Here we will consider the opposite of what we just saw in Section Eight. Instead of changing nouns to verbs, we will change verbs to nouns. This is done through "deverbalizing," as seen with the adjective examples right before this section. This procedure happens very often with TI verbs.

Take for example the TI verb tonoun-, meaning "to hold." If we were to form an II verb with this same root, we might expect from the general rules about II verbs, that the form would be something like tonouyoo', meaning "it holds." But such a form does not exist in Arapaho. If we follow the procedures for deverbalizing seen in the previous chapter - shortening the verb's initial vowel, and dropping the final pronoun marker - we would get the form touyoo. This form does exist in Arapaho, and it means "cup," as we have seen in an earlier section (but it can be thought of as "it holds things"). Among the many examples of this are:

 

Deverbal	Meaning	TI Form
he'íyoó	watch, clock ("it knows things")	hee'ínowoo
hehíyoó	washcloth ("it wipes things")	heehínowoo
3éi'iyoó	cupboard ("it contains things")	3enei'ínowoo
wo3onóhoé	pencil ("it writes")	woo3onóhowoo
hóótoohóe	nail ("it fastens)	honootóóhowoo

 

As a general rule, -n or -ín TI verbs give -yoo nouns, and -oh TI verbs give -ohoe nouns. Both of these are very common noun endings in Arapaho.

 

In short, the rules for deverbilizing words are:

 

1. Shorten the verb’s initial vowel: hee’inowoo → he’inowoo

2. Drop the final pronoun marker: he’inowoo → he’in

3. Add appropriate noun ending: (-yoo for verbs with –n or –in; and –ohoe for verbs with –oh) he’in → he’iyoo

 

 

No exercises are available for this section yet, but you can:

Continue on to Lesson Ten