Plains Cree: A Grammatical Study - Computer Science Club

36 WOLFART: PLAINS CREE
[TRANS. AMER. PHIL. SOC.
kikway 'what sort; what' always functions predica- thing I follow (TI 1) is . . .; nothing else'; T105p12
tively; it is never used as a modifier (nor is it modified; e-ki-wayesimiskik nanatohk kikwayak 'all sorts of
contrast 4.32). It may occur by itself, as part of an things (3p) are tricking you (3p-2)'; T131-4 wiya
equational clause, or as a dependent clause. T2-4 kahkiyaw kikway e-k~-wayesihtahk . . . 'For he used
kikwaya kiya. 'What kind (3) are you?' P116-38 to trick (TI 3) everything . . .'; T15p74 pitos kikway
ekosi mdka kikwayak oki. 'But now, what sort (3p) 'something different'; T13p29 peyak kikway 'one
are they?' T58-4 wiya e-mosci-kitapamdt, moy kehci- thing.'
nahow kzkwaya. 'But since he looked at him (3-(3')) Modified by participial clause: T15p74 kikway
plainly (without telescope) he was not sure (3) what e-cimdsik kikway. 'Something short.'
he (3') was'; T10p22 ahpo aya, kikway mdna kiyawdw In composition: T72p14 maci-kikway 'something
kt-dpacihtdndwdw. 'or, what do you all use?' P304-36 bad'; T73p24, T102p9 mayi-kikway 'something bad';
kikwayih te-miciyahk? 'What are we to eat?' S8-45 neo kakway kih-miyew . . . 'four things he had
The interrogative stem kikw- also occurs in deriva- given them (3-(3'))'; T104p7 ndntaw newo-kikway es
tion, e.g., (T1-4, T87-5, T108-5, 6) kikwdhtikowiw anima kd-miydt, . . . 'And four things is what he
'what kind of tree is he?'
had given them (3-(3')) ...'
4.322.
4.32. kikway also enters into phrasal combination
kikway 'something'
with certain particles and these phrases, as units, are
kikway 'something, a thing, an entity':
then used as modifiers, e.g., T103p8 nandtohk kikway
Jhi
3
ayisiyiniwa 'all sorts of these (3') people (3').'
Thus, it is used with the
3p kikwayak
question marker ci in
3' kikwaya
introducing questions which are either completely
0
neutral or
kikway, kikwayi
negatively oriented; T4p16 kikway ci ohci
maskocisihk ekota
Op ()P kikwaya
aydwak? 'Were there (3p) any
from Hobbema there?' T20p139 kikway ci wiyaso-
Although there is some overlap, kikway is comple- wewin ihtakon? 'Is there (0) any law?' kikway ci
mented, in the animate forms, by awiyak 'someone' kocawakanis kihaydn? 'Do you have (AI 2) a
(4.42). For their semantic characterization see 4.422. match?'
The syntactic function of kikway has been analyzed Most typically, however, kikway combines with the
only in a highly tentative fashion; to facilitate the negators nama, namoya or eka (depending on the
construction of alternative hypotheses, a large number order of the verb; cf. 5.3). nama kikway may, of
of examples are given below.
course, mean 'nothing' e.g., T58-2 . .. .-ayitdpit,
4.321. Like all pronouns which are not purely nama kikway. '. . . when he looked around, nothpredicative,
kikway may function as a noun-substitute; ing'; T121-3 nitonikewak, nama kikway. 'They
however, it assumes this role more completely than looked (for them), nothing'; T80plO nama kikway
the other pronouns. Thus, it may not only be ohtahtam. 'He didn't get anything to eat from there.'
modified by other pronouns, particles, and participial As a phrase, however, nama kikway or ekd kikway
clauses but actually enter into composition (6.5) means 'not,' 'not at all,' 'not any,' etc.; note that the
with pre-noun particles and numerals. In this substi- members of the phrasal unit do not have to be contute
function it also has some animate forms, e.g., tiguous. nama kikway or eka kikway are used
T509p47 kikwayak oki 'these things (3p)'; T105p12 primarily to modify verbal or nominal expressions
e-kZ-wayesimiskik nandtohk kikwayak 'all sorts of (but nama kikway may also function as a predication;
things (3p) are tricking you (2).' (In these various 4.323).
uses as well as in those described in 4.322 below, Modifying a nominal expression: T120-5 nama
kikway greatly resembles the English morpheme thing: kikway matokahp ahpo ta-nanokwaniyik, . . . 'not
a thing, not a thing, something, anything, nothing, etc.) even a trace of the campsite (0) could be seen (0'),
Unmodified: T58-10 moy konta oma ka-ki-miyin ...'; T10p78 namoya mina pakahkam aya kikway
kskway 'not in vain did you give me (2-1) something'; osk-dya wdskahikana e-wi-osihtdhk semak. 'They
T120-1 ta-nipahtamawacik kikway 'for you to kill (indf) are not going to build any new (Op) houses (Op)
something for them (2-3p).'
right away, I don't think (pakahkam).'
Modified by other pronouns: T58-10 ekoni ohi Modifying a verbal expression: T58-8 nama kikway
kikwaya etokwe, atayohkana 'these (3') things (3') pehow. 'he didn't wait at all'; T9p3 . . ., wiy ekdya
there, well, dream spirits (3')'; T58-15 eyakw dnima kikway e-ospitonit. '. .., because he had no arms
kikway 'this sort of thing (0)'; T55pll anohc moy left.'
kikiskeyihtendnaw kikway eyakw dnima . . . 'today 4.323. Finally, nama kikway may function as a
we don't know (TI 21) that (0) . . .'; T131-3 5hi verb-substitute with the meaning 'be gone, not be
kikwaya mistikwa 'these different sticks (Op).' here any more'; (cf. also Bloomfield, 1934: p. 284).
Modified by particles: T105p14 nayestaw kikwayi In this function nama kTkway closely parallels awinipan
e-pimitisahamdn . . .; moy kotak kikway. 'The only (4.123), e.g., T56p3 mdk ekwa, nama kikway ekoni