A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE ...

3.1.1.1 inashke
In sentence grammar, the interjection command particle inashke ‘look!’ is an
attention-getter, similar to the function of the Japanese interjection word hora ‘look!,
see!, listen!’ (Nakao 1995:93). It also has various truncated forms, e.g. nashke, shke, ke,
inake, ina, or just na. 33 Its function is actually two-fold in that it not only attracts
attention (much like the English hey! would do), but attracts attention to something or
someone as a way of pointing something or someone out. Like its Japanese counterpart,
the linguistic form inashke is not based upon a ‘seeing’ root per se, and is never involved
in the formation of words indicating sight, seeing, or looking. It is purely an attention-
getting word, and may optionally occur with words which denote seeing or hearing. This
usage is demonstrated below, glossed as AT (“attention getter”) for convenience.
(21) Attention-getter nashke (Mille Lacs Sessions)
a) Nashke maakigiyaan.
AT I am healing over
‘Look where I’m healing over!’
b) Nashke bizindan.
AT listen
‘Listen!’
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There might be some doubt whether forms such as inake, or ina, are actually variations of inashke. My
consultants tell me that they are, so I have listed them together here with inashke.
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