Focus Pronouns

Observation

ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᒉᐧᑳᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᐦᑕᒫᓐ᙮

eukun chekwaan kaa nituweyihtamaan.

That’s the thing I wanted.

ᐁᐅᑯᓐ eukun in the sentence above is called a focus pronoun. It is used to indicate who or what is most important at a certain moment.

Proximate

Obviative

singular

plural

singular

plural

Animate

ᐁᐅᑯᓐ

eukun

ᐁᐅᑯᓂᒡ

eukunich

ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫ

eukuniyuu

ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫᐦ

eukuniyuuh

Inanimate

ᐁᐅᑯᓐ

eukun

ᐁᐅᑯᓐᐦ

eukunh

ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫ

eukuniyuu

ᐁᐅᑯᓐᐦ

eukunh

Examples:

ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᒪᒃ᙮		eukun kaa nitaweyimak.	That’s the one I wanted.
ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᒪᒃ᙮		eukun an kaa nitaweyimak.	That’s the one I wanted.
ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᓐ᙮		eukun an.	That ‘s the one!
ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᐧᐁᓐ᙮		eukun awen.	That ‘s the one!
ᐁᐅᑯᓂᔫᐦ ᒉᐧᑳᔫᐦ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᐦᑕᐦᒃ᙮		eukuniyuuh chekwaayuuh kaa nitaweyihtahk.	Those are the things he wanted

Examples from Hard Times:

ᐊᐧᐁᓐ ᐁᐅᑯᓐ ᐊᓐ Johnny ᐧᐁᑕᐦᑐᐦᐃᔨᒥᐦᑦ᙮		awen eukun an Johnny wetahtuhiyimiht.	Here was Johnny who arrived-by-boat to us. (1446)
ᐁᐅᑯᓐᐦ ᐊᓂᔫᐦ ᐯᐹᐧᐄᒉᐧᐋᑦ᙮		eukunh aniyuuh pepaawiichewaat.	Those were the ones he goes around with. (1016)

ᐁᐅᒄ eukw is a shorter, uninflected form of ᐁᐅᑯᓐ eukun. (see focus particles)

ᐁᐅᒄ ᐊᓂᔫ᙮		eukw aniyuu.	That’s the one.
ᐁᐅᒄ ᐊᓐ᙮		eukw an.	That’s the one.
ᐁᐅᒄ ᐊᓐ ᑳ ᓂᑕᐧᐁᔨᒪᒃ᙮		eukw an kaa nitaweyimak.	That’s the one I wanted.