14.2. ‘Refuse it’ or ‘not accept it’
Models
| 1) | SQȺTW̱ SEN. | ‘I refused it.’ |
| 2) | SQȺTW̱ SEN TŦE SNEW̱EȽ. | ‘I refused the canoe.’ |
| 3) | SQȺTEṈ SEN. | ‘I was rejected.’ |
| 4) | SQȺTEṈ TŦE SNEW̱EȽ ¸E TŦE NE MÁN. | ‘My father refused the canoe.’ |
‣ 1 SQȺTW̱ is built on the word SQȺ, ‘unable’ which is covered in §14.1. This word has the causative ‑TW̱ suffix, just like EWETW̱, which was covered in §12.6. The causative is discussed in more detail in §40.
‣ 2 The translation ‘refuse’ in each of these could be replaced by some version of ‘not want,’ ‘disapprove,’ ‘deny,’ or ‘not accept.’
‣ 3 While SQȺ is intransitive, adding the causative ‑TW̱ suffix makes SQȺTW̱ a transitive verb. Look at the second model and you will see that TŦE SNEW̱EȽ is the direct object.
‣ 4 Models 3 and 4 show how SQȺTW̱ is ‘passivized’—turned into a passive verb by adding the ‑EṈ suffix.
‣ 5 As always, the final W̱ is dropped when the passive suffix is added.
‣ 6 The translation for the third model could also be ‘I was refused’ or ‘They didn’t want me’ meaning I was the thing that was unwanted.
‣ 7 In the translation of the fourth model, ‘my father’ is the subject of the English. Passive sentences in SENĆOŦEN often are translated into English as active sentences. In SENĆOŦEN, the subject is TŦE SNEW̱EȽ ‘the canoe.’ The last model could also, and more accurately, be translated ‘The canoe was refused by my father.’
 | SQȺTW̱ E SW̱ TŦE PUS? | ‘Did you not accept the cat?’ |
 | EWE. ȻENET TŦE PUS. | ‘No. I took the cat.’ |
| ÍY¸ E TŦE PUS? | ‘Is the cat nice?’ |
| SQȺTEṈ SEN ¸E TŦE PUS. ȽÁU¸. | ‘The cat refused me. It ran away.’ |
14.2A. Which of these sentences is ungrammatical? If it is ungrammatical, explain why it is. If it is grammatical, translate the sentence. If you see a word you do not know, look it up in the SENĆOŦEN dictionary.
1. SQȺTW̱ E LE¸ SW̱?
2. SQȺTW̱ TŦE NE SQENET.
3. SQȺTW̱ SEN ȻSE EN¸ SḴÁXE¸.
4. EWE SEN SQȺTW̱ TŦE EN¸ SḴÁXE¸.
5. EWE SEN S SQȺTW̱ TŦE EN¸ SḴÁXE¸.
6. SQȺTEṈ NE SḴÁXE¸ ¸E TŦE NE SĆÁ¸ĆE¸.
7. SQȺTEṈ E SW̱ TŦE NE SḴÁXE¸?
8. SQȺTEṈ E SW̱ NE SḴÁXE¸?
9. EWE S SQȺTEṈ TŦE NE SḴÁXE¸ ¸E TŦE NE SĆÁ¸ĆE¸.
10. EWE SEN SQȺTEṈ TŦE SḴÁXE¸.
14.2B. Make up four more sentences using SQȺTW̱.