Dubitative Pronouns

Use a dubitative pronoun to wonder about:

• people or things
• selection
• animate beings or things

Dubitative pronouns for people or things

Observation

ᒑᐧᑳᒋᒑ ᐆ ᑳ ᒦᒋᔮᓐ᙮		chaakwaachichaa uu kaa miichiyaan.	Whatever could I be eating?
ᐊᐧᐋᒋᒑ ᐅᔮ ᐅᒥᔅᒋᓯᓐ᙮		awaachichaa uyaa umischisin.	Whose shoe could this be?

ᐊᐧᐋᒋᒑ awaachichaa and ᒑᐧᑳᒋᒑ chaakwaachichaa are made up of the pronouns ᐊᐧᐋᓐ awaan and ᒑᐧᑳᓐ chaakwaan plus the dubitative inflection. They are used when there is doubt about the person or the thing being discussed. They correspond to English ‘whoever / whatever could s/he/it be’.

	Proximate				Obviative
	singular		plural		singular		plural
Animate		ᐊᐧᐋᒋᒑ		ᐊᐧᐋᒋᒑᓂᒌ		ᐊᐧᐋᔨᒋᒑᓂᐦᐄ		ᐊᐧᐋᔨᒋᒑᓂᐦᐄ
		awaachichaa		awaachichaanichii		awaayichichaanihii		awaayichichaanihii
				ᐊᐧᐋᒋᒑᓂᒡ		ᐊᐧᐋᔨᒋᒑᓐᐦ		ᐊᐧᐋᔨᒋᒑᓐᐦ
				awaachichaanich		awaayichichaanh		awaayichichaanh
Inanimate		ᒑᐧᑳᒋᒑ		ᒑᐧᑳᒋᒑᓐᐦ		ᒑᐧᑳᔨᒋᒑ		ᒑᐧᑳᔨᒋᒑᓐᐦ
		chaakwaachichaa		chaakwaachichaanh		chaakwaayichichaa		chaakwaayichichaanh
				ᒑᐧᑳᒋᒑᓂᐦᐄ				ᒑᐧᑳᔨᒋᒑᓂᐦᐄ
				chaakwaachichaanihii				chaakwaayichichaanihii

Examples:

ᐊᐧᐋᒋᒑ ᐊᓂᔮ ᑳ ᐃᐦᑑᑎᐦᒃ᙮		awaachichaa aniyaa kaa ihtuutihk.	Whoever can have done it?
ᐊᐧᐋᒋᒑ ᐊᓂᔮᐦ ᐅᑖᐹᓈᔅᒄᐦ᙮		awaachichaa aniyaah utaapaanaaskwh.	Whoever can that toboggan belong to?
ᒑᐧᑳᒋᒑ ᑳ ᐃᔑᓈᑯᐦᒡ᙮		chaakwaachichaa kaa ishinaakuhch.	Whatever can it be?
ᒑᐧᑳᔨᒋᒑ ᐊᓂᔮ ᑳ ᐋᔨᒨᑎᐦᒃ᙮		chaakwaayichichaa aniyaa kaa aayimuutihk.	Whatever can s/he be talking about?