Nez Perce
Nouns table
| gloss | layer | stem phonology | abs | acc | erg | loc | place of | without | dat | among |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| frog | stem | CVCCVCC | #CC | #CVC | #CVC | #CVC | #CCCVC | #CCCVC | #CC | #CVC |
| cedar | stem | CVCVCVC | #CVC | #CCVC | #CCVC | #CCVC | #CCVC | #CCVC | #CCVC | #CCVC |
| raspberry | stem | CV:CVC | #V:CVC | #CV: | #CV: | #CV:C | #CVC | #CVC | #CVC | #CVC |
| wild rose | stem | CV:CCVC | #V:CCVC | #VCCV:C | #VCCV:C | #VCCV:C | #VCCVCste, | #VCCVCste, | #VCCV:C | #VCCV:C |
| kow-like root | stem | CVCV:t | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| red fir tree | stem | CV:CC | #V:CC | #VC | #VC | #VC | #VCC | #VCC | #VCC | #VCC |
| bitterroot | stem | CVCV:C | #V:C | #V:C | #V:C | #V:C | #VC | #VC | #V:C | #V:C |
| brown bear | stem | CV:CVC | #V:CVC | #V:CVC | #V:CVC | #V:CVC | #VCVC | #VCVC | #VCVC | #VCVC |
| frog | lexeme | CVCCVCC | wex̣wéqt | wex̣weqéne | wex̣weqétpe | wex̣wqenímewex̣wqeníme | wex̣weqt’éyn | wex̣weqetpípem | ||
| cedar | lexeme | CVCVCVC | talátat | taltána | teltétpe | taltaníma | taltatpípam | |||
| raspberry | lexeme | CV:CVC | cé:qet | ceqé:ne | ceqé:tpe | ceqetníme | ceqetpípem | |||
| wild rose | lexeme | CV:CCVC | tá:msas | tamsá:snim | tamsá:spa | tamsasnó:t | tamsa:sáyn | |||
| kow-like root | lexeme | CVCV:t | qeqí:t | qeqí:tne | qeqí:tpe | qeqi:tnút | qeqi:tpípem | |||
| red fir tree | lexeme | CV:CC | pá:ps | papásnim | papspípam | |||||
| bitterroot | lexeme | CVCV:C | łit’á:n | łit’á:nna | łit’annó:t | łit’a:npípam | ||||
| brown bear | lexeme | CV:CVC | yá:kaɁ | yá:kaɁna | yá:kaɁpa | yakaɁníma | yakaɁpípam | |||
| frog | suffix | CVCCVCC | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
| cedar | suffix | CVCVCVC | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
| raspberry | suffix | CV:CVC | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
| wild rose | suffix | CV:CCVC | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
| kow-like root | suffix | CVCV:t | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
| red fir tree | suffix | CV:CC | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
| bitterroot | suffix | CVCV:C | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
| brown bear | suffix | CV:CVC | zero | ne | nim | pe | níma | nút | ’éyn | pípem |
Verbs table
| gloss | layer | 1 sg prs | 2 sg prs | 3 sg prs | 1 pl prs | 2 pl prs | 3 pl prs | 1 sg prf | 2 sg prf | 3 sg prf | 1 pl prf | 2 pl prf | 3 pl prf | 1 sg pst | 2 sg pst | 3 sg pst | 1 pl pst | 2 pl pst | 3 pl pst | 1 sg rec_pst | 2 sg rec_pst | 3 sg rec_pst | 1 pl rec_pst | 2 pl rec_pst | 3 pl rec_pst | 1 sg rem_pst | 2 sg rem_pst | 3 sg rem_pst | 1 pl rem_pst | 2 pl rem_pst | 3 pl rem_pst | 1 sg fut | 2 sg fut | 3 sg fut | 1 pl fut | 2 pl fut | 3 pl fut |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| eat | prefix | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe |
| eat | lexeme | hipíse | hipíse | hi:píse | hipsíːx | hipsíːx | híps | híps | hípe | hípe | pehípe | pehípe | hipehípe | hipsáːqa | hipsáːqa | hipséːne | hipséːne | hipúɁ | hipúɁ | ||||||||||||||||||
| eat | stem | #long | #long | #long | #long | #long | #long | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short |
| eat | suffix | se | se | se | six | six | six | s | s | s | s | s | s | e | e | e | e | e | e | saqa | saqa | saqa | siqa | siqa | siqa | sene | sene | sene | sine | sine | sine | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ |
| see | prefix | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe |
| see | lexeme | hekíce | hekíce | hékin | hékin | héxne | héxne | hakcáːqa | hakcáːqa | hekcéːne | hekcéːne | hexnúɁ | hexnúɁ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| see | stem | #long | #long | #long | #long | #long | #long | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short | #short |
| see | suffix | ce | ce | ce | cix | cix | cix | n | n | n | n | n | n | ne | ne | ne | ne | ne | ne | caqa | caqa | caqa | ciqa | ciqa | ciqa | cene | cene | cene | cine | cine | cine | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ |
| come down | prefix | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe |
| come down | lexeme | teqíːkse | teqíːkse | taqíːksaqa | taqíːksaqa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| come down | stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| come down | suffix | se | se | se | six | six | six | s | s | s | s | s | s | e | e | e | e | e | e | saqa | saqa | saqa | siqa | siqa | siqa | sene | sene | sene | sine | sine | sine | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ | uɁ |
| smell bad | prefix | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | zero | zero | hi | pe | pe | hipe |
| smell bad | lexeme | tíːwece | tíːwece | hití:wece | hití:wecix | tíːwacaqa | tíːwacaqa | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| smell bad | stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem | #stem |
| smell bad | suffix | ce | ce | ce | cix | cix | cix | n | n | n | n | n | n | ne | ne | ne | ne | ne | ne | caqa | caqa | caqa | ciqa | ciqa | ciqa | cene | cene | cene | cine | cine | cine | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ | nuɁ |
Nez Perce notes
Verbs
- The verb paradigm contains a great number of TAM distinctions, only an illustrative portion of which is shown here (based on those TAM values which Aoki (1994) gives to exemplify verb inflection.
- There are two cross cutting lexical distinctions in verbs:
- Suffix class: e.g. hipí-se 'I eat' vs hekí-ce 'I see'.
- Stress class: Verbs are either inherently stressed or unstressed. Stressed verbs maintain fixed stem stress and a constant stem shape throughout their paradigm, while with unstressed verbs stress alternates from stem to suffix (depending on the suffix), and the stem alternates between a long form and short form (either -CV ~ C or CVːi ~ CV).
Nouns
- Stem alternations are largely predictable on the basis of stem phonology and the phonological properties of the suffixes (stressed or unstressed, and whether or not they begin with a voiced resonant, glottal, or voiceless consonant). The forms shown here are what Aoki (1973) gives as representative of the different contexts.
- There is also some phonologically predictable allomorphy of the suffixes, not represented here.
Phonological note
- Vowel harmony is active in both the verbal and nominal system. In the paradigms shown here, the suffix vowel determines harmony on the stem, while with nouns it is the reverse.
References
Aoki, Haruo. 1973. Nez Perce Grammar. (University of California Publications in Linguistics 62). Berkeley: University of California Press.
Aoki, Haruo. 1994. Nez Perce dictionary. (University of California Publications in Linguistics 122). Berkeley: University of California Press.