Choctaw/Lesson 001

Make sure you've read the introduction before starting!

Lesson 1 - Chim-achukma? - How are you? (Next)
Chahta English
Halito, chim-achukmah?1

halito! čim‿əčukma(h)?

Hello! How are you? (hello! you-good?)
Am-achukmah! Chishnato?2

əm‿əčukma(h). čišnato?

I'm well. And you? (I-good. you-contrast?)
am achukmah oke3

əməčukmah‿oke!

I'm quite well! (I-good indeed)

LESSON NOTES
1: achukmah, to be well/good is a category III verb -- more on that in later lessons. With this category chim- prefix is used when talking another person, while am- is used talking about yourself.
2: chishnato, how about you is the contraction of chishno you and -ato which adds a contrastive meaning like "what about...?".
3: oke, indeed is placed at the end to emphasize.

Discussion

In this lesson, you met your first verb: achukmah, to be well/good. Unlike in English, many words like "sad", "good", "angry", etc. are considered verbs and change depending on who is being referred to.

There are three categories of verbs, and achukmah is part of the third (and smallest group).

The final syllable of a verb tends to be emphasized. The final h of achukmah is often not pronounced, but when other words are joined, as in oke indeed, then it reappears.


Translation Exercise

  1. Chim-achukma?
  2. Chishnato?
  3. Am-chukma.


Exercise Answers
  1. How are you?
  2. How about you?
  3. I'm well / fine.
This article is issued from Wikibooks. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.