-TŁÉÉʼ

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *tɬeˑqʷʼ, classificatory root for mushy or decrepit objects (as mud, butter, a rotten rag), or animate object sharing such characteristics (as a frog, a drunken person).

Cognate root found in Ahtna tlaekʼ (a classificatory stem for mushy matter), Lower Tanana tlak (id.), Gwich'in naałtłik (I threw it (a rotten cloth) down).

Also occurs in Navajo along with hi-seriative in a motion theme describing the hopping of a frog (literally, a mushy object throwing itself successively).

Root

-TŁÉÉʼ

  1. to handle or propel mushy matter (as butter, mud)

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
O + ∅ motion

S handles MM

  • yitłeeh (∅-MOM)
  • iitłeeh
  • yiditłeeh
  • yidiitłeeh
  • haitłeeh
  • neitłeeh
  • néidíníitłeeh (ńdíníi-, “good start”)
  • néidiitłeeh (ńdii-, “pick up”)
  • naʼiidiitłeeh (nʼdii-, “detach”)
  • yisdéítłeeh
  • yitłeeh [shishtłeeh] (si-MOM)
  • yítłeeh (ni-MOM)
  • chʼíítłeeh
  • niitłeeh
  • neitłeeh (CONT)
  • yootłoh (PROG)
(dzi) + ∅ successive

S throws MM

Motion:

Successive:

  • yótłeeh (yíní-, rep.)
  • yííníitłeeh (yíníi-, semelf.)
positional

MM is in position

S keeps MM in position

  • yistłééʼ (NEUT)
Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
hi + d motion

S hops (a frog)

ni + ∅ motion

S collapses, breaks down

  2. to be wet

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
adjectival

S is wet

transitional

S gets wet

  • náhoniitłeeh
l conversive

S gets wet

  • náltłeeh

S makes O wet

  • néíłtłeeh

Stem set

Aspect Imperfective Perfective Future Iterative Optative
MOM / CONT / CONCL -tłeeh -tłééʼ -tłoh -tłoh -tłeeh
Distributive -tłeʼ -tłééʼ -tłoh -tłoh -tłeʼ
REV / CON -tłoh -tłééʼ -tłoh -tłoh -tłoh
Neuter -tłééʼ -tłééʼ

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

MM verbs:

to hop:

to collapse:

action of water:

 
 

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TŁÉÉʼ (wet)

References

  • Young, Robert; Morgan, William; Midgette, Sally (1992), Analytical lexicon of Navajo, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, →ISBN, page 563