Part of Speech: verb

Begin, start. Suffixes to verb nominalized with -t (mostly the [ˀ] of -ˀuyi does not cause glottalization of the nominalizer): tkʷátatˀuyi ‘start to eat’; tkʷáynptˀuyi ‘go on first hunt’; tk̓ʷanáytitˀuyi ‘begin to walk’; tɨ́x̣ˀuyi ‘make the first kill’; wánatˀuyi ‘start to flow’; wánptˀuyi ‘begin to medicine sing’; wáyx̣titˀuyi ‘start to run’; wát̓uyi ‘go ahead’. See also úyi. [NP /-t̓uyi/ (/-t/ plus /-ˀuyi/).]

Obviative pronominal. The allomorph áw- occurs before vowels. Possessor of subject in intransitive clauses: ana kú áwat̓ix̣ana ‘when his would cook’; ku aw kú ápinawšuwana káła ‘and then his grandmother got herself ready’; k̓ʷáy áwa paamíin táwyanaykt ‘that was their dwelling’; ku áwiyatk̓uka sc̓atmí ‘and theirs was midnight’; ku áwiyanawiya x̣áy tiskayayanmí X̣ʷaamayáy ‘and Skunk’s friend Eagle arrived’; čí áwa tananmaamí tkʷátat ‘this is the Indian’s food’. Direct object in transitive and ditransitive clauses (when subject is 1st or 2nd person): álaaknayišnaš waníčt ‘I have forgotten his name’; áwišnaaš útpas ‘I won the blanket from them’; ana kú tk̓ʷíikʷ ásapsik̓ʷata naamí sɨ́nwit ‘when we teach them our language correctly’; čáwnam mún miyánašna áwawyata ‘you never should whip a child’; anam kú átalax̣itkta miyánašmaaman ‘when you discipline the children’. [NW á-/áw- serves a broader obviative function; NP /ˀe-/; /ˀew-/ before /ˀR/ (R = Resonant).]

Archaic directional. See -na.

Archaic indicative frozen in various suffixes. -aša ‘on, upon’; -ata ‘go for a purpose’; -awa (directive); -ayi (applicative); -ničanwi ‘down’; -ničapa ‘in or into brush’; -ničaša ‘on, upon’; níyawštayma ‘reciprocate with money to one who is receiving a name and from whom a gift has been received’. [NP /-e/.]

Past tense. iwiyánawiya ‘he arrived’; ataš kú ttáwax̣šana kuš áq̓inunx̣ana ‘when we were growing up I used to see them’. [NP /-e/; cf. archaic indicative -a.]

Present perfect. NW Sahaptin. Suffixes to in and un- verbs (Umatilla simply lengthens the in and un in the present perfect). See Table 18.

On, upon. aƛ̓awiyáša ‘pray for, bless’; háašnaša ‘breathe on’; ílapaša ‘lay hands on for healing’; ít̓x̣aša ‘smoke’; káƛ̓inaša ‘spit on’; nɨpáša ‘get back, retrieve’; tamčáša ‘put on, load on’; tíitnaša ‘eject musk on’; yáx̣ikaša ‘pour on’. See also -ša; -ničaša.

Against. See -nanp̓a.

Into brush. cásuničapa ‘drag into brush’; tk̓ʷáwaanikapa ‘walk feeling one’s way into brush’. See also -pa. [NP /-épe/.]

Purposive. patátamanikatata ‘they will go plant them’; ášapalulukatak ‘go nurse him!’; iq̓ínwatax̣amšnaš ‘she comes to see me’; amaš áwaaq̓inwatak ‘go have a look at them!’; kutaš ánč̓ax̣i x̣ʷyáyčatata ‘and we will go sweat again’; áw ánč̓wataša pšɨ́t ‘now his dad’s going to go to bed’; pinátisx̣p̓itkatak ‘go comb your hair!’ ku pawínax̣ana patmaanítax̣ana tmɨ́šna ‘and they used to go to pick the chokecherry’; wɨ́npata ‘go get, fetch’. Reduces to -ta after a vowel: áwna łq̓íwitaša ‘let us go play’; čáwnam mún łq̓íwitata ana kʷná iwá tamicáwas ‘you should never go play where there is a cemetery’; paˀílax̣yawitax̣ana nɨkʷɨ́t kúušx̣i núsux kúušx̣i x̣nít ‘they used to go dry meat and salmon and roots’; paˀanítax̣ana Ímatalamyaw ‘they would go to Umatilla in order to make it’; ášapaˀatayitak lúlukaš ‘go milk (the cow)!’; patáwɨnpayitana tílaaki ‘they went to get him a wife’; ana pmáy pamáwšuwaša x̣nítatyaw ‘they who are getting themselves ready to go root digging’; tkʷáyta ‘throw, throw a spear’. Often occurs with a motion verb (such as wína ‘go’): wínašapam skúulitaša ‘you are going to school’; ku pawínax̣ana patmaanítax̣ana tmɨ́šna ‘and they would go pick the chokecherry’; wínanaataš x̣nítana ‘we went root digging’; kunam páyš wínata x̣nítata kʷaaní ‘and maybe you will go root digging in that direction’; kutaš wínata ánč̓a x̣nítata ‘and we will go digging again’; ačataš kú wínata x̣nɨ́mˀuyiyatata mɨtáłk̓ʷipa ‘because we will go do the first digging on Wednesday’; wáyx̣tix̣ana wɨ́npatax̣a aq̓uwitpamá płɨ́x̣ ‘we run to buy cough medicine’; kʷnáta kú patánakwinata xúlxulmaaman patátamanikatata ‘there then indeed they will haul the trout and plant them’. [NP /-ten/.]

Desiderative. Also -tat̓a. ku čí yáamaš iwayčát̓ašana áw nč̓iwánana ‘and this deer wanted to cross the Columbia River’; áwš wayčát̓ašaykš ‘now I am wanting to cross on over’; ikáwaaluukat̓aša ‘he’s trying to pick it up with his mouth’. See -t̓a.

Directive. ášawašaykšmaš ‘I’m going on in to you (said when entering the sweathouse)’; paˀátawaša paamanáy ‘they are going out to them’; kunamta ičáx̣ɨlpawamta anam kú čɨ́ni iwínata náx̣šyaw hawláakyaw tiičámyaw ‘and he will open it to you when you go from here to a spirit land’; aš kúuš pináˀititamanawašana ‘like I was reading to myself’; ič̓ɨ́škawanaaš ‘he lied to me’; k̓ʷałanáwašamaš ‘I am pleased with you’; kunata kʷaaná ák̓ʷałanawax̣a ‘and we are glad for that’; ana k̓ʷapɨ́n ináčičawaša ƛ̓áax̣ʷ ‘all the aforementioned that he brought to us’; k̓ʷáynaš kúuš itɨmnanáx̣nawax̣ana inmínɨm káłanɨm ‘my grandmother used to tell me stories like that’; kunam patq̓íx̣nawata ‘and they will want you’; kutaš iwínanawaša šuyápunɨm ‘and the whiteman is going to us’; wiyánawiyawašamaš šápniyanat ‘I am coming to ask you’; pápawiyanawiyawax̣ana ‘they used to visit one another’; wáawiyanawiyawamtk ‘come stop in for a while!’; alyáwa ‘wager in stick-game’. [NE -uun; NW -úun; NP /-úu/; probably from indicative -e plus we ‘be’.]

Verbalizer. k̓ɨsáawi ‘be cold’; sapat̓ax̣ináwi ‘measure’; tananáwi ‘keep the traditions’; wiyáalačawi ‘turn around, look back’; wiyánawi ‘arrive’. See also -wi. [NP /-ewi/.]

Applicative. áwnaš ičáx̣ɨlpayišamš ína pčɨ́š ‘he is opening the door for me now’; kuš ƛ̓áax̣ʷ áp̓x̣nayix̣a paamanáy sɨ́nwit ‘and I remember all their words’; kutaš ásapakiikayita paanáy wáwnakʷšaš ‘and we will clean her [the root’s] body’; pankáštkayix̣ana k̓úsina ɨ́mpa ‘they would tie it on the horse’s mouth’; panáyk̓ukayix̣a miyánašna tún ‘they gather things for the baby (a baby shower)’; ásapak̓ʷłtikayik núšnu ‘wipe his nose!’; kúušx̣ina náaman inaknúwiyayiša wáwnakʷšaš čúušnɨm ‘in the same way the water is taking care of our bodies’; áwawtnayitanam tún ‘you should taboo their things’; iwaqítnayišana paanáy pšɨ́t ‘he was looking for his (someone else’s) father’; iq̓ínwayiša pšɨ́t ‘he saw his (someone else’s) father’; iníčayitana k̓ʷapɨ́n ‘he will put away our aforementioned’; watx̣ɨ́nam ím pákʷiyayitax̣na ‘would you do it for me?’. See also -yi. [NE -ayi & NP /-eˀyi/ occur before consonants; NE -ani & NP /-eˀni/ occur before vowels; NW uses only -ani.]

To or from a standing position; inceptive. ámtayk ‘move in with in-laws’ (said of a woman); čáwslayk ‘pull back a bow, aim a gun’; čámx̣ʷlayk ‘lift out of the ground’; č̓ɨ́mnayk ‘bundle to take home’; haywáanayk ‘take a break, go on vacation’; ɨmúnayk ‘stay with one’s in-laws’ (said of a man); šátayk ‘camp together for the purpose of gathering food’; tamápayk ‘roll off’; táwx̣anayk ‘lie on the back’; táwyanayk ‘live, settle down to live’; tkʷápčayk ‘put the hand out’; waláplayk ‘wrap around the braids’; nákwaasikayk ‘stay at home with’; yámuxlayk ‘demolish by flood’. [Cf. áyč (N ayík) ‘sit’, also the NP inceptive /-ík/.]

Out. qáx̣ayt ‘fall out’; x̣nɨ́mayt ‘dig out’. See -nayt.

Palatalized variant of stem marker -k (which see). íłamayč ‘hide’; nákłamayč ‘misguide, lead astray’; páƛ̓ič ‘kill with the hand’; šapálk̓ʷič ‘cover up, bury’; šapáq̓ič ‘attach, tape, hang up’; šáq̓tč ‘plough’; tákʷtč ‘pull weeds, pick flowers’; tamáq̓ič ‘hang up’; támq̓ič ‘hang things over a pole’; tunáqʷtč ‘step on sharp object’; tunáƛ̓ič ‘step on and kill’; tútaƛ̓ič ‘kill by butting with the head’; waníč ‘name’; wáaq̓ič ‘get caught’; wáƛ̓ič ‘club to death’; wax̣íč ‘lay out’; wiláwɨx̣ič ‘blow down’; wiyáłamayč ‘be lost on the way’; yálk̓ʷič ‘cover with water, flood’; tɨx̣nɨmk̓icáwas ‘stirrup’. A stem final č mutates to t before š: iwáyča ‘he crossed’; iwáytša ‘he is crossing’. [N -k; NP /-k/.]

Translocative directional. Palatalized form. See -kik. wɨšáčič ‘move on’.

Transitivizer. íkiik ‘clean’; ímiik ‘tan’; ímuyk ‘wring out and stretch’; ítk̓ʷk ‘straighten’; ítux̣ ‘take back’; íwayk ‘trap, catch’. Without -k: íkkmi ‘fill’; ílac̓muyn ‘warm up’; ílapaša ‘lay hands on for healing’; ílax̣yawi ‘dry’; ílax̣ʷayx̣ ‘heat’; ílwi ‘testify, confess’; ínaq̓i ‘finish’; ínaat̓i ‘cook’; ínawi ‘try, test’; íniix̣i ‘fix’; ípuxpuxi ‘spread around’; íqaax̣ta ‘pour into’; ísx̣ɨx̣n ‘infuriate, make angry’; ítux̣ ‘take back, return’; ítwa ‘mix’; ít̓x̣aša ‘smoke’; íƛ̓aapn ‘lost out on’; íƛ̓iyawi ‘kill’; íƛ̓ɨmux̣i ‘cover’; íyatna ‘kill’; íyaƛ̓pi ‘wet, moisten’; íyawa ‘drive away’. With -k: íc̓ik ‘sweeten’; ík̓uk ‘pile’; ík̓ʷaank ‘spoil, give constant attention’; íluk ‘build a fire’; íłamayč ‘hide’; íłik ‘bother’; íšq̓uk ‘rub on grease, anoint’; íšwik ‘reciprocate on the Indian trade’; íqʷik ‘perfume’; ítk̓ʷɨk ‘straighten’; ítyak̓uk ‘crowd’; íx̣alk̓uk ‘give a sudden scare’. [NP /hí-/.]

Third person nominative pronominal. iwačá ‘he/she/it was’; iwínaša pt̓íits ‘the girl is going’; iwiyánawiya wínš ‘the man arrived’; iwáp̓aša tílaaki ‘the woman is weaving’; iq̓ínuša wawúkyana ‘he/she sees the elk’; iq̓ínušaaš wawúkyanɨm ‘the elk sees me’; ku ipápaničɨnx̣ana ana mɨná ‘and they would bury one another anywhere’. [NP /hi-/.]