A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE ...

The initial event in (81a-b) is the grandmother’s volunteering for the weeding. The
resultant event in (81c) is them preparing a lunch the following morning and leaving for
the garden. This resultant event is accented by clitic -sa. The initial volunteering is not
the cause of their departure for the garden, but is the reason for it. The departure
represents a natural consequence emanating from their initial act of volunteering, and it is
this event which is marked by -sa.
3.2.2.1.5 isa as a position strengthener
Mystery particle isa is also used in situations where there is an incongruence
between competing propositions, perspectives, dispositions, or expectations. Many
times, this is an obvious incongruence, and the use of isa in such cases allows the speaker
to project an attitude that their perspective (or propositional content put forth by the
speaker) trumps, challenges, or corrects any challenging perspectives, positions, or
dispositions, and that their position should be the prevailing one, and obviously so. This
function has the effect of ultimately strengthening the speaker’s position. An example of
this is shown by the following example where an Ojibwe man is standing before a judge
to be charged with assault and battery. He misinterprets the judge’s indictment, however,
and offers a defense against that misinterpreted indictment. His defense is accented by
isa (in this case, clitic -sa).
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