Verbs: Overview
Verb classes
In Algonquian languages, verbs are classified for the number (i.e. transitive vs. intransitive) and animacy (i.e. animate vs. inanimate) of their arguments. (Bloomfield, 1946; 94-5). This gives us four main groups, shown in the table below. VAI refers to an intransitive verb with a single animate argument. VTA refers to a transitive verb with two animate arguments. VII refers to a transitive verb with an animate subject and an inanimate object; VTI refers to an intransitive verb with a single inanimate argument.
| Intransitive | Transitive | |
|---|---|---|
| Animate | VAI | VTA |
| Inanimate | VII | VII |
Mode
'Mode describes the speaker's attitude toward a situation, including the speaker's belief in its reality, or likelihood.' (Payne, 1997; 244) In each class, there are a variety of different mode's which can be expressed. Most of them can be expressed in different tenses and in the affirmative or negative. Below is a table, based on Pacifique's grammar (as translated in Lesson 10 in Hewson & Francis, 1990), that summarizes these observations using the first conjugation of VAI with third person agreement.
| mode | tense | +/- | teluisi 'name' | gloss |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Indicative | present | + | teluisi-t | 'her/his name is...' |
| - | mu teluisi-wk | 'her/his name isn't...' | ||
| past | + | teluisi-ss/ip/isp | 'her/his name was...' | |
| - | mu teluisi-wksɨp | 'her/his name wasn't...' | ||
| future | + | tluisi-tew | 'her/his name will be...' | |
| - | ma' tluisi-wk | 'her/his name will not be...' | ||
| Imperative | + | tluisi-j | 'let her/his name be...' | |
| - | mu tluisi-wj | 'let her/him not be named...' | ||
| 'When...' (Subjunctive) | present | + | teluisi-jl | 'when her/his name is...' |
| - | mu teluisi-kwl | 'when her/his name isn't...' | ||
| past | + | teluisi-tek | 'when her/his name was...' | |
| - | mu teluisi-kwek | 'when her/his name wasn't...' | ||
| 'If...' (Subjunctive) | present | + | tluisi-j | 'if her/his name is...' |
| - | mu tluisi-wk | 'if her/his name isn't...' | ||
| past | + | tluisi-ss | 'if her/his name was...' | |
| - | mu tluisi-wksɨp | 'if her/his name wasn't...' | ||
| pluperfect | + | tluisi-sn | 'if her/his name had been...' | |
| - | mu tluisi-wksɨpn | 'if her/his name hadn't been...' | ||
| Conditional | present | + | teluisi-ss | 'her/his name would be...' |
| - | mu teluisi-ss | 'her/his name would not be...' | ||
| past | + | teluisi-soqq | 'her/his name would have been...' | |
| - | mu teluisi-soqq | 'her/his name would not have been...' | ||
| Subordinative | wtluisi-n | 'that her/his name is...' | ||