14 Plural adjectives and verbs
Adjectives and verbs in Mvskoke often indicate how many individuals are involved in a sentence.
- Some adjectives and verbs have a two-way distinction based on whether the subject is SINGULAR (for one) or PLURAL (for two or more).
- Heyv pvkanvt cvmpēt os.
- This peach is sweet.
- singular subject
- Heyv pvkanvt cvmcvpēt os.
- These peaches are sweet.
- plural subject
- Other verbs may have a three-way distinction based on whether the subject is SINGULAR (for one), DUAL (for two), or TRIPLURAL (for three or more).
- Efv hvmket arvtēs.
- One dog was about (long ago).
- singular subject
- Efv hokkolet welakvtēs.
- Two dogs were about (long ago).
- dual subject
- Efv tuccēnet fullvtēs.
- Three dogs were about (long ago).
- triplural subject
- The most common way to indicate a plural subject is with the suffix -vk (which changes in different grades to -ak, -ahk, or -ąk).
- Mv honvnwvt hompes.
- The man is eating.
- singular subject
- Mv honvntaket hompakes.
- The men are eating.
- plural subject
- Some verbs also have different forms for a singular or plural direct object.
- Nokosen elēcvtēs.
- He/she killed the bear (long ago).
- singular object
- Nokosen pvsatvtēs.
- He/she killed the bears (long ago).
- plural object
- When verbs have different forms for plural subjects, the singular will be used for commands to one, and the plurals will be used for commands to two, two or more, or three or more.
- liketv / kaketv / vpoketv
- ‘to sit (singular / dual / triplural)’
- likvs! / kakvks! / vpokvks!
- ‘sit (to one / two / three or more)!’
- Similarly, the singular verb will be used for singular persons, and the plural forms will be used for plural persons.
Plural verb conjugations
- liketv / kaketv / vpoketv
- ‘to sit (singular / dual / triplural)’
- first person singular
- likis
- second person singular
- liketskes
- third person singular
- likes
- first person dual / triplural
- kakēs / vpokēs
- second person dual / triplural
- kakatskes / vpokatskes
- third person dual / triplural
- kakakes / vpokakes
Plural adjectives
Adjectives have different forms for singular or plural subjects. The plural forms are also used when modifying a noun that is understood to be plural. There are four ways of forming a plural adjective.
- A few adjectives have completely different forms in the singular and plural.
Singular (1):
Plural (2+):
- cutkē
- ‘small’
- lopockē
- ‘small (of two or more)’
- elē
- ‘dead’
- pvsvtkē
- ‘dead (of two or more)’
- kvckē
- ‘snapped, broken’
- kvcēkē
- ‘snapped, broken (of two or more)’
- Some adjectives form plurals with -ho-. The roots often end in a double consonant.
- enokkē
- ‘sick’
- enokhokē
- ‘sick (of two or more)’
- hiyē
- ‘hot’
- hihoyē
- ‘hot (of two or more)’
- holattē
- ‘blue’
- holathoyē
- ‘blue (of two or more)’
- honnē
- ‘heavy’
- honhoyē
- ‘heavy (of two or more)’
- kvsvppē
- ‘cold’
- kvsvphoyē
- ‘cold (of two or more)’
- Some adjectives form plurals by copying the first consonant and vowel of the root (C1V1). The roots of these adjectives generally end in two different consonants. The C1V1 copy appears before the last consonant of the root.
- hvtkē
- ‘white’
- hvthvkē
- ‘white (of two or more)’
- cekfē
- ‘thick’
- ekcefē
- ‘thick (of two or more)’
- cetakkē
- ‘torn up’
- cetakcekē
- ‘torn up (of two or more)’
- cvmpē
- ‘sweet’
- cvmcvpē
- ‘sweet (of two or more)’
- cvpkē
- ‘long’
- cvpcvkē
- ‘long (of two or more)’
- fvckē
- ‘full’
- fvcfvkē
- ‘full (of two or more)’
- fvmpē
- ‘stinky’
- fvmfvpē
- ‘stinky (of two or more)’
- hopvnkē
- ‘broken’
- hopvnhokē
- ‘broken (of two or more)’
- hvokē
- ‘open’
- hvohvkē
- ‘open (of two or more)’
- hvsvtkē
- ‘clean’
- hvsvthvkē
- ‘clean (of two or more)’
- kvrpē
- ‘dry’
- kvrkvpē
- ‘dry (of two or more)’
- lekvcwē
- ‘dirty’
- lekvclewē
- ‘dirty (of two or more)’
- leskē
- ‘old (of a thing)’
- leslekē
- ‘old (of two or more things)’
- lowakē
- ‘flexible’
- lowalokē
- ‘flexible (of two or more)’
- lowvckē
- ‘soft’
- lowvclokē
- ‘soft (of two or more)’
- lvokē
- ‘deep (of water)’
- lvolvkē
- ‘deep (of two or more)’
- lvpotkē
- ‘straight’
- lvpotlvkē
- ‘straight (of two more)’
- lvstē
- ‘black’
- lvslvtē
- ‘black (of two or more)’
- rakkē
- ‘big’
- rakrvkē
- ‘big (of two or more)’
- sufkē
- ‘deep (of a hole)’
- sufsukē
- ‘deep (of two or more holes, etc.)’
- tvnkē
- ‘empty’
- tvntvkē
- ‘empty (of two or more)’
- tvphē
- ‘wide’
- tvptvhē
- ‘wide (of two or more)’
- vcakē
- ‘precious’
- vcacvkē
- ‘precious (of two or more)’
- wvnhē
- ‘hard’
- wvnwvhē
- ‘hard (of two or more)’
- yomockē
- ‘dark’
- yomocyokē
- ‘dark (of two or more)’
- Most roots that copy C1V1 in the plural end in Ck (where “C” is a consonant). In fact, some adjectives ending in kC switch the last two consonants to Ck so that k will be after the copy.
- cufoknē
- ‘pointed’
- cufuncokē
- ‘pointed (of two or more)’
- cvfeknē
- ‘healthy’
- cvfencvkē
- ‘healthy (of two or more)’
- poloksē
- ‘round’
- polospokē
- ‘round (of two or more)’
- tvpeksē
- ‘flat’
- tvpestvkē
- ‘flat (of two or more)’
- The last way to form plural adjectives is to use the suffix -vk. Adjectives ending in a single consonant usually form plurals this way.
- catē
- ‘red’
- catvkē
- ‘red (of two or more)’
- elvwē
- ‘hungry’
- elvwvkē
- ‘hungry (of two or more)’
- hoporrenē
- ‘smart’
- hoporrenvkē
- ‘smart (of two or more)’
- hotosē
- ‘tired’
- hotosvkē
- ‘tired (of two or more)’
- lanē
- ‘green, yellow, brown’
- lanvkē
- ‘green, yellow, brown (of two or more)’
- nockelē
- ‘sleepy’
- nockelvkē
- ‘sleepy (of two or more)’
- wvnhkē
- ‘thirsty’
- wvnhkvkē
- ‘thirsty (of two or more)’
- yekcē
- ‘strong’
- yekcvkē
- ‘strong (of two or more)’
Verbs with plural subjects
Some verbs are like adjectives in having a two-way distinction in forms used for singular and plural subjects.
Singular:
Plural:
- eletv
- pvsvtketv
- ‘(1/2+) to die’
- opunvyetv
- opunahoyetv
- ‘(1/2+) to talk’
- tiyetv
- tihoyetv
- ‘(1/2+) to ache’
- vpiketv
- vtehketv
- ‘(1/2+) to get inside’
It’s more common, however, for verbs to have a three-way distinction between singular, dual, and triplural subjects. Verbs describing position (‘sit’, ‘stand’, ‘lie’) or movement (‘go’, ‘come’) frequently make these distinctions.
- Singular:
- Dual:
- Triplural:
- ecēyetv
- ecēhoyetv
- escēyetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go in’
- fiketv
- fihoketv
- fvyecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to turn’
- folotketv
- folothoketv
- folotecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to turn around’
- hoyvnetv
- hoyvnhoyetv
- hoyvnecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to pass by’
- hueretv
- sehoketv
- svpakletv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to stand up’
- hvkihketv
- hvkihhoketv
- hvkahecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to cry’
- hvtvpketv
- hvtvphoketv
- hvtvpecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go down’
- letketv
- tokurketv
- pefatketv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to run’
- liketv
- kaketv
- vpoketv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to sit down’
- lvtketv
- yurketv
- pvlvtketv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to fall’
- nucetv
- nuchoyetv
- nucicetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to sleep’
- ossetv
- oshoyetv
- sossetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go out’
- pihketv
- pihhoketv
- pahecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to whoop’
- solotketv
- solothoketv
- solotecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to slide’
- somketv
- somhoketv
- somecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to be lost’
- tasketv
- tashoketv
- tasecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to jump’
- tiketv
- tihoketv
- tvyecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go across water’
- tvmketv
- tvmhoketv
- tvmecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to fly’
- vcemketv
- vcemhoketv
- vcemecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to climb’
- vlvketv
- vlahoketv
- yicetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to arrive’
- vretv
- welvketv
- fulletv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go about’
- vtetv
- vthoyetv
- vwetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to come’
- vyetv
- vhoyetv
- vpeyetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go’
- wakketv
- wakhoketv
- lomhetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to lie down’
- wohketv
- wohhoketv
- wohecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to bark’
- (no singular)
- wolketv
- wolecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go outside’
- ’yefolketv
- ’yefolhoketv
- ’yefolecetv
- ‘(1/2/3+) to go back’
Note that with many of the three-way verbs above, the dual includes –ho and the triplural includes –ec.
- Other verbs generally use a suffix -vk to indicate a plural subject.
- hecetv
- ‘to see, look’
- hecvketv
- ‘to see, look’ (of two or more)’
- eyacetv
- ‘to want’
- hecvketv
- ‘to want (of two or more)’
- hompetv
- ‘to eat’
- hompvketv
- ‘to eat (of two or more)’
- The plural suffix -vk becomes -ak in the lengthened grade, -ahk in the aspirating grade, and –ąk in the nasalizing grade.
- hecetv ‘to see, look’
- hec- + lgr. + -es
- →
- hēces
- ‘he/she sees, is looking’
- hec- + -vk + lgr. + -es
- →
- hecakes
- ‘they see, are looking’
- hec- + hgr. + -es
- →
- hehces
- ‘he/she saw it (today/last night)’
- hec- + -vk + hgr. + -es
- →
- hecahkes
- ‘they saw it (today/last night)’
It is easy to confuse plural -vk with impersonal agent -vk. Impersonal agent -vk is in the same slot as the agent markers, though, and does not change in different grades.
Verbs with plural objects
- Verbs that take direct objects sometimes specify whether the direct object is singular or plural.
- Singular object:
- Plural object:
- elēcetv
- pvsvtetv
- ‘to kill (1/2+)’
- cutecicetv
- lopocecicetv
- ‘to make (1/2+) small’
- hvtvpecicetv
- hvtvphuecetv
- ‘to make (1/2+) step down’
- kvcetv
- kvcēyetv
- ‘to snap (1/2+)’
- esetv
- cvwetv
- ‘to take (1/2+)’
- solotecicetv
- solothuecetv
- ‘to make (1/2+) slide’
- somecicetv
- somhuecetv
- ‘to lose (1/2+)’
- tvmecicetv
- tvmhuecetv
- ‘to make (1/2+) fly, flush’
- vpiketv
- vtehetv
- ‘to put (1/2+) inside’
- ’yefulecicetv
- ’yefulhuecetv
- ‘to make (1/2+) go back’
- Some verbs make a three-way distinction between a singular object, dual object, and triplural object.
- huericetv
- sehoyetv
- svpaklēcetv
- ‘to stand (1/2/3+), make stand’
- letecicetv
- tokurhuecetv
- pefatecicetv
- ‘to run off (1/2/3+)’
- licetv
- kayetv
- vpoyetv
- ‘to set, seat (1/2/3+)’
- ossicetv
- oshuecetv
- sossicetv
- ‘to let (1/2/3+) go out, put out’
- wvkecetv
- wakhokicetv
- lumhicetv
- ‘to lay (1/2/3+)’
Many of these are formed by adding -ec or -ecic ‘cause, make’ to a more basic verb form.
- With verbs like these, it is usually necessary to keep track of number in the subject as well as the direct object.
- Nokosen elēcvtēs.
- He/she killed the bear (long ago).
- singular subject and object
- Nokosen pvsatvtēs.
- He/she killed the bears (long ago).
- singular subject, plural object
- Nokosen elēcakvtēs.
- They killed the bear (long ago).
- plural subject, singular object
- Nokosen pvsvtakvtēs.
- They killed the bears (long ago).
- plural subject, plural object
