Pedro saglaje ekisbi. LCDD 14 Paya Kuna. LCDD 14 Paya Kuna

14.4 Grammar 189 Speaking verbs 1. chog ‗to say‘ 2. chunma ‗to talk‘ 3. ekis ‗to ask‘ 4. kol ‗to call‘ Sentences 1. An machiga chogzha. ‗I told the boy.‘ 2. An peje kolo. ‗I‘ll call you.‘ 3. Machi saglaje ekisne. ‗The boy is going to ask the chief.‘ 4. Ome punzhe kocha. 84 ‗The woman called the girl.‘ 5. Nan ammabak chunmas. ‗Mother talked with auntie.‘

14.4.9.2 Subject matter of speaking verbs

When the subject matter of a speaking verb 85 involves a person or the things a person said, the specific or general instrument suffixes are used. The specific instrument suffix -gin-kin is attached to the pronoun or name of the person being talked about and around whom the conversation revolves. Examples 1. Anmal pegin chunmas. ‗We talked about you.‘ 2. Sagla nangin chunmas. ‗The chief talked about Mother.‘ 3. María Silviagin chunmas. ‗Mary talked about Silvia.‘ The general instrument suffix -bal-pal is used to refer to what a person talked about rather than talking about the person. The suffix is attached to the name or pronominal reference to the person. Example Anmal pebal chunmas. ‗We talked about what you said.‘ Word order dictates that the subject matter of the conversation comes after the person spoken to and before the verb. Examples 1. An saglabak pegin chunmas. ‗I talked to the chief about you.‘ 2. An tummadga pebal chogzha. ‗I told the leader what you had said.‘ Some further examples may help to clarify the use of a person as an indirect object, as the topic of conversation or as the one who said something. Examples The speaker reports the person to the chief, probably for allegedly bad behavior: 1a. An saglaga pe chogzha. ‗I told the chief on you.‘ The speaker tells the chief details about a person or the details about an incident involving a person:

b. An saglaga pegin chogzha. ‗I told the chief about you.‘

The speaker tells the chief what the person said:

c. An saglaga pebal chogzha. ‗I told the chief what you said.‘

2a. An sagla je pe ekichis. ‗I asked the chief your whereabouts. lit.: I asked the chief for you.‘ 84 The completed aspect of the verb kol ‗to call‘ is kocha. 85 See 14.4.7. 190 Social Interaction

b. An saglaje pegin ekichis. ‗I asked the chief about you in general, How are

you?, etc.‘

c. An saglaje pebal ekichis. ‗I asked the chief about what you said.‘

14.4.10 Direct speech

The clause with a verb of speaking, for example, ―He said,...,‖ almost always precedes the quotation what is said. Occasionally, the response to a question or proposal will precede the clause of speaking, as seen in the boy ‘s response to the chief in the following example. Example 1. Sagla machiga chogal: ‗The chief began to say to the boy,‘ 2. --Pe negzhe nao. ‗―Go home‖‘ 3. --Nabir-- Nega chog. ‗―Fine‖ the boy replied to him.‘ 4. --Pedrodin ampak nao. ‗―Peter will go with me.‖‘

14.4.11 Verbs of thinking

In Kuna, three different verbs are used which can be translated by the English verb, ―to think.‖ A difference is made between an opinion held, the process of thinking cogitating and surmise. 14.4.11.1 Opinion The positionopinion of the speaker on a particular topicsituation is stated by using the habitual aspect of ―to thinksay ‖ followed by a direct or indirect quote, which is the stated positionopinion of the speaker. Example Antin chog: ―Nabir.‖ 86 ‗I think that is fine.‘ 14.4.11.2 Process of thinking The process of thinking is expressed by the verb pinzhe ‗to think about‘. The verb is preceded by the thought which is marked by the specific or general suffix -gin-kin or -bal-pal see 14.4.8.1 –4. Example An nangin pinzheji. ‗I am just thinking about Mother.‘ 14.4.11.3 Surmise Surmise is expressed by the verb ebinzhe ‗to thinksurmise‘. The content of the surmise is followed by the ebinzhe clause. Example Pabdin pato Pukurgin omos, an ebinzhe. ‗I think Father would have already arrived in Pucuru by now.‘

14.4.12 Exclusive noun suffix -bi-pi Ex. 26 –27

The use of the exclusive noun suffix -bi-pi parallels the English construction ‗only a certain thing‘, such as found in the sentence, ―I eat only cooked plantains.‖ This exclusive construction is used only with the noun phrase and is achieved by adding -bi-pi to the last word of the noun phrase, either a noun, an adjective, or a pronoun. Examples 1. An chiglibi takcha. ‗I saw only wild turkeys.‘ 2. Macherganbi ormanemal. ‗Only the men are all going to the meeting.‘ 86 Note that punctuation calls for no new paragraph for the content of a thought.