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(61) Relative element izhi
a) Relative root iN- (Clark 1998:8, audio)
…odinaan giiwenh mii iw gaa-initang
he tells him apparently DP that how he heard it
‘…he tells him how he heard it.’
b) Relative preverb izhi- (Mille Lacs Sessions)
Aanawi-go minobii’igaadeni mazina’igan, gaawiin dash izhi-nibwaakaasiin.
even though it is written good resume not but s/he is not that smart
‘Even though he’s got a good resume, he’s not as smart as he says he is.’
There is a rather peculiar syntactical feature that relative roots exhibit that is worth
mentioning here, since it will prove to be relevant later on when the use of plain conjunct
verbs within discourse is discussed. In certain environments, when relative roots (relative
preverbs as well) are present within the verb itself or within the verbal complex of verbs
inflected in the conjunct, the mere presence of the relative root or preverb appears to
invoke the use of initial change either on the verb itself, or on the verbal complex as a
whole. 51 This tendency was also noticed by Valentine for Odaawaa, a dialect of Ojibwe
(see Valentine 2001: 960 where he notes this in regards to verbs within mii-clauses: “If
the verb contains a relative root, it usually shows changed conjunct”). An example of
this process is shown in the following examples.
51
Initial change is an ablaut process which changes, mutates, replaces, or alters the initial vowel of a
conjunct verb (see Bloomfield 1958:23, Nichols 1980:146-148, Mithun 1999:41).
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