Different verb stems are used in
Cherokee to express grammatical functions such as
tense, aspect, and mood. Tense refers to the time
frame in relation to the moment of speaking. Tense
indicates whether the action being spoken of is
happening in the past, present, or future. Aspect refers
to the way the action is performed. Aspect indicates
whether the action is completed, habitual, or currently
in progress. Mood tells the speaker’s attitude toward
the action or event the verb is describing. This includes
ability, obligation, and the speaker’s degree of
certainty about the event or action.
All three of these grammatical functions are
interconnected in Tsalagi. No single element expresses
only one of these concepts. For example, the Present
Continuous stem describes the action or state that is
taking place at the very moment the speaker is talking.
Present Continuous contains both the tense (Present)
and aspect (Continuous). The Incompletive stem states
the action, whether past, present, or future, is Habitual
(when used with the Habitual suffix) or ongoing and
not completed (when used with the past or Progressive
Future suffix). Immediate stem indicates a command or
something that has occurred in the immediate past.
Stem A verbs take Set A Prefixes for the first three
stems (Present Continuous, Incompletive, and
Immediate). In the last two stems (Completive and
Infinitive) Set A prefixes are not used because of prefix
shift (the use of a Set BB prefix on a Set A verb;
triggered by the past use of the Completive and most
uses of the Infinitive stem). The Completive stem tells
of an action taking place in the past as well as the
future. The Infinitive stem has many uses including
obligation, ability and for derived nouns (noun created
by another word, typically a verb). When speaking of
past events or actions the Completive Stem uses Set B
Prefixes. The Infinitive uses Set B Prefixes for most
functions, also.
An example of all five stems of ARRIVE taken from Brad Montgomery-Anderson’s Cherokee Reference Grammar:
-ᎷᎦ Present Continuous
-luga
-ʔluhga
ᎢᏂᎷᎦ
iniluga
iìniiʔluhga
iinii-ʔluhga
1A.DL – arrive:PRC
You and I are arriving.
1A.DL – First person Dual Set A Pronominal Prefix
PRC – Present Continuous
-Ꮇg- Incompletive Stem
-lug-
-ʔluhg-
ᎢᏂᎷᎪᎢ
inilugoi
iìniiʔluhgóoʔi
iinii-ʔluhg-óoʔi
1A.DL-arrive:INC – HAB
You and I arrive.
1A.DL – First person Dual Set A Pronominal Prefix
INC – Incompletive
HAB – Habitual Suffix (-o suffix on Incompletive or Completive stems that the action is repeated or have a habit. Full form of the suffix is -oi (-oʔi))
-ᎷᎩ Immediate Stem
-lugi
-ʔluhgi
ᎢᏂᎷᎩ
inilugi
iìniiʔluhgi
iìniiʔluhgi
iinii-ʔluhgi
1A.DL-arrive:IMM
You and I just arrived.
1A.DL – First person Dual Set A Pronominal Prefix
IMM – Immediate
*All three examples use Set A Pronominal Prefixes on Set A Verbs, but the next two examples will use Set B Pronominal Prefixes on Set A Verbs*
-Ꮇj- Completive Stem
-luj-
-ʔluhj-
ᎩᏂᎷᏨᎢ
ginilutsvi
giniiʔluhjvvʔi
ginii-ʔluhj-vvʔi
1B.DL-arrive:CMP-EXP
You and I arrived.
1B.DL – First person dual Set B Pronominal Prefix
CMP = Completive
EXP – Experienced Past Suffix (-v final suffix on Incompletive and Completive Verb Stems to tell of an event or state that happened or was happening, and the speaker had personal knowledge of it. Full form is -vi (-vvʔi))
*All four of the above examples are completed sentences whereas the next example is incomplete and needs to accompany another verb to form a complete thought*
-ᎷᎯᏍᏗ Infinitive Stem
-luhisdi
-ʔluhisdi
ᎩᏂᎷᎯᏍᏗ
giniluhisdi
giniiʔluhisdi
ginii-ʔluhisdi
1B.DL-arrive:INF
….you and I to arrive
1B.DL – First person dual Set B Pronominal Prefix
INF – Infinitive
Present Continuous, Immediate and Infinitive Verb Stems do not take a final suffix. Frequently the Immediate Stem looks like a shortened version of the Present Continuous.
ᎠᏗᏔ ᎠᏗᏔᏍᎦ
adiíta adiitásga
he drank it he is drinking it
They differ only in the tone and / or the final vowel.
ᎦᏬᏂᎭ ᎦᏬᏂᎭ
gawoòniíha gawòoniha
he talked he is talking
ᎦᏅᎩ ᎦᏅᎦ
ganvvgi ganvvga
he fell he is falling
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