31.2. Noncontrol Passive: -nəŋ, -náŋ
| kʷənáŋənəŋ cn. | ‘I was accidentally helped’ or |
| ‘He/she/it/they managed to help me’ or | |
| ‘Someone succeeds in helping me.’ | |
| kʷənáŋənəŋ st. | ‘We were helped’ or |
| ‘He/she/it/they helps/help us’ or | |
| ‘Someone helps us.’ | |
| kʷənáŋənəŋ cxʷ. | ‘You were helped’ or |
| ‘He/she/it/they helps/help you’ or | |
| ‘Someone helps you.’ | |
| kʷənáŋənəŋ cxʷ hay. | ‘You folks were helped’ or |
| ‘He/she/it/they helps/help you folks’ or | |
| ‘Someone helps you folks.’ | |
| kʷənáŋənəŋ. | ‘He/she/it/they was/were helped’ or |
| ‘He/she/it/they helps/help him/her/it/them’ or | |
| ‘Someone helps him/her/it/them.’ |
► 1 The noncontrol passive is formed with ‑nəŋ or ‑náŋ at the end of the verb root.
► 2 Notice that just as for the control passive in each example, it is the subject that is undergoing the action.
► 3 Notice also that just as for the control passive, each of the Klallam sentences has three possible English translations.
► 4 The noncontrol passive implies that there is an actor who is not in control. It is translated just as the other noncontrol forms in §7.2: ‘manage to,’ ‘accidentally,’ or ‘finally succeed in.’ In the models here, only the first has these ideas explicitly in the English translation.
Shifting vowels in noncontrol stems
Remember back in §7.2 you learned a list of noncontrol verbs. Here is the list again:
ƛ̓kʷnáxʷ ‘manage to take it’ ► 2 Notice that just as for the control passive in each example, it is the subject that is undergoing the action.
► 3 Notice also that just as for the control passive, each of the Klallam sentences has three possible English translations.
► 4 The noncontrol passive implies that there is an actor who is not in control. It is translated just as the other noncontrol forms in §7.2: ‘manage to,’ ‘accidentally,’ or ‘finally succeed in.’ In the models here, only the first has these ideas explicitly in the English translation.
Shifting vowels in noncontrol stems
Remember back in §7.2 you learned a list of noncontrol verbs. Here is the list again:
c̓čnáx ‘manage to wake it’
x̣áčnəxʷ ‘manage to dry it’
ɬíc̓nəxʷ ‘manage to cut it’
šč̓náx ‘manage to hit it’
sáʔənəxʷ ‘manage to lift it’
mísnəxʷ ‘manage to choose it’
x̣čnáxʷ ‘manage to figure it out’
tkʷnáxʷ ‘manage to break it’
What you were told in that section was: “Note that some of these end with ‑náxʷ, while others end with ‑nəxʷ. As a rule, if the basic transitive ends in ‑ə́t with the stressed ə́, then the noncontrol transitive will end in ‑náxʷ. These words have ‘vowelless roots’ also called ‘zero stems.’”
Now you have an explanation for these changing forms. In zero stems, the suffix is ‑náxʷ, while in weak and strong stems, the suffix is ‑nəxʷ.
When the passive is added to weak or strong noncontrol stems, the stressed vowel shifts just as it does in control stems. In weak stems, the vowel moves to the right; in strong stems, it stays put.
In zero stems, the noncontrol suffix is ‑náxʷ, and the passive suffix is ‑náŋ.
This table summarizes weak, strong, zero, and i stems when the event is not controlled.
| Noncontrol stems | Before | When the passive suffix is added | After |
| Weak stems e.g., mis‑ ‘choose’ | mísnəxʷ ‘choose it’ | vowel moves to right with ‑nəŋ suffix | məsínəŋ ‘is chosen’ |
| Strong stems e.g., x̣ač‑ ‘dry’ | x̣áčnəxʷ ‘dry it’ | vowel stays in place | x̣áčnəŋ ‘is dried’ |
| Zero stems e.g., ƛ̓kʷ‑ ‘take’ | ƛ̓kʷnáxʷ ‘take it’ | basic stem has no vowel, but suffix has stressed á | ƛ̓kʷnáŋ ‘is taken’ |
| i stems e.g., ƛ̓kʷ‑i‑ ‘take’ + i = ‘hold’ | ƛ̓kʷníxʷ ‘hold it’ | zero stem with ‑i suffix, which moves to right with any other suffix | ƛ̓kʷníŋ ‘is held’ |
 | k̓ʷə́nnəŋ u cxʷ ʔaʔ cə ʔən̓cáčc. | ‘Did your uncle see you?’ |
 | ʔáwə. ƛ̓iʔáʔtəŋ u cn. | ‘No. Is he looking for me?’ |
| čtálə ʔaʔ cə ʔən̓sčáy. | ‘He has money for your work.’ |
| mán̓ ʔuʔ ʔə́y̓! ʔəx̣ín̓ ʔuč. | ‘Great! Where is he?’ |