Absentative Pronouns

Observation

ᐊᓂᔮ ᓅᐦᑯᒻ᙮

aniyaa nuuhkum.

My late grandmother.

The absentative pronoun is made up of the demonstrative pronoun ᐆ uu or ᐊᓐ an plus a suffix. The ᐆᔮ uuyaa set is used for living humans who are unexpectedly absent, while the ᐊᓂᔮ aniyaa set is used primarily for deceased people.

Absentative Pronouns: Set One

	Proximate				Obviative
	singular		plural		singular		plural
Animate		ᐅᔮ		ᐅᔮᐦᑳ		ᐅᔮᐦ		ᐅᔮᐦ
		uuyaa		uyaahkaa		uyaah		uyaah
Inanimate		ᐊᓂᔮ		ᐊᓂᔮᐦᑳ		ᐊᓂᔮᐦ		ᐊᓂᔮᐦ
		aniyaa		aniyaahkaa		aniyaah		aniyaah

Examples:

ᓂᒋᔅᒋᓰᑐᑎᐧᐋᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᓅᐦᑯᒻ᙮		nichischisiitutiwaau aniyaa nuuhkum.	I remember my late grandmother.
ᐄᔑ ᑖᓂᑖᐦ ᐄᔖᑳ ᐃᔨᐦᑖᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᓂᑎᐧᐋᔑᔒᒻ᙮		iishi taanitaah iishaakaa iyihtaau aniyaa nitiwaashishiim.	I wonder where my (lost) child is?
ᒋᔅᒋᓰᑐᑎᐧᐋᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐅᐦᑯᒻ᙮		chischisiitutiwaau aniyaah uhkumh.	S/he remembers his/her late grandmother.
ᓂᒥᐦᑖᑖᓐ ᐊᓂᔮ ᓂᒥᓯᓂᐦᐄᑭᓐ᙮		nimihtaateaan aniyaa nimisinihiikin.	I miss my book. (the book is gone, lost, or burned…)
ᒥᐦᑖᑕᑎᒻ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐅᒥᓯᓂᐦᐄᑭᓐ᙮		mihtaatim aniyaa umisinihiikin.	S/he misses his/her book. (the book is gone, lost, or burned…)
ᒥᐦᑖᑎᐧᔓᐤ ᐊᓂᔮ ᐅᐦᑖᐧᐄᐦ ᐅᒥᓯᓂᐦᐄᑭᓂᔨᐤ᙮		mihtaatimwaau aniyaa uhtaawiih umisinihiikiniyiu.	S/he misses his/her father’s book. (the book is gone, lost, or burned…)

To talk about objects that just disappeared (when you expect them to be there but they are not), there is another absentative pronoun ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ aaukwaanaayaa.

ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ ᓂᑎᔅᒡ᙮		aaukwaanaayaa  nitisch.	My mitten is gone!
ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮᐦᑳ ᓂᑎᔅᒋᓯᒡ᙮		aaukwaannaayaahkaa nitischisich.	My mittens have gone!

Absentative Pronouns: Set Two

	Proximate				Obviative
	singular		plural		singular		plural
Animate		ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ		ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮᐦᑳ		ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ		ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ
		aaukwaanaayaa		aaukwaannaayaahkaa		aayiwikwaanaa		aayiwikwaanaa
Inanimate		ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮ		ᐋᐅᐧᑳᓈᔮᐦᑳ		ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ		ᐋᔨᐧᐃᐧᑳᓈ
		aaukwaanaayaa		aaukwaannaayaahkaa		aayiwikwaanaa		aayiwikwaanaa