infix(Lakota gloss included)

In a message dated 3/21/01 4:56:36 PM Central Standard Time, 
daniel.andreasson@TELIA.COM writes:


> <clipped>
> Very interesting. I didn't know _lakota_ meant 'friendly'.
> Is _yelo_ obligatory? What does it mean? The translation
> of 'I am Lakota' that I have says it's just _malákota_.
> 
> And what do you mean with (statement, m)? That the _ma-_
> prefix is the 1SG pronoun used for states? Or is it _yelo_
> that implies some kind of statement?
> 
> How come you know Lakota?
> 
> daniel
> 
> 
As for learning Lakota, I am Lakota, although I lived outside the 
Reservation.  (Which is in South Dakota, USA.  I live in Nebraska , USA)  
I've picked up the rudiments of the language from relatives and books, and 
study all facets of the culture.
Lakota uses enclitics to tell additional information.  Lakota was never a 
written language, and developed a way to indicate certain information by 
adding a "word" or two (or seven) at the end of a statement.  
Lakota has changed roughly three times in the past 150 years.  The first time 
it was changed to make the writting of it easier, but the second drift 
emphasized a more anglicized word order.  Lakota is basically the same as 
Dakota, and Nakota except for the obvious differing pronunciation of the 
L-sound.
The full list of enclitics is rather complicated and as no one I know locally 
speaks Lakota, I'll rely on memory, IIRC there are seven classes of 
enclitics, but here are the most common ones.

yelo (welo if the last letter of the prceeding word is a U, )-statement/ it 
is a fact.  I usually write this as "statement, m" as a way to differentiate 
it from the female-speaker statement enclitic (which escapes my memory right 
now because it was lost in the first language drift).

Hu?wo, huwo, hwo (modern pronunciation is basically whoa)-question.  Often 
translated as meaning. "I-am-asking-a-question-and-I-am-male".  In modern 
practice this is used by men only for formal questions.

he-informal, question.  Often translated as meaning. 
"I-am-asking-a-question-and-I-am-female".  In modern use this is used by both 
genders, but use it all the time, and men only use in informal situations.

yo/wo-imperative, male speaker.  (there are actually 5 or 6 versions, male 
and female, depending on whether it is a directed to a group, couple etc., 
command, simple request, complex request or even a plead.

ye/we-imperative, female speaker. (as above)

kta/kte-future (situation has not occured).

Han-continuing imperfective of the verb (ing)

sni, shni-not

s?a-usually, habitual verb form

ka-sort of

la-endearment, or just a smaller version of the sentance's noun.


There are more ways to indicate verb aspect and subjunctive mood, but they 
escape me right now.  Many people seem to choose male-speaker enclitic 
exclusively nowadays.  The enclictics are also added in a specific order, but 
I'll skip that can of worms for now.

For example,
Don't do that, or Knock it off:

He cusni ye
that do not 
I-am-giving-an-order-to-a-single-person(you)-and-I-am-a-female-speaker

He cusni yo
that do not 
I-am-giving-an-order-to-a-single-person(you)-and-I-am-a-male-speaker

Hope that answers your questions,
thanks

Brandon DW

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