Referring to a Personal Target

Level 3

Kaniak, kenka and kenkuana are singular members of the personal oblique series.

How It Works

The personal oblique series has singular kaniak “me,” kenka “you,” and kenkuana “him/her.” Its nonsingular forms are kadata for the speaker and addressee together, kadakami for exclusive “us,” kadatayo for inclusive “us,” kadakayo for plural “you,” and kadakuada for “them.” Use these complete forms without adding a personal-name marker.

The surrounding construction supplies the relation: giving can identify a recipient, para a beneficiary, and an associative riding verb a companion. Consequently, one oblique form need not always translate with the same English preposition. Inclusive “us” includes the addressee; exclusive “us” excludes the addressee. Third-person singular forms do not distinguish gender.

Compare Itedmo ti libro kaniak, where the speaker receives the book, with Makilugankami kadakayo, where the addressees are companions. Attached -kami identifies the actor group, while separate kadakayo identifies the companion group. Choose a construction that licenses the intended relation rather than replacing every English object with an oblique pronoun.

Examples (3)

  1. Itedmo ti libro kaniak.

    Give me the book.

    Kaniak identifies the recipient; -mo identifies the singular addressee as actor.

  2. Para kenkuana ti sabong.

    The flower is for him or her.

    Para supplies the beneficiary relation, and kenkuana leaves gender unspecified.

  3. Makilugankami kadakayo inton bigat.

    We, excluding you, will ride with you tomorrow.

    The actor group expressed by -kami excludes the addressees identified by kadakayo.

Words in This Pattern

kaniak