Mol chi. Positional verbs Ex. 4 –5

62 Positional Words Examples 1. Tad mai. ‗The grandfather is at homepresent.‘

2. Machi mai.

‗The boy is at homepresent.‘

3. Mu chi.

‗The grandmother is at homepresent.‘

4. Pun chi.

‗The girl is at homepresent.‘ According to tradition, this distinction stems from the ancient times when a man always received guests while lying in his hammock mai, while women were seated on benches chi to receive guests. 2 Position in focus with reference to people Although by far the most common use of positional verbs for men and women is mai and chi, respectively, occasionally the situation demands that another one be used. If, in the mind of the speaker, the position of the person is in focus, the construction parallels the SpanishEnglish construction lying, sitting, standingleaning, hangingsuspended, or ―on all fours.‖ It is helpful to be aware of some examples of situations in which a position is in focus and, consequently, a positional verb other than maichi is used. Situation 1 A man has been sick and lying in his hammock for days. A visitor comes to call. The sick man is feeling a little better and is even sitting up on a bench. The fact that the man is sitting is very important to the visitor because he had not expected that turn of events. The person responding to the visitor ‘s opening remarks might say: Tad chi. ‗The elder one is sitting.‘ Situation 2 A woman is very sick and lying in a hammock. The important information is that the woman is so sick she is lying down. Relatives may say to visitors: Nan mai. ‗Mother is lying down.‘ 3 Temporary presence If the presence of a man is temporary, the positional verb chi may be used. Examples

1. Machi chi.

‗The boy is here temporarily.‘

2. An machered neggin chi.

‗My husband is temporarily in the house.‘ 4 Positional verb mai referring to a person ‟s status Mai is used in speaking of a person ‘s status or position in the community. To form the status construction, the suffix -ga is added to the status position. Examples

1. Pedro saglaga mai.

‗Peter is the chief.‘

2. Alvaro tummadga mai.

‗Alvaro is the leader.‘ 5 Positional verb nai referring to allegiance Nai is used to show allegiance of one person to another. The suffix -bal is added to the name of the person to whom allegiance is shown. Examples 1. Pedro anbal nai. ‗Peter is for me.‘

2. Juan, Luisbal nai.

‗John is for Louis.‘