 'Ewaa kwenyur Skweel kwehap Kwarkwar kweyuuw |
Literal meaning:
Thing that digs Thing that comes back House that runs Thing that tells the time Black water Water that hurts One who cuts hair Electric thing that writes Electric thing that flies Houses that are in a grid One who goes to school Thing that gets the talking |
Verbal origin:
Wehwall, digs Puwk, comes back Wenuw, runs Ukenaa, tells Nyilly, is black Werap, it hurts Aakatt, cuts Uumall, writes Weman, flies Wenyur, is colored, striped Wehap, goes in Weyuuw, gets |
The above terms were formulated by native speakers, and some have entered common usage, while others are more rare. Most terms of this type are not listed in the dictionary, but are created on a daily basis by speakers to meet their needs. This convenient device of word-creation means that Kumeyaay speakers, for the most part, do not need to worry about creating novel words that will be the "official" terms for any given thing in modern life. Rather, they can describe an item's action, make that verb a kw- noun, and use that to refer to the object. Using this method, there are countless ways to refer to the same thing, and there is no need to settle on one "official" or "correct" term.
Words from Regular kw- Nouns
Some kw- nominalized verbs have become so common as nouns that they were given their own entry in the dictionary. Sometimes, but not always, they have a special meaning of their own, other than what you would expect from nominalizing their root verb. Here is a list of kw- nouns that have a regular form based on their root verb:
Word:
kuchkullk kuchuukwar kuhkwany kuhmii kuhmilh kuhunn kumlay kumtiipulp kumtiipuulp kumyulk kunnemii kunyeway kunyilly kunykuuy kurak kusemray kushuuhuup kutnarr kuuchutt kuyaayp kwa'han kwa'hin kwa'hink kwa'stik kway'kuu kwelhup kwellhup kwenychekwii |
Translation:
A hole in something Preacher, speaker Mother, parent Elder, eldest Young man Night Corpse, dead person Orphan Mourners Candy, sweets Mean person Relative, partner Black person Old woman Old man Drunkard Thief Rich person Boss, policeman The wind The truth The other one The lone one The little one The big one Small hole Big hole Old women |
Literal meaning:
That which is a hole through stg. One who gives speeches One who has children One who has grown One who is a young man That which is dark That which is dead One who is poor Ones who are poor That which is sweet One who is mean One who is a friend, relative One who is black One who is an old woman One who is an old man One who is drunk One who is a thief One who has One who orders That which blows That which is good That which is another That which is one That which is little That which is big That which is a small hole That which is a big hole Ones who are old women |
Verbal origin:
Chekullk, is a hole in something Chuukwar, gives a speech Hekwanyp, has a baby Hemii, grows up Hemilh, is young (man) Hunn, it is dark, nighttime Melay, dies, is dead Metiipulp, is poor Metiipuulp, are poor Meyulk, is sweet Nnemii, is mean, gets mad Unyeway, is a friend, relative Nyilly, is black Nyekuuy, is old (woman) Rak, is old (man) Semeray, is drunk Shuuhuup, is a thief Tenarr, has (Spanish tener) Uuchutt, orders Yaayp, the wind blows 'Ehan, is good, true, real, right 'Ehin, is one, another 'Ehink, is one 'Estik, is small 'Iikuu, is big Lehup, is a small hole Llehup, is a big hole Nyechekwii, are old (women) |
Irregular kw- Nouns
Some kw- nouns clearly originate from a particular verb, but have a slightly irregular form that you would not arrive at by simply nominalizing the root verb. Here are some of those words.
Word:
Kuchaan kuchnyaay kuhlaay kuhnoch kullypiiwarp Kumehall Kumeyaay kumulmul kumuw kunychewaay kunychewayp kunyemay kunyewaayp kupilly kushuutuurp kuttap kutuuyaalp kuwach kwarchechaak kwathemii kwelmisp kwenmesaap kwenuur kweyuch tekuwach |
Translation:
Quechan Indians Hunters Person who limps Sick person Hard things to do Mesa Chiquita Western Kumeyaay Ball He who isn't Friends, relatives Those who lived Full-grown girl Very close friend Day Wheel Ravine, creek Boat Him, the one there Old men Elders, grown-ups The hairy one Stars Know-it-all What happens The one there |
Literal meaning:
Those who descended Those who hunt One who limps One who is sick That which can't do it Swampy place Those who are on a cliff? That which is round That which is/does not Those who are friends Those who lived there One who is a full-grown girl One who is a close friend That which is day (bright?) That which turns like a wheel That which tears (the earth) That which is carried by water One which is there Ones who are old men Ones who have grown One which is hairy That which goes all night One who knows That which happens That which is there |
Verbal origin:
Wechan, descends Wenyaaych, they hunt Hiilay, limps Henoo, is sick Llyepuuwar, can't do it Mehall? is swampy Meyay, is steep Mulemul wii, is round like a ball Umaaw, is not Unycheway, are friends Nyechewayp, they live there Nyemay, is full-grown (girl) Unyeway, is a friend Pilpil, flickers, flares Shuutuurrp, turns like a wheel Uuttap, tears Tuuyalp, is carried by water Ewaa, is located Rechak, are old (men) Hetemii, grow up, are grown Lemisp? is hairy, fuzzy Nemesap, goes all night Nur, knows Weyuu, is, happens Tewaa, is there |
kw- Nouns of Unknown Origin
Some nouns beginning with ku- or kw- appear to have originated from verbs, but the original verbs have become obsolete and their meanings lost over time. We can still guess and imagine what some of these verbs might have meant.
Word:
'Aashaa kwilaaw Kuhuy Kuhway Kukapaa kukwaayp kulashaash kuleyuw kullyaattuq kupiihaaw kupilpil kuseyaay kuseyay kusteyay kutalytaly kutruuyp kutyir kwamshaay kway'paay kwellyaattuq kwellyhiiw kweyaaw shuulaw Kweyuuw Huumarr |
Meaning:
Mockingbird (bird that does something...) Luiseño Indians Luiseño Indians Cocopa Indians (may just be an assimilation of their name) Meat, beef, cattle Bluejay ("pretty bird", from 'aashaa/'eshash?) Daylight, is clear (said of water) Meadowlark Fall, Autumn Edge of a precipice, end of something high Medicine man, witch doctor Strong witch Doctors (plural of kuseyaay) His spine Hunchback Priest (may have something to do with their haircut) Shade, protected spot (related to temshaa, shadow?) Chief, captain, judge Meadowlark (alternative to kullyaattuq) Silver, money, coins Type of bird (grabs something?) Name of a culture hero (he gets something, weyuuw) |