Pronouns such as he, she, and it, are nouns that stand in for a noun that has been previously mentioned, called the antecedent. 'Iipay Aa, like English, has pronouns for all three persons, with distinct plural forms. Unlike English, 'Iipay Aa, along with many other Native American languages, uses the same 3rd person pronoun (puu) regardless of whether the antecedent is male, female, or inanimate. That's a relief!
In the charts below, you will first see the most common forms of the pronouns, which are in the nominative case, meaning they are the subject of their clause and use the -ch suffix. To put these pronouns in the accusative case, simply drop the -ch ending. Remember that pronouns are almost always optional in 'Iipay Aa, and should only be used for emphasis or clarification.
In the charts below, you will first see the most common forms of the pronouns, which are in the nominative case, meaning they are the subject of their clause and use the -ch suffix. To put these pronouns in the accusative case, simply drop the -ch ending. Remember that pronouns are almost always optional in 'Iipay Aa, and should only be used for emphasis or clarification.
Person
1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd Person 1st 2nd 3rd 1st 2nd 3rd |
Number
Singular Singular Singular Plural Plural Plural Number Singular Singular Singular Plural Plural Plural |
'Iipay Aa (nominative)
'Enyaach Maach Puuch 'Enyaawapch Menyaawapch Pupch 'Iipay Aa (accusative/bare) 'Enyaa Maa Puu 'Enyaawap Menyaawap Pup |
English (nominative)
I You He/She/It We You (all) They English (accusative) Me You Him/Her/It Us You Them |
Some things to notice:
- The first person pronouns begin with 'e, second person with m-, and third person with p-.
- In the nominative case, all pronouns end in -ch, the nominative suffix.
- The pronoun puu literally means "that". Thus, peyaach/peyaa "this" can also act as a third-person pronoun meaning "he" or "she" in appropriate contexts. Some dialects prefer to use nyip instead of puu.
- 'Enyaa is a homonym with the words for "sun" and "day".
- Do you notice the difference between the nominative and accusative pronouns in English?
Video: Samuel Brown's Explanation
|
In this video Samuel Brown, a Viejas elder who learned from Capitan Grande and Mesa Grande speakers, goes over pronouns as part of his Kumeyaay video series.
Notice how Mr. Brown spells 'enyaa and 'enyaach as inya and inyage, respectively. These demonstrate how the shwa (e) often sounds like an "i" or /ɪ/ when it precedes "ny", and how -ch at the end of a word often sounds like "j" or /d͡ʒ/. Despite the spelling difference, his pronunciation is entirely correct! |
Unlike in Let's Talk 'Iipay Aa, Mr. Brown uses nyip as the 3rd person singular pronoun. Both nyip and puu are acceptable, but may be used in different contexts. While puu is used for things and people far away from both the speaker and audience, nyip is more appropriate for people and things within sight, but closer to the audience than to the speaker. For things close to the speaker, peyaa can be used.
On an unrelated note, Mr. Brown also shares the expression, 'uuch kwa'han. This is comprised of 'uuch, "thing", "something", or in a question, "what"; and kwa'han, "the good one", "(that) which is good", a nominalized form of the verb 'ehan, "it is good". Thus, whereas 'uuch 'ehan is "something/the thing is good", 'uuch kwa'han is "a good thing", with its own colloquial function as explained in the video.
For more from Samuel Brown, visit his website Kumeyaay.org.
On an unrelated note, Mr. Brown also shares the expression, 'uuch kwa'han. This is comprised of 'uuch, "thing", "something", or in a question, "what"; and kwa'han, "the good one", "(that) which is good", a nominalized form of the verb 'ehan, "it is good". Thus, whereas 'uuch 'ehan is "something/the thing is good", 'uuch kwa'han is "a good thing", with its own colloquial function as explained in the video.
For more from Samuel Brown, visit his website Kumeyaay.org.