-TĄ́

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *tan ~ *tən (“to handle stick-like objects or vessels”), probably one of the most polysemous root across all Athabascan languages.

Cognate root found in Ahtna deztaan (“(elongated object) is in position”), datiił (“he is counting”), natadghitaan (“water drips down”), hwghitaʼ (“it stops”), tinitaan (“there is a trail”), łtaan (“(enclosed object) is in position”), dełtaan (“(body of water) is in position”), sa dinhwtniłten (“explain to me!”), titahdiniłtaan (“they rushed off in a group”), l+taan (“animate rests”), among many other meanings in the sole Ahtna language.

Occurs in Navajo as momentaneous perfective -TĄ́ or -TĄ́Ą́ʼ, in themes related to the handling of stick-like objects (SSO), to raining, to teaching, to the gallopping of a horse, and also acts as the suppletive neuter stem of -BIN (plural S sit).

Root

-TĄ́

 1. to handle a slender stiff object

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

S handles SSO

  • yitįįh (∅-MOM)
  • iitįįh
  • yiditįįh
  • yidiitįįh
  • haitįįh
  • neitįįh
  • neidiitįįh (ńdii-, “pick up”)
  • neidíníitįįh (ńdíníi-, “good start”)
  • naʼiidiitįįh (nʼdii-, “detach”)
  • táiditįįh
  • yisdéítįįh
  • yitįįh [shishtįįh] (si-MOM)
  • yítįįh (ni-MOM)
  • chʼíítįįh
  • niyítįįh
  • neitin (CONT)
  • yootį́į́ł (PROG)
∅ positional

SSO is in position

S keeps SSO in position

  • yistą́ (NEUT)
hi / di
+ yíní + ∅		 positional

SSO hangs, dangles or protrudes

  • détą́
  • hidétą́
  • chʼíhidétą́
  • hahíítą́
  • nahíítą́
∅ positional

it hangs in mid-air
(new moon, hummingbird)

 2. to rain

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
ho + ł motion/operative?

it rains

  • ahałtįįh (MOM)
  • ahoʼniiłtįįh
  • hahałtįįh
  • hahodíníłtįįh (hadíní-, “too much”)
  • hodiłtįįh
  • hodiiłtįįh
  • nihoołtįįh
  • nahałtin (DUR)
  • naałtin (without ho-)
  • hoołtį́į́ł (PROG)
ni + ł conversive?

it mists, clouds hangs in the air

  • adahoniłtįįh
  • neestin (NEUT)

 3. to teach; to understand, to guess

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
ni + ∅/ł

S teaches

  • neinitin (nani-)
↳ naʼnitin
  • yíneiniłtin (bínabini-)
  • yíneiniłtin (bínani-)
↳ yínaʼniłtin
  • yínoołtį́į́ł (PROG)
di + ∅

S understands, guesses

  • yikʼiʼdiitįįh
↳ akʼiʼdiitįįh
  • yééʼdeetįįh (béédiʼni-)
↳ ééʼdeetįįh

 4. plural S sit

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
d positional

plural S sit

 5. to gallop

Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
ni + l motion

S gallops

  • — (∅-MOM)
  • aniltįįh
  • díníltįįh (di-)
  • díníiltįįh (dii-)
  • haniltįįh
  • neeltįįh (ni-MOM)
  • chʼíneeltįįh
  • nineeltįįh
  • naniltin (CONT)
  • nooltį́į́ł (PROG)

Stem set

The stem set of this root shows a great deal of variation and irregular alternations across the various meanings and aspects.

Aspect IMP PERF FUT ITER OPT
MOM -tįįh -tą́ -tį́į́ł -tį́į́h -tį́į́ł

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

SSO verbs:

to teach:

  • -ʼĄ́Ą́ʼ

to understand:

  • -TSʼĄ́Ą́ʼ

to sit:

to rain:

 

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (handle SSO)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (rain)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (teach)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (sit)

Navajo terms belonging to the root -TĄ́ (gallop)

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