Lesson Twenty-FiveDouble Possession
The English sentence 'The man saw his wife' is a potentially ambiguous one: it could mean either that the man saw his own wife, or that he saw the wife of another man. Arapaho clarifies this by saying, in the second case, the equivalent of 'The man saw him his wife.' 'Him' or its equivalent is in the obviative.
| nonóóhowó' hinén hité3ebiiw |
| I see the man's dog |
| hinén nonoohówoot nuhu'usein hitééxokuutonin |
| The man sees this woman's saddle horse. |
| néécee nonoohówoot nuhu'inénin hiníínin |
| The chief sees this man's wife. |
| nééceeno' nonóóhowóó3i' honóh'ohó hihéíhehínoo |
| The chiefs see the men's mother-in-law(s). |
| nééceeno' nonóóhowóó3i' hihéíhehínoo |
| The chiefs see their mother-in-law(s). |
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