Getting a grip

So I've had a bit of a breakthrough in my learning, a mini-victory I want to openly celebrate. And its implications are "beyond words."

Both times I've seriously tried to learn the language, something that's always eluded me were Cree's "conjunct" verb forms. In English, this is the "-ing" mode of verbs, e.g., I am runn-ing, I am eat-ing. By contrast, the "independent" form is less conversational, e.g., I run, I eat.

For some reason, other programs I've been in would start us off in the independent form. But most speakers use the conjunct form for everyday conversation, and it follows different rules of conjugation. So, where you can say nipimpahtan to mean 'I run,' you could also say e-pimpahtayân to mean 'I am running.'

You can see why the second form is more common in speech: if you were jogging along and someone called you on your cell and asked you what you were doing, replying 'I run' would sound almost caveman-ish. You need both forms to be able to speak to the occasion.

Well, this weekend I finally got a grip.

The tapes that go along with the U of A Introductory Cree course include drills for these two common verb forms, in all eight tenses. The tenses, with their rough English equivalent, are as follows:

1st person: ninipân / e-nipâyân
I sleep / I am sleeping

2nd person: kinipân / e-nipâyan
you sleep; you are sleeping

3rd person: nipâw / e-nipât
s/he sleeps; s/he is sleeping
(yes, Cree is gender neutral)

'4th person': nipâyiwa / e-nipâyit
e.g., his/her friend sleeps;
his/her friend is sleeping

1st person plural 'exclusive': ninipânân / e-nipâyâhk
we [not you] sleep; we are sleeping
('we' = everyone except the person
directly spoken to, i.e., 'us, but not you')


1st person plural 'inclusive': kinipânaw / e-nipâyahk
we [all] sleep; we [all] are sleeping
('we' = everyone in hearing range, i.e., 'us all,')

2nd person plural: kinipânâwâw / e-nipâyek
you [all] sleep; you [all] are sleeping

3rd person plural: nipâwak / e-nipâcik
they are sleeping

It may look confusing at first but it does begin to make sense after a while. (Quick aside: man, this language is cool. I just get alternately stunned and infuriated at the colossal arrogance and ignorance it must have taken Moniyawak missionaries and 'educators' to not be in awe of the sophistication and precision of indigenous languages. But I digress...)

This weekend, I realized I could probably more/less supply all 16 forms (8 independent; 8 conjunct) for at least 10 verbs. What's even cooler, the rules these verbs follow apply to dozens more verbs to come. In other words, without really knowing it, I've taken a huge step towards acquiring an even larger vocabulary. I now possess a key that unlocks many other doors; the key I've been waiting for.

So "buds" are beginning to show ever so slightly, just enough of a sign to make me think that staying the full 10 months would be worth it. You see, the program is divided into 3 terms: fall, winter and spring, and I gave myself (somewhat arbitrarily, admittedly) until the end of first term to see if Cree was for me. Nearly 2 months in, I am happy to report it is.

I just hope I can remember this for that inevitable next set of hurdles, if/when I start to get down on myself. Noting this week's highs should help me weather future weeks' lows.

ekosi,
Rick