36.3. Other nonpatient objects and -ṈIT
Models
| 1) | ḰELṈISE SEN. | ‘I spoke to you.’ |
| 2) | ḰELṈIS SEN. | ‘You spoke to me?’ |
| 3) | ḰELṈITOL¸W̱ SW̱. | ‘You spoke to us?’ |
| 4) | ḰELṈIT SEN. | ‘I spoke to him/her/them.’ |
| 5) | ḰELṈISES. | ‘He/she/they spoke to me.’ |
| 6) | ḰELṈITES. | ‘He/she/they spoke to him/her/them.’ |
‣ 1 This ṈIT is really two suffixes: ‑ṈI and ‑ET. The ‑ET part is the basic control transitive, so the object suffixes are the same. See §32.1. This ‑ṈI suffix often occurs with the causative. See §40.1 for details on that.
‣ 2 The ‑ṈIT suffix appears as ‑ṈET when the root keeps the stress.
‣ 3 The stem in the model is here presented as ḰELṈIT, which is based on the root ḰÁL ‘speak.’ ḰELṈIT has stress on the I, but some elders pronounce this ḰÁLṈET with stress maintained by the Á of the root.
‣ 4 The translation of the verb ḰELṈIT given in the models does not give the whole sense of the word. ḰÁLṈET can more accurately be translated ‘give a stern talking to.’ It is not quite as strong as ‘scold.’
‣ 5 The ‑ṈIT suffix is the most difficult to explain. The models show one typical usage. In the models, the direct object is not a patient—it is not undergoing any action. It is not a recipient or beneficiary, either.
‣ 6 Although the suffix is not rare, there are few clear cases of the ‑ṈIT suffix in its full context. Because its meaning and use is so different from anything in English, it is difficult to elicit from the L1 elders.
‣ 7 There are versions, what are called ‘cognates,’ of this suffix in most, if not all, of the Salishan languages. In every description (see works listed in the bibliography), its meaning and use is labeled in vague terms—‘relational,’ ‘concerning,’ ‘attitude.’ The best we can do is give a few examples:
| ȽÁU¸ ‘escape’ | ȽEU¸ṈIT ‘escape from some danger’ |
| LELÁ¸NEṈ ‘hear’ | LELEṈIT ‘listen to someone’ |
| SȺ¸SI¸ ‘scared’ | SI¸SȺ¸ṈET ‘scared of something’ |
| ȻÁĆEṈ ‘holler’ | ȻĆÁṈET ‘holler to someone’ |
 | ḰELṈISE LE¸ SEN. LELEṈIS E SW̱? | ‘I spoke to you. Did you listen to me?’ |
 | HÁ¸E. YOŦ SEN OL¸ U¸ LELEṈISE. | ‘Yes. I always listen to you.’ |
| EWE Ȼ EN¸ S LELEṈIS. | ‘You never listen to me.’ |
| EWE Ȼ EN¸ KÁL¸ṈET? | ‘You never believe me.’ |
36.3A. Make up a new sentence for each of the ‑ṈIT verbs in the table under point 7.
36.3B. Use the SENĆOŦEN dictionary to find one other verb with -ṈI and make two sentences from it.