Lesson Two

Model Sentences

Hl kúugaagang.
I'm cooking.

T'aláng hlgánggulaang.
We're working.


Vocabulary


Weak-A Pronouns
hl
 I
dáng
 you
hal
 he/she
t'aláng
 we
daláng
 y'all
tl'
 people (in general)


Intransitive-A Verbs
hlgánggulaang
 working
kúugaagang
 cooking
táwk'aang
 planting a garden
gáadanggang
 bathing, taking a bath


Notes

1)  A pronoun is a word that is used in place of a noun, when the person or thing that the noun refers to is already well-known in the conversation.  Just like with nouns, it is possible to put a pronoun in front of a verb to create a simple sentence in Haida.

2) There are several important differences between pronouns in English and pronouns in Haida.  For one, Haida does not have separate pronouns meaning "he" and "she".  Instead, the Haida
pronoun «hal» covers both meanings.  Thus, a sentence like «Hal hlgángulaang.» could mean either "He is working." or "She is working."  The exact meaning is usually made clear from context.

Note also that Haida does make a clear distinction between «dáng» "you", when talking to just one person, and «daláng» "you", when talking to more than one person.  To help us keep that distinction clear in English, we will always translate «daláng» as "y'all" (and vice-versa).

The pronouns «t'aláng» and «daláng» are often pronounced in a contracted form, as «tl'áng» and «dláng», respectively.  For the sake of simplicity, in these lessons we will always use the longer, uncontracted forms.

The pronoun «tl'» is special.  It typically has an indefinite, non-specific meaning.  It refers to some unspecified group of people, or just people in general.  So, for example: «Tl' kúugaagang.» could be translated as "People are cooking" or even "There's some cooking going on".  In these lessons, we will translate the Haida pronoun tl' with the English noun "people" (and vice-versa).

3)  There are actually four different sets of pronouns in Haida.  The set we are learning in this lesson is called the Weak-A set of pronouns.  For now, we don't have to worry about why we call them that.  The reason will become clear when we learn about the other three sets of pronouns in upcoming lessons.

4)  In this lesson we are focusing on a new sentence pattern, 1B.  The difference between 1B and 1A is that where 1A had a noun in the subject slot, 1B has a pronoun (specifically a Weak-A pronoun) -- otherwise they are the same.  Note that the subject still comes before the predicate.

Sentence Pattern 1B
Subject
 Predicate
Weak-A Pronoun
 Intransitive-A Verb

Here are some examples of Sentence Pattern 1B, using the Intransitive-A verb «k'ajúugang» "singing".

Subject
 Predicate
Hl
 k'ajúugang.
   I am singing.
Dáng
 k'ajúugang.
   You are singing.
Hal
 k'ajúugang.
   He/she is singing.
T'aláng
 k'ajúugang.
   We are singing.
Daláng
 k'ajúugang.
   Y'all are singing.
Tl'
 k'ajúugang.
   People are singing.


Using What You Know

Complete each of the following exercises before moving on to Lesson Three.

Drill Type
 Instructions
Exercise 2-A
 Vocabulary Match
 Choose the English translation that best matches the Haida word.
Exercise 2-B
 Vocabulary Match
 Choose the Haida translation that best matches the English word.
Exercise 2-C
 Sentence Match
 Choose the English translation that best matches the Haida sentence.
Exercise 2-D
 Sentence Match
 Choose the Haida translation that best matches the English sentence.
Exercise 2-E
 Fill in the Blank
 Provide the missing word to compete the Haida sentence.
Exercise 2-F
 Translation
 Provide the English translation of the Haida sentence.
Exercise 2-G
 Translation
 Provide the Haida translation of the English sentence.

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Last Updated: 15 April 2004

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