Kathleen Strader
Discontinuous DPs in Michif Handout
45 Algonquian conference
October 18-20, 2013
straderk@myumanitoba.ca
Page 1 of 4
Discontinuous DPs in Michif Handout
Dislocation vs Discontinuous
Example of French right dislocation
(1) Il
est d’hors , le
chien 1&2
3.S.M is outside, DET.MASC S dog
‘The dog is outside’
Lit : it is outside, the dog
Example of possible Michif right dislocation
(2) il
a bon apichee pour
lee
seukrazh li
3.M.S has good appetite for
DET.P sweets
DET.S.M
‘the boy has a good appetite for sweets. ‘
ptsi
garsoon
little.M.S boy
(Laverdure & Allard, p. 24)
Michif Determiner Phrase
Example DP with a quantifier, numeral and determiner
(3) Yaenk payyek aen
norawzh
d-awayim-ow
Only
one
INDEF.M.S orange
1-want.TA1-3
‘I want only one orange’
(Bakker,1997) (Laverdure & Allarde,1983, p. 201)
Example DP with a demonstrative and determiner
(4) Ookounik
li
mood
kaw-natoun-a-k-ik
DEM.DIS.P.AN DET.P people
REL-look.for.TA-DIR-1/3CJ-3P.CJ
‘Those are the people I was looking for’.
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p. 332)
Quantifiers
Continuous DP with a quantifier
(5)
Apisheesh li
paen
d-awaym-ow
Small
DEF.S.M bread 1-have.need-TA.1-3
I need a piece of bread
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.183)
Discontinuous DP with a quantifier in an imperative clause
(6)awtiht menish-a
lee
brawnsh daw li
zawbr ouschi
some cut.off-TI-IMP.2 DEF.P branch
Loc DEF.S.M tree
from
‘Lop off some of the branches from the tree’ (Bakker, 1992, p. 110) (Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p. 166)
1
Abreviations:
2
Any examples not cited are supplied by the author.
AI – animate intransitive
INDF – indefinite
O- object
TA – transitive animate
3 – third person
CJ-conjunct
DEF – definite article
DIR – Direction
IMP – imperative
Loc – locative
M – masculine
P – plural
REL-relative
rel- relational
TI – transitive inanimate X- indefinite/unspecified1 – first person
3’- person animate obvitive
0 - inanimate
F – Feminine
neg – negative
S – singular
2- second person
Kathleen Strader
Discontinuous DPs in Michif Handout
45 Algonquian conference
straderk@myumanitoba.ca
Page 2 of 4
October 18-20, 2013
Discontinuous DP with a quantifier in a negative clause
(7) kawya mishtahi3 ashtaw
li
sel
neg much
put.TI.IMP.2 DEF.S.M salt
‘Don't put in much salt’
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.185)(Bakker, 1997, p. 110)
Examples 8 – 11: show discontinuous quantifiers with transitive verbs
(8) li
pwesonyeen mischayt kee-kawschitin-ayw
DEF.S.M fisherman
many
pst-caught.TA-3-3’
‘The fisherman caught many fish’
lee
pwesoon
DEF.P fish
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.96)
(9) lee farmee'd pataek
mihchet atawway-wuk lee
DEF.P farmers.of potatoes a lot
buy.AI+O-3P DEF.P
‘Potato farmers buy a lot of gunny sacks’
(10) John4 atiht ki-mičišu-w su
John some PST-eat.TI-3 his
‘John ate some of his food’
sack awn balaezh
bags in
burlap
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.119)
mãži
food
(Rhodes, 1977, p.17)
(11) lee pstit vil
alawntour
mishtahi oushih-ay-wuk
DEF.P little villages surrounding much
make.TA-3P-3’
larzhawn li
risarv
ouschi
DEF.money DEF.S.M reservation from
‘The outlying towns make a lot of money from the reservation’
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p. 206)
Discontinuous Cree Quantifier
(12) kahkinaw kî-nipahêw
pinêsîsa
all
he-killed-them birds
‘he killed all the birds’
(Reinholtz, 1999)
Comparatives/Superlatives
Continuous DP with comparatives/superlatives
(13) Kiyawpit nawut li
paen chi-ayaw-wa-yuhk
pour lee
enfants
Yet.more more DEF.S.M bread FUT-have.TA –CJ.21-3 For
DEF.P children
‘We need more bread for the children’
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.183)
Discontinuous DP with a comparative in an imperative clause
(14) Kiyawpit nawut
ashtaw-wiw
yet.more more
put.TI.REL?-IMP2-3
‘Put more sugar in her bottle’
3
4
mishtahi can be replaced with mischet
Rhodes glosses Bachees as John
li
seuk
DEF.M.S sugar
dawn sa
boutay
loc
POSS.PN.F bottle
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983 p. 183)
Kathleen Strader
Discontinuous DPs in Michif Handout
45 Algonquian conference
October 18-20, 2013
straderk@myumanitoba.ca
Page 3 of 4
Examples 15 & 16: Discontinuous DP with a comparative with a transitive verb
(15) apisheesh5 nawat
gee-miyikaw-i-n
larzhawn
niya
little
by.comparison 1.PST-be.give.TA-X-1 DEF.money 1.S
‘I got the least money’
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p. 162)
(16) yaenk apisheesh d-awayht-aen
only small
1-have.?TI-1
‘All i need is a bit of salt’
li
sel
DEF.S.M salt
(Laverdure & Allard 1983 p. 180)
Numerals
Continuous DP with a numeral
(17) Si
lee
sueur
Six DEF.P
sister
I have six sisters.
d-ayaww-aw-wuk
1-have.TA-1-3P
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p. 298)
Examples 18 & 19: Discontinuous DP with a numeral
(18) kaetravaen jis gee-ayaww-aw-wuk
li
mood la
promyaenr zhournee
ninety
1.pst-have.TA-3P-3P’ DEF.M.S people DEF.F.S first
day
li
Zhoor di
lawn
DEF.M.S day
of.the year
‘I had 90 people over on New Year’s Day’ (Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.192) (Bakker 1997, p. 110)
(19) Naef d-ayaw-n
lee
bol
Nine 1.S-have.TI-0 DEF.P bowls
‘I have nine bowls’
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p. 192)
Discontinuous Cree Numeral
(20) Nisto kî-kwâskohtiwak arîkisak
Three 3-PERF-jump.P
frog.P
‘three frogs jumped’
(Reinholtz, 1999)
Demonstrative
Discontinuous Cree demonstrative
(21) Awa kî-kâhcitinêw
nâpêw
This
3.perf-catch.dir.3 man
‘This man caught the thief’
5
apisheesh can be replaced with pchi braen
okimotiskwa
thief.obv
(Reinholtz, 1999)
Kathleen Strader
Discontinuous DPs in Michif Handout
45 Algonquian conference
October 18-20, 2013
straderk@myumanitoba.ca
Page 4 of 4
Problematic Data
Intransitive
(22) mawchi nama-tay-wuk lee
tramp, lee
many
neg-be.AI-3PL DEF.P tramps, DEF.P
‘there aren’t very many old time tramps.’
Subject Pronoun
(23)Nawut
mischet kiya
by.comparison more
2.S
‘You got the most votes’
kit-ayaw-n
2.S-have.TI-0
hobo
hobos
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.338)
lee
DEF.P
vote
votes
(Laverdure & Allard 1983, p.184)
However
(24) la
poul dooz ku-htashi-yi-w
sa
pchit bawnd di
poulay
DEF.SG.FEM hen 12
PST-be.so.many.AI-3’ POSS.F.SG small brood of.the chickens
‘the hen had a brood of twelve chicks’
(Laverdure & Allard, 1983, p.52)
lit: the hen’s brood of chickens were twelve
Bibliography
Bakker, P. (1997). A language of our own : The genesis of Michif, the mixed Cree-French language of the
Canadian Métis. Cary, NC: Oxford University Press.
Laverdure, P., & I.R. Allard (1983). The Michif dictionary: Turtle Mountain Chippewa Cree (J. C.Crawford,
Ed.) Winnipeg: Pemmican Publicatons Inc.
Rhodes, R.A. (1977). French Cree—a case of borrowing. In W. Cowan (Ed.), Papers of the 8th
Algonquian conference, 8-25. Ottawa: Carleton University.