16 terms are second position modals

=akut

Hearsay. iwínašaakut ‘they say he is going’; páyknaakut ‘they say he heard him’; ímnamtaakut áwapaatata ‘they say you should indeed help him’; k̓sɨ́takut iwá čúuš ‘they say the water is cold’; kúukakut iwá ‘they say it will be then’.

=ata

Certainty. See also =ta. kʷata kú míš ku páp̓x̣ta kʷaaná ‘and indeed then however he will remember that’; kac̓áxata kʷná pawá Wawatawyáyma ‘indeed the Antelopes are there’.

=kut

Hearsay. See =akut.

Certainty

=ta ‘indeed’.

Evidential

=x̣aš.

Evidently

=x̣a (epistemic modality).

Hearsay

=kut ~ =akut (hearsay modality).

Indeed

=ta (expression of certainty).

Instead

=tya (mild contrast).

-tax̣na

Definition:

Be able to, can, should.

Function:

Conditional.

Attach to verbs directly. Cannot be used with tense within the same verb. new info

Examples:

  1. Abilitative (‘can, could’):
    1. tkʷátat paˀanítax̣na ‘they could prepare food’;
    2. pašapáp̓x̣tax̣nanam paamanáy ‘they can cause you to remember them’;
    3. anam kʷɨ́nki pašapálaliwatax̣na ‘with that which they could make you lonely’;
    4. kunata kú mayní ásapsik̓ʷatax̣na miyánašmaaman sɨ́nwit ‘and then some way we can teach the children the language’;
    5. čáwnam mún áwaawayčtax̣na kʷaaná wáašna ‘you can never run across that sacred ground’;
    6. ana kú čáw miyánašma pawínatax̣na súlcasyaw ‘when the children cannot go to the army’;
    7. iwɨ́nptux̣tax̣nanam paamikníin ‘he could get you back from them’;
    8. átq̓ix̣šanaaš paamanáy pawínatax̣na ‘I wanted them to go’;
    9. páyš iwínax̣amtax̣na káas čɨ́ni wánakni ‘if only the train could run on this side of the river’;
    10. átq̓ix̣šanaaš iwilawíix̣tax̣na ‘I wanted him to race’.
  2. Counterfactual conditional (suffixes to the verb in both clauses):
    1. páyšnaš wínatax̣na ‘if only I had gone’;
    2. páyšnaš wátax̣na x̣ax̣áykʷ inmípa apápa kuš kúuk q̓ínutax̣na ‘if I had the money in my hand then I would see’;
    3. páyšnaš wínatax̣na kuš átux̣ʷnatax̣na ɨwínatna ‘if I had gone I would have shot the deer’;
    4. kúuk itx̣ánatax̣nay tíin ku palaláay tkʷátat átx̣anatax̣nay ‘had the person stayed then there would be lots of food’ (Jacobs 1937:3.7.5, pg. 5).

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[NW -tax̣nay; NP /-oˀqa/, /-t-ˀaq/.]

=tx̣a

Maybe. áwnaš tx̣á wɨtɨ́wanpta łwáyki ‘now maybe I shall sing in a low tone while doing it’ (Jacobs 1929:184:5–6); áwtx̣a iwáta lɨ́x̣stya łk̓ʷí ‘now there will be but a single day’ (Jacobs 1937:1.3.3, pg. 1); míšnamtx̣ata kú wáanaynačtux̣šamš ‘how might you then be running back inside?’.

=tya

Mildly contrastive. kuna iwíniča maanmáan kutyana wá ƛ̓áax̣ʷ pánaymuni ‘and he placed each of us wherever but we are all related’; ana kúuš tún ttɨ́x̣š iwá kutya kʷaaná patáwaničɨnx̣a saxísaxi ‘it is like a willow but they call that one saxísaxi‘; máysxk̓atya kú aw kú iwínana ‘tomorrow then he went’; kutyana wá ƛ̓áax̣ʷ áx̣ʷay pánaymuni nč̓ínč̓ikni ttáwax̣tkni ‘but we are all still related from the ancient pedigrees’; áwtya ixʷsáatwi ‘he’s really gotten old’; kʷyáamtya áw čikúuk iwá xʷɨ́saat ‘truly he’s an old man now today’; áwtya iwá łmáma q̓ínupa páyš payúwitki iwá ‘she really looks old now, maybe she has a sickness’; áwtyamaš áw č̓ɨ́škawašana ‘but now I was lying to you’; kutyataš wá nɨ́ma tanánma ‘but we are Indians’; tumíintya áwača wátisas ‘but of what else was the rope [made]?’; niix̣níintyana pápaq̓inuun ‘very good we have seen one another’; kutyaš aw kú átx̣unx̣a imikíin ‘but then I worry about you’; kutya kʷná aníya čɨ́mti níit ‘but he made a new house there’; áwtyanam ímč̓a wáta x̣nít ‘but now you also will be a root’; mayktúnɨx̣tya k̓ʷáy iwá tkʷátat íiš ‘more different yet is that cow parsnip food’; íkʷɨntyamaš aƛ̓áwiša ‘rather I am asking you for that’; kutya čáw áwa luˀlúˀ pašx̣ašmí ‘but the sunflower’s [leaves] are not shiny’. [NE =ča; cf. NP /ˀetiye/ ‘always, to such a degree, ever’.]

Rather

=tya (mild contrast).

Truly

=ta ‘indeed’.

=x̣a

Epistemic possibility. áwx̣ana páyu at̓úk iníša px̣ʷípx̣ʷi šuyápunɨm ‘the white man is giving us very serious worries now’; kúušx̣ata páˀɨnna ‘he surely told him thusly’; šínɨmx̣anam ip̓ɨ́x̣ɨn ‘who has remembered you?’ (said when someone sneezes); kux̣aaš pasápsik̓ʷaša ‘and maybe they are teaching me’; áwx̣anam px̣ʷíša ‘now evidently you are thinking…’ (Jacobs 1937:16.24.1, pg. 33).

=x̣aš

Evidential. ku payíkɨnx̣ana míimi: áwx̣aš át̓iša tmɨ́š ‘and long ago they used to hear: the chokecherry must be ripening now’; áw šnɨ́m át̓i áwx̣aš pináwšuwaan wíwnu ‘now the Thornberry has ripened, now the huckleberry must have gotten herself ready’; iqáluša yúuku áwx̣aš paˀílkʷša ‘suddenly it is burning yonder—they must be setting fire now’; k̓sɨ́tx̣aš iwá čúuš ‘the water must be cold’; ana kú šnɨ́m át̓ix̣a ku kúuk paˀɨ́nx̣ana áwx̣aš waykáanaš itúninɨmta wánapa ‘when the thornberry ripens then they used to say, “now evidently the fish will come up the river’; pawšáčičax̣aš k̓ʷáy C̓smalpálma ‘the C̓smalpáls must have moved on’.