Noun Stems ending with a vowel + u

• Nouns ending with -uu
• Nouns ending with -uu (-iw)
• Nouns ending with -eu

Nouns ending with -uu

These nouns end in a long -uu in the singular and keep this long -uu with all the other inflectional endings.

ᐋᒨ aamuu (na) bee

3	ᐋᒨ		aamuu
3p	ᐋᒨᒡ		aamuuch
3′ / 3’p	ᐋᒨᐦ		aamuuh
LOC	ᐋᒨᐦᒡ		aamuuhch
DIM	ᐋᒨᔥ		aamuush
POSS	ᓂᑖᒨᒻ		nitaamuum

ᒦᒋᒫᐴ miichimaapuu (ni) meat broth

0	ᒦᒋᒫᐴ		miichimaapuu
0p / 0’p	ᒦᒋᒫᐴᐦ		miichimaapuuh
0′	ᒦᒋᒫᐴᔫ		miichimaapuuyuu
LOC	ᒦᒋᒫᐴᐦᒡ		miichimaapuuhch
DIM	ᒦᒋᒫᐳᔥ		miichimaapush
POSS	ᓂᒦᒋᒫᐳᒻ		nimiichimaapum

Nouns ending with -uu (-iw)

These nouns end with a long -uu in the singular, but with some inflectional endings, an -ii appears.  Originally, those nouns ended in -iw. You can still hear it with elder speakers or see it in a verb like ᐱᒌᐧᐋᔅᑯᓐ pichiiwaaskun it has gum on it. While their singular, plural or obviative is written with a –u ending, you can still hear the -i today in the locative, diminutive and possessive.

ᐱᒎ pichuu (na) gum

3	ᐱᒎ		pichuu
3p	ᐱᒎᒡ		pichuuch
3′ / 3’p	ᐱᒎᐦ		pichuuh
LOC	ᐱᒌᐦᒡ		pichiihch
DIM	ᐱᒌᔥ		pichiish
POSS	ᓂᐱᒌᒻ		nipichiim

ᐱᔔ pishuu (na) lynx

3	ᐱᔔ		pishuu
3p	ᐱᔔᒡ		pishuuch
3′ / 3’p	ᐱᔔᐦ		pishuuh
LOC	ᐱᔒᐦᒡ		pishiihch
DIM	ᐱᔒᔥ		pishiish
POSS	ᓂᐱᔒᒻ		nipishiim

ᑳᐦᑳᒎ kaahkaachuu (na) crow

3	ᑳᐦᑳᒎ		kaahkaachuu
3p	ᑳᐦᑳᒎᒡ		kaahkaachuuch
3′ / 3’p	ᑳᐦᑳᒎᐦ		kaahkaachuuh
LOC	ᑳᐦᑳᒌᐦᒡ		kaahkaachiihch
DIM	ᑳᐦᑳᒌᔥ		kaahkaachiish
POSS	ᓂᑳᐦᑳᒌᒻ		nikaahkaachiim

Note:  In the Northern dialect, these words are spelled with an -iu ending.

Nouns ending with -eu

Nouns ending with -eu do not keep their -u in the locative, simulative and possessive. The first vowel of the suffixes (i) also disappears in all the endings. The stem and the suffix undergo a contraction.

ᓈᐯᐤ naapeu (na) man

3	ᓈᐯᐤ		naapeu
3p	ᓈᐯᐅᒡ		naapeuch
3′ / 3’p	ᓈᐯᐤᐦ		naapeuh
LOC	(not used-but see simulative inflection)
SIM	ᓈᐯᐦᒡ		naapehch
POSS	ᓂᓈᐯᒻ		ninaapem