VAI with implicit goals

Observation

ᒋᒥᔑᑳᒑᐤ		chimishikaachaau	She uses something for cutting (something)
ᐃᑎᔑᐦᐊᒫᒑᐤ		itishihamaachaau	She sends (to someone)

The AI verbs in the above examples have implicit goals. For ᒋᒥᔑᑳᒑᐤ chimishikaachaau, the implicit meaning is that something is being cut. For ᐃᑎᔑᐦᐊᒫᒑᐤ itishihamaachaau, the implicit meaning is that the sending is to someone. They mean that something or someone, already expressed by the verb, is affected by what someone is doing. These verbs usually end in -chaau, -hiiwaau. Such verbs are just labeled VAI in the dictionnary.

ᒦᓂᐧᐋᒋᐦᐄᐧᐋᐤ		miiniwaachihiiwaau	she heals (people)
ᒋᔅᑎᒥᐦᐄᐧᐋᐤ		chistimihiiwaau	she causes misery (to someone)

The VAI implicit goals cannot be expressed again by an overt noun. One CANNOT say: *ᒋᒥᔑᑳᒑᐤ ᐧᐃᔮᓯᔫ *chimishikaachaau wiyaasiyuu to mean: ‘she cuts the meat’, nor *ᐊᐧᐋᔨᐤᐦ ᐃᑎᔑᐦᐊᒫᒑᐤ *awaayiuh itishihamaachaau to mean: ‘she sends it to someone.’ To say such things, one has to use regular VTI verbs like: ᒋᒥᔑᒻ ᐎᔮᓯᔫ chimishim wiyaasiyuu ‘she cuts the meat’ or benefactive verbs like ᐃᑎᔑᐦᐊᒧᐧᐋᐤ ᐊᐧᐋᔨᐤᐦ itishihamuwaau awaayiuh ‘she is sending it to someone.’

Other nouns can sometimes be used with these verbs (often as an instrument), but not as their implicit goal.

ᒨᐦᑯᒫᓂᔨᐤ ᒋᒥᔑᑳᒑᐤ		muuhkumaaniyiu chimishikaachaau	She cuts (something) off with a knife
ᒥᓯᓂᐦᐄᑭᓂᔨᐤ ᐃᑎᔑᐦᐊᒫᒑᐤ		misinihiikiniyiu itishihamaachaau	She sends the letter (to someone)

Many such VAI verbs have a part in them that already clearly expresses the goal. So this goal does not need to be expressed again. For example the verb ᐋᔓᑭᓂᐦᒑᐤ aashukinihchaau ‘she makes a bridge’ , from the word ᐋᔓᑭᓐ aashukin ‘bridge’. One can say the above or use a noun and a VAI+O verb ᐋᔓᑭᓂᔨᐤ ᐅᔑᐦᑖᐤ aashukiniyiu ushihtaau ‘she makes a bridge’ .

Other examples:

ᐧᐋᐧᐋᐱᐦᒋᑳᐤ		waawaapihchikaau	S/he is looking at pictures in a book
ᒫᐦᐄᑯᐦᑎᑖᐤ		maahiikuhtitaau	S/he puts the canoe in the water pointing downriver