lesson 2 commands

Commands- telling people what to do – are very useful things for language learners – both because in most languages they are often simple and short and therefore relatively easy to learn, and also because using a command can get things done!

New vocabulary for lesson 2
verb roots and themes
bája: crack (acorns)
bólopaj help someone
býhbý be still
c’é look, see
c'esy look
c’úk’utʔòmisto you wash yourself!
húpajtì build (a fire)
hú:c’ik forget
jewo: run
jó:ki(t) dive
k’élc’ono (s/he) hugs (someone)
màhwó: clap hands
makpaj try
mé: grab
drink
pédaw come to eat
sól sing
tédo: stand up
tuji sleep
wóc’oti split a notch in something
ʔýhjoʔe: be careful
ʔýk’oj go away
ʔỳsí get out
nouns
májk’i children
fire
ʔuti acorn
verb suffixes
-be encouragement, permission, be sure to do something
-p imperative singular - command to one person
-sy, -k’uton imperative future - command to more than one person to do something later. You can use either one.
-wa imperative plural - command to two or more persons
Special terms
component any part of a word - the root or a suffix
imperatives commands; telling someone to do something
noun a word referring to a “person, place, or thing” - the person or item that is doing the action of the verb or has the action of the verb done to them.
root the part of the word containing the main meaning - like ‘person,’ ‘help,’, ‘big’.
suffix endings that get put on the end of a word. Also called verb suffixes, noun suffixes, etc.
theme commands; a root plus certain suffixes that add to the meaning of the root. The imperative suffixes can be added at the end of either a root or a theme.
verb a word referring to an action or behavior
part 1 - using commands

Commands – telling people what to do – are very useful things for language learners – both because in most languages they are often simple and short and therefore relatively easy to learn, and also because using a command can get things done!

At the end of the lesson we ask you to use what you learn. Commands are an easy thing to use with whoever you’ve got at home to talk to - a friend, a child, spouse or dog. (We don’t guarantee they will do what you say, though!) In a later section of this lesson, we show you how you can make a command more polite.
In English, when we tell someone to do something, we just use a bare verb, like “Eat!” or”Go home!” But commands in Konkow are made by adding a suffix (a component tacked onto the end of the verb. Furthermore, you add a different suffix depending on whether you are talking to one person, or more than one. Commands also differ depending on whether you are telling someone to do something right now or at some future time. Ultan calls commands “imperatives,” so we will use that term in the translations of the components.

part 2 -p Imperative Singular

To give a command to an individual person, put -p at the end of the verb, if it is preceded by a vowel.
But if there is a consonant before it, the -p disappears.

After a vowel:

móp!
drink!
drink
-p!
imperative
   
bèlem   móp!
Drink again!
bèlem
again
   
water
-p!
imperative
   

After a consonant there is no -p

pédaw!
Come and eat!
eat
-daw!
toward.​goal
   
hú・c’ik!
Forget it!
hú・c’ik!
forget.​it
   

When using the -p command, if the root is two syllables, the primary stress often shifts to the second syllable and the first syllable stress becomes less strong.

Example:
méhɁun. S/he holds it.
mèhɁúp! Hold it!

máhwon. S/he claps hands.
màhwóp! Clap hands!

There is no stress change for a verb that ends in a consonant (and therefore does not have a -p in the command form).


exercise 1

Making verbs into commands

EXERCISE 1

Make the following verb roots into commands. (Some won’t change at all except for your tone of voice.) Speaking of tone of voice, we recommend that you read the Konkow words and sentences you see out loud, to practice your pronunciation and start getting those words into your memory.

root/theme
English
Command Form
tédo:
Stand up!
ʔýk’oj
Go away!
me:
Grab it!
c'esy
Look!
(sa) húpajtì
Build (a fire)!
sol
Sing!
bólopaj
Help him!
byby
Be still!
jóki:t
Dive!
mákpaj
Try it!
ʔysí
Get out!
tuji
Sleep!
jewo:
Run!


tédo:
Stand up!
tèdó:p!
process
add -p
rule 1

ʔýk’oj
Go away!
ʔýk’oj
process
no -p
rule 1

me:
Grab it!
me:p
process
add -p
rule 1

c'esy
Look!
c'esyp
process
add -p
rule 1

sa húpajtì
Build a fire!
sa húpajtìp
process
add -p
rule 1

sol
Sing!
sol
process
no -p
rule 1

bólopaj
Help him!
bólopaj
process
no -p
rule 1

byby
Be still!
bybyp
process
add -p
rule 1

jóki:t
Dive!
jóki:t
process
no -p
rule 1

mákpaj
Try it!
mákpaj
process
no -p
rule 1

ʔysí
Get out!
ʔysíp
process
add -p
rule 1

tuji
Sleep!
tujip
process
add -p
rule 1

jewo:
Run!
jewo:p
process
add -p
rule 1




part 3 -wa imperative plural

To give a command to two or more people, use -wa after a vowel, but after a consonant (w) disappepars.


But also, the consonant that made the (w) disappear gets doubled (meaning it gets held longer).
After a vowel:
májk’im, ʔỳjé:wa Children, come here!

After a consonant:
ʔỳsíppa! Get out! (said to a group)
hú:c’ikka! Forget it!

exercise

Practice changing Konkow verbs into commands.


Add the proper plural command form after these verb stems (examples are above). Use the English translation to help you know what ending to put on.
Root
Konkow Ending
English Translation
sol
Sing, you all!
býhbý
Be still, you all!
ʔuti baya:
Crack acorns, you all!
jokit
Dive, you all!
c’úk’utʔòmis
Wash yourselves!

sol
-la!
Sing, you all!
-(w)a after consonant
(w) doubles that consonant
rule 3

býhbý
-wa!
Be still, you all!
add -wa
after vowel
rule 3

ʔuti baya:
-wa!
Crack acorns, you all!
add -wa
after vowel
rule 3

jokit
-ta!
Dive, you all!
-(w)a after consonant
(w) doubles that consonant
rule 3

c’úk’utʔòmis
-sa!
Wash yourselves!
-(w)a after consonant
(w) doubles that consonant
rule 3


part 4 -sy/su  -k’uton Future Imperatives

The suffixes you just learned, -p and -wa/-a, are used if you are telling someone to do something right now. But if you are telling someone to do something at some later time, there are different endings that you put in before -p or -wa/-a.

-sy (or -su) and -kuton (either one can be used without changing the basic meaning) come before the imperative if you want someone to do something at some future time. As for -sy/su, -sy was used by Leland Scott and -su by Elmer Smith. So again, take your pick.

Examples with –sy/su and -p

pébesỳp! Be sure and eat (when you come by later).
màhwó:sỳp! Clap your hands (when you go to the concert tonight).

Examples with -k’uton. (The -p will never show up because -kuton ends in a consonant.)

pébek’úton! Be sure and eat (when you come by later)!
màhwó:k’úton! Clap your hands (after he sings)!

Examples for plural future commands (unlike the singular, you can see the plural form with -k’uton):

nìk bòlopajbésywa! You will have to help me (when I make it).
ʔỳhjoʔe:k’utonnà! Be careful (when you get there)!

exercises 4 and 5
Exercises using -sy/su and -p And also -k'uton

EXERCISE 4

Change these “now” commands to future commands, using -sy.

Command English
mop! Drink!
Drink (a lot while you are hiking).
pédaw! Come and eat!
Come and eat (when you are in town!)
cúk’utʔomisto! Wash yourselves!
Wash yourselves! (after eating)

mop! Drink!
mosỳp! Drink (a lot while you are hiking).
Insert -sy before -p (after a vowel OR a consonant) Rule 5

pédaw! Come and eat!
pédawsỳp! Come and eat (when you are in town!)
Insert -syp. -p appears because it is now after a vowel. Rule 5, and refer to Rules 1 and 2

cúk’utʔomistowá! Wash yourselves!
cúk’utʔomistowásỳp! Wash yourselves (after eating)!
Insert -sy before -wa Rule 6



EXERCISE 5

Now change the same commands to future commands using -k’uton.

Command English
mop! Drink!
Drink (a lot while you are hiking).
pédaw! Come and eat!
Come and eat (when you are in town!)
cúk’utʔomisto! Wash yourselves!
Wash yourselves! (after eating)

mop! Drink!
mok’uton! Drink (a lot while you are hiking).

pédaw! Come and eat!
pédawk’uton! Come and eat (when you are in town!)

cúk’utʔomisto-wá! Wash yourselves!
cúk’utʔomisto-wá-k’uton! Wash yourselves (after eating)!

part 5 -be 'permissive' and EXERCISE 6

-be 'permissive' Dr Ultan translates as 'you may do it' or 'you’d better do it' or 'be sure to do it'


It might make a command more gentle. For example, instead of ‘Wash yourselves!’, you could add -be in front of the command ending, and get this more polite form:
cúk’utʔomisto-be-wá. Be sure and wash yourselves.

Exercise 6

Take any 5 commands from the above exercises and turn them into more polite commands by adding -be in front of the command ending.



Notice that a couple of them already have -be.

part 6 component order

The various verb and noun endings (suffixes) have a specific order they should occur on after the root of the word. The command forms are the last to occur in a word -- other suffixes, such as -be, come before the command.

In the verb suffix chart CLICK HERE, each ending is in a “class,” shown at the right side of the chart. These show where in the word each ending occurs. (These classes are often called ‘position classes’.)

-be is in class 13 (meaning there are 12 other categories of endings that would be placed before it!)

-sy/su is in class 16.

-k’uton is in class 17. Even though Ultan writes that you can either use -sy/su or -k’uton, he also writes that he has sometimes seen both together, with -sy first, so that is why he showed them as being in different classes. In fact, here is an example where three of the suffixes we are talking about occur together.

màkpaj-bé-sy-k'ùton! You must try it sometime!

-p and -wa are in class 18. Thus the order for the endings we have talked about in this lesson will always be:

class 13 class 16 class 17 class 18
-be -sy/-su -k'uton -p, -wa

exercise 7, 8, 9

Do a short exercise in “parsing.” As you have seen, we put a dash before suffixes when we are showing them by themselves, to show that they are not the root of the word, but are components that come after the root. We can also use a dash to separate the suffixes from each other when we want to show the components of a word.


Exercise 7

Below are 4 sentences that are commands. Read them out loud. Then rewrite the underlined verb that has the command endings on it by putting a dash before each of the command components we have been talking about, and write down each component’s translation in English. The first one is done for you as an example.

néno nik jántobesyp! Remember to tell me a story!
néno nik jánto -be -sy -p
-permissive -future.command -singular.command
Or use abreviations -pmsv -fut.cmd -sg.cmd

ʔỳhjoʔe:k'utonnà! Be careful (pl. e.g. when you get there)
ʔỳhjoʔe:
Or use abreviations

besup! Be sure and eat (when you come by)!
Or use abreviations

nìkbòlopajbésywa! You (pl) will have to help me (when I do it)!
nìkbòlopaj
Or use abreviations


ʔỳhjo'e:k'utonnà! Be careful (pl. e.g. when you get there)
ʔỳhjo'e: -k'uton -na
-future.command -singular.command
Or use abreviations -fut.cmd -sg.cmd

besup! Be sure and eat (when you come by)!

-be -su -p
-permissive -future.command -singular.command
Or use abreviations -pmsv -fut.cmd -sg.cmd

nìkbòlopajbésywa! You (pl) will have to help me (when I do it)!
nìkbòlopaj -be -sy -wa
-permissive -future.command -singular.command
Or use abreviations -pmsv -fut.cmd -sg.cmd

Exercise 8

Add imperatives to the thought bubbles using the new vocabulary from this lesson and words from the other lessons. Put an appropriate imperative in the talk bubbles for something the speaker wants to be done right now in the first row. Put an appropriate imperative in the talk bubbles for something the speaker wants to be done at a later time in the second row.




Exercise 9

Now go use these commands with real people, or your pets, or your plants, or the sky!


summary - imperative rules

rule 1
singular -p
-p after a vowel mop!
Drink! (singular, now)
after a consonant pedaw!
Come eat! (singular, now)

rule 2
plural -wa
-wa after a vowel ʔỳjé:wa!
Come here! (plural, later)
-(w)a after a consonant
(w) doubles that consonant
ʔỳsíppa!
Get out! (plural, later)

rule 3
future -sy
w/ singular -p
-sy-p after a vowel or consonant pébesỳp!
Eat! (e.g. when you get there)
pinsyp!
Listen! (e.g. when you go to class)

rule 4
future -sy
w/ plural -wa
-sy-wa after vowel or consonant nìk bòlopajbésywa!
Help me! (e.g. when I do it)

rule 5
future -k'uton
w/ singular -p
-k’uton
-p is after a consonant
RULE 1
màhwó:k’úton!
Clap your hands! (e.g. after he sings)

rule 6
future -k'uton
w/ plural -wa
-(w)a after a consonant
(w) doubles that consonant
RULE 2
ʔỳhjo’e:k’utonnà!
Be careful! (plural, when you get there)

Other points in this chapter:

  • -be makes a command more polite.
  • All verb endings go in a certain order. The order is shown by the listing of position classes in the verb chart.
  • -p and -wa are in class 18. Thus the order for the endings we have talked about in this lesson will always be:

class 13 class 16 class 17 class 18
-be -sy/-su -k'uton -p, -wa
Mary Jones
The wonderful Mary Jones videos have lessons organized by topic rather than grammar, and are very good for learning conversational speech. If you listen to these two lessons on eating, you will hear a number of command forms.


Click the arrow to start the video. Once started, moving the curser off the image causes the controls to disappear. Move the curser over the image to return the controls.

Want to learn more? All the Mary Jones videos lessons are available HERE

or you can download a PDF of the lesson here DOWNLOAD - LESSON 2
Each lesson has a set of flashcards that can be printed and used for practice. As you work through the lessons, the sets can be combined to create more advanced sentences. There are several fun games you can play using these flashcards. The cards can be printed either single or double sided depending on what and how you want to play. Three games will be outlined below.

Go Fish
This is a multiple player game. It can be played from a basic level with simply the vocabulary words, to a more advanced game where all the questions are asked in the language. At the most basic level, you can play with an open hand. The object is to get pairs and practice the vocabulary. You will need to print two or four copies of each card to play Go Fish and Concentration.

Concentration
This can be played individually or as a multiplayer game. Cards can be double sided or single sided. Pictures can be facing up or hidden. You can match pictures and/or words.The object is to find matches and pronounce the vocabulary.

Flashcard Drills
This can be played individually or as a two player game. One person shows the image to their partner, who says the Konkow word. This is repeated until each player can identify and pronounce each card in the stack. The amount of cards in the stack can be increased as needed.