-KĘ́Ę́Z

Etymology

From Proto-Athabaskan *q(w)eːtsʼ (stick-like or heavy object falls).[1]

Cognate root found in Ahtna naghilkaetsʼ ((knife, box) fell down), Chipewyan -kéth (long object drops).

The nasal vowel, found only in Navajo, is unexplained. See also -KÉÉZ where some confusion has arisen.

Root

-KĘ́Ę́Z

  1. SSO moves, falls (as a stick, a pencil)
Theme Category Bases Transitive bases (O + ł)
motion

SSO falls

  • yikęęs (∅-MOM)
  • iikęęs
  • dikęęs
  • diikęęs
  • haakęęs
  • naakęęs
  • nʼdiikęęs (breaks loose)
  • yíkęęs (ni-MOM)
  • chʼékęęs
  • niikęęs
  • yikǫs (PROG)
  • náhookǫs
successive

SSO bounces

  • nikídíkǫs (REP)
  • nikídiikǫs (SEM)

Stem set

Aspect IMP PERF FUT ITER OPT
MOM -kęęs -kę́ę́z -kǫs -kǫs -kęęs
REP -kǫs
SEM -kǫs -kǫs -kǫs -kǫs -kǫs

See also Appendix: Roots and stems derivation.

Synonyms

SSO verbs:

 
 
 

Derived terms

Navajo terms belonging to the root -KĘ́Ę́Z (SSO moves)

References

  1. ^ Jeff Leer (2010) “The palatal series in Athabascan-Eyak-Tlingit, with an overview of the basic sound correspondences”, in Anthropological Papers of the University of Alaska: The Dene-Yeniseian, Fairbanks, Alaska: University of Alaska Press, page 184