A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE ...

naa has the force of the English looks like. This evidentiary function can be seen in the
following utterance made by one of my consultants about someone who looked really
tired at the conclusion of one of our meetings.
(118) Evidentiary function of naa (Mille Lacs Sessions)
Gegapi naa da-nibaa.
finally looks like will sleep
‘She’s finally [naa] gonna go to sleep.’
The person my consultant was referring to was leaned back in her chair, with her eyes
closed, acting like she was tired and sleepy. There was visible relief on the part of that
person that we had ended our meeting (as we usually ended late in the evening). Upon
seeing this, one of my consultants makes the deduction in (118), accenting it with naa.
This usage is not a hedge, since the speaker is not trying to distance herself from her
proposition; rather, the speaker is making a deductive statement based upon visible
evidence, i.e. leaning back in a chair, tired demeanor, etc.
This usage can also be seen in the following utterance made by a consultant’s mother
in regards to some kids she saw playing outside in the sun all day. She states that the kids
are getting darker and darker from being out in the sun all day.
(119) Evidentiary function of naa
Genapii naa ani-makadewaasowag ongow.
as time goes by looks like they are getting dark these
‘They are getting darker as time goes by.’
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