Noun Stems ending with a vowel + i

• Nouns ending with -ui
• Nouns ending with -ii

Nouns stems ending with -ui

Noun stems ending with -ui are irregular. The stem and the suffix undergo contraction.

ᒦᒋᒫᐳᐃ miichimaapui (ni) meat broth

0	ᒦᒋᒫᐳᐃ		miichimaapui
0p / 0’p	ᒦᒋᒫᐳᐃᐦ		miichimaapuih
0′	ᒦᒋᒫᐳᔨᐤ		miichimaapuyiu
LOC	ᒦᒋᒫᐳᐦᒡ		miichimaapuhch
DIM	ᒦᒋᒫᐳᔥ		miichimaapush
POSS	ᓂᒦᒋᒫᐳᒻ		nimiichimaapum

Traditionally the plural is not used here.

ᐎᔥᑯᐃ wishkui (na) birch, birchbark

3	ᐎᔥᑯᐃ		wishkui
3p	ᐎᔥᑯᐃᒡ		wishkuich
3′ / 3’p	ᔥᑯᐃᐦ		wishkuih
LOC	ᐎᔥᒀᐦᒡ		wishkwaahch
DIM	ᔥᒀᔑᔥ		wishkwaashish
POSS	ᓂᐎᔥᒀᒻ		niwishkwaam

Nouns stems ending with -ii

Most noun stems ending with -ii keep their -ii in their endings. Others have endings with -aa in them. Some can be said either with -ii or -aa.

ᒥᔥᑯᒥᔒ mishkumishii (ni) mountain ash (rowan) tree

0	ᒥᔥᑯᒥᔒ		mishkumishii
0p / 0’p	ᒥᔥᑯᒥᔒᐦ		mishkumishiih
0′	ᒥᔥᑯᒥᔒᔨᐤ		mishkumishiiyiu
LOC	ᒥᔥᑯᒥᔒᐦᒡ		mishkumishiihch
DIM	ᒥᔥᑯᒥᔒᔥ		mishkumishiish
POSS	ᓂᒧᔥᑯᒥᔒᒻ		nimushkumishiim

ᐅᐦᑎᐎᑮ uhtiwikii (nid) his/her ear

0	ᐅᐦᑎᐎᑮ		uhtiwikii
0p / 0’p	ᐅᐦᑎᐎᑮᐦ		uhtiwikiih
0′	ᐅᐦᑎᐎᑳᔨᐤ		uhtiwikaayiu
LOC	ᐅᐦᑎᐎᑳᐦᒡ		uhtiwikaahch
DIM	ᐅᐦᑎᐎᑳᔥ		uhtiwikaash

• Dependent nouns have two obviative forms. The stem uhtiwikii refers to his/her (own) ear whereas uhtiwikaayiu refers to his/her (someone else’s) ear.
• The word for his/her ear in the Southern Inland dialect is ᐅᐦᑑᑲᐃ uhtuukai : one can still hear the original a of the stem. For other words like ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏ chishaayaakutii , an a only surfaces in the Southern dialect. Click here for more information on this phenomenon.

ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏ chishaayaakutii (ni) bear stomach

			Southern dialect			Northern dialect
0	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏ		chishaayaakutii	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏ		chishaayaakutii
0p / 0’p	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏᐦ		chishaayaakutiih	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏᐦ		chishaayaakutiih
0′	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑖᔫ		chishaayaakutaayuu	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏᔫ		chishaayaakutiiyiu
LOC	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑖᐦᒡ		chishaayaakutaahch	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏᐦᒡ		chishaayaakutiihch
DIM	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑖᔥ		chishaayaakutaash	ᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏᔥ		chishaayaakutiish
POSS	ᓂᒋᔖᔮᑯᑖᒻ		nichishaayaakutaam	ᓂᒋᔖᔮᑯᑏᒻ		nichishaayaakutiim