Nouns with Person inflection

• Possessed Nouns
• Extended Stems
• Dependent Nouns

Dependent Nouns

Observation

ᓂᒧᔔᒻ		nimushuum	my grandfather
ᓂᔅᑎᐧᑳᓐ		nistikwaan	my head

Nouns like nimushum and nistikwaan are called DEPENDENT nouns. They always appear with a prefix indicating a person.

		chimushuum	your grandfather
		chistikwaan	your head
		umushuumh	his/her grandfather
		ustikwaan	his/her head

In the Cree dictionary, a noun like ᓂᒧᔔᒻ nimushuum is indicated as nad (noun animate dependent ), while a noun like ᓂᔅᑎᐧᑳᓐ nistikwaan is indicated as nid (noun inanimate dependent). Dependent nouns include the name of relatives (kinship), body parts, and personal belongings. For example:

ᓂᓃᒋᐦᐄᑯᒡ	niniichihiikuch	nad	my parents
ᐅᑑᔑᒥᔅᐧᑫᒥᒫᐤ	utuushimiskwemimaau	nad	a niece, step-daughter
ᐅᑑᔑᒥᔅᐧᑫᒻᐦ	utuushimiskwemh	nad	her/his niece, step-daughter
ᐅᐦᑐᐃ	uhtui	nad	her/his harpoon for sturgeon, whale
ᐅᔅᑯᓐ	uskun	nid	his/her liver
ᐧᐄᐗᑦ	wiiwat	nid	her/his suitcase, luggage
ᒥᑑᐦᑎᓐ	mituuhtin	nid	heel

Paradigm for Animate DEPENDENT NOUN

ᐅᒥᓴ umisa (nad) older sister

POSSESSOR	NOUN			English TRANSLATION
2	ᒋᒥᔅ		chimis	your older sister
2	ᒋᒥᓯᒡ		chimisich	your older sisters
1	ᓂᒥᔅ		nimis	my older sister
1	ᓂᒥᓯᒡ		nimisich	my older sisters
2p	ᒋᒥᓯᐧᐋᐤ		chimisiwaau	your older sister
2p	ᒋᒥᓯᐙᐅᒡ		chimisiwaauch	your older sisters
21p	ᒋᒥᓯᓅ		chimisinuu	our older sister
21p	ᒋᒥᓯᓅᒡ		chimisinuuch	our older sisters
1p	ᓂᒥᓯᓈᓐ		nimisinaan	our older sister
1p	ᓂᒥᓯᓈᓂᒡ		nimisinaanich	our older sisters
3	ᐅᒥᓴ		umisa	his/her older sister(s)
3p	ᐅᒥᓯᐧᐋᐤᐦ		umisiwaauh	their older sister(s)
3′(p)	ᐅᒥᓯᔫᐦ		umisiyuuh	his/her/their older sister(s)

The prefix mi-

Dependent nouns denoting body parts and personal belongings take the prefix mi- to indicate that there is no specific possessor.

Animate
ᓂᑖᔅ		nitaas	my sock
ᐅᑖᓴ		utaasa	his/her socks
ᒥᑖᔅ		mitaas	a sock
ᓃᔓ ᒥᑖᓴᒡ		niishu mitaasach	two socks

ᐊᓐ ᐃᔅᐧᑫᐤ ᒌ ᐧᐋᐸᒣᐤ ᐁ ᒥᐦᑯᓯᔨᒡ ᒥᑖᓴ᙮

an iskweu chii waapameu e mihkusiyich mitaasa.

That woman saw red socks.

Inanimate
ᓂᐦᑑᑲᐃ		nihtuukai	my ear
ᒥᐦᑑᑲᐃ		mihtuukai	an ear
ᓂᔅᑎᐧᑳᓐ		nistikwaan	my head
ᒥᔅᑎᐧᑳᓐ		mistikwaan	a head

The suffix -imaau

Nouns denoting relatives (also called kinship nouns) take the suffix, -imaau when there is no specific possessor. These nouns are all animate as they denote people.

Animate
ᐅᑳᐐᐦ		ukaawiih	his/her mother
ᓂᑳᐐ		nikaawii	my mother
ᐅᑳᐐᒫᐤ		ukaawiimaau	a mother
ᐅᒧᔔᒻᐦ		umushuumh	his grand father
ᓂᒧᔔᒻ		nimushuum	my grandfather
ᐅᒧᔔᒥᒫᐤ		umushuumimaau	a grand father
ᐐᒋᔖᓐᐦ		wiichishaanh	his sibling
ᓃᒋᔖᓐ		niichishaan	my sibling
ᐐᒋᔖᓂᒫᐤ		wiichishaanimaau	a sibling
ᐅᑑᔑᒥᔅᐧᑫᒻᐦ		utuushimiskwemh	her/his niece, step-daughter
ᐅᑑᔑᒥᔅᐧᑫᒥᒫᐤ		utuushimiskwemimaau	a niece, step-daughter

The suffix -im

When dependent nouns use the suffix –im, it indicates that the relationship includes another (3rd) person.

ᐅᔥᑲᔒᐦ		ushkashiih	his (own) nail(s)/claw(s)
ᐆᔥᑲᔒᒻᐦ		uushkashiimh	his nail/claw (from an animal or somebody else)
ᓂᔥᑲᔒ		nishkashii	my (own) nail
ᓅᔥᑲᔒᒻ		nuushkashiim	my nail/ claw (from an animal or somebody else)

Notice the change in the prefix, nuushakshiim literally means ni-u-shkashii-m my his-claw.

To know more, read: Junker, Marie-Odile. 2003. East Cree Dependent Nouns and Disjoint Reference, Algonquian and Iroquian Linguistics 28(1): 11-13.