38.1. ‘Why’ with ŚW̱-
Models
| 1) | X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ NE ŚW̱YÁ¸? | ‘Why did I go?’ |
| 2) | X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ EN¸ ŚW̱YÁ¸? | ‘Why did you go?’ |
| 3) | X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ EN¸ ŚW̱YÁ¸ HÁLE? | ‘Why did you folks go?’ |
| 4) | X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ ŚW̱YÁ¸ ȽTE? | ‘Why did we go?’ |
| 5) | X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ ŚW̱YÁ¸S? | ‘Why did he/she/it/they go?’ |
| 6) | X̱ENIṈ OĆE ŚW̱YÁ¸S? | ‘Why did he/she/it/they go?’ |
‣ 1 The main question word verb here is X̱ENIṈ ‘way, manner.’ This is also used in constructions meaning ‘never, ever’ (§23.4) and in ‘how’ questions (§28.1).
‣ 2 X̱ENIṈ is not strictly a question word. Here are two sentences that are used a lot:
NIȽ U¸ X̱ENIṈ. ‘That’s the way it is.’
X̱ENIṈ ¸E TŦÁ¸ENEṈ. ‘It was like that there.’
The second of these two samples is frequently used by story tellers when transitioning to a new topic.
‣ 3 When X̱ENIṈ is followed by the particle ȻEĆÁ, as in models 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, or the particle OĆE, as in model 6, we have a ‘why’ question. ȻEĆÁ, like OĆE, is another speech act modifier. Those are introduced in §3 and described in detail in §48.
‣ 4 While OĆE is used only in questions, ȻEĆÁ is used in many statements where its meaning is something like ‘therefore,’ ‘so,’ ‘thus,’ or ‘that explains why.’ For example, YÁ¸ SEN ȻEĆÁ means ‘therefore I went’ or ‘that explains why I went.’ The particle ȻEĆÁ is also a crucial part of the construction that means ‘because,’ which is covered in §39.
‣ 5 The prefix ŚW̱‑ is also crucial in this construction. This prefix has played a part in constructions described in §26.3, §37.2, §39, and §55. The meaning of ŚW̱‑ is covered by the English phrases ‘thing for,’ ‘reason for,’ ‘reason why,’ or ‘cause of.’ For example, the prefix occurs in the term of endearment older people use toward their children, NEŚW̱ELI. This breaks down into NE‑ ‘my,’ ŚW̱‑ ‘reason for,’ HELI ‘live’—‘my reason for living.’
‣ 6 The pattern for this form of ‘why’ questions is:
X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ/OĆE possessive ŚW̱‑event
The event could be any sentence, but the subject of the event must be marked with one of the possessive prefixes or suffixes. The ȻEĆÁ/OĆE here means either ȻEĆÁ or OĆE can be used.
 | X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ EN¸ ŚW̱MESITEṈ? | ‘Why were you chosen?’ |
 | EWENE NE SXĆIT. | ‘I don’t know.’ |
| EWENE EN¸ TÁLE. | ‘You have no money.’ |
| EWENE NE TÁLE I¸ U¸ QOMQEM! | ‘I have no money, but I’m strong!’ |
| 38.1A. Translate into English: 1. X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ NE ŚW̱¸ÁȽE? 2. X̱ENIṈ OĆE ŚW̱ṈO¸ETS TŦE SMÍEŦ? 3. X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ EN¸ ŚW̱ȻENÁṈETOL¸W̱? 4. X̱ENIṈ ȻEĆÁ EN¸ ŚW̱SQȺ Ȼ EN¸ S¸ITET? | 38.1B. Translate into SENĆOŦEN using ŚW̱‑: 1. Why did he come to Tseycum? 2. Why don’t you eat? 3. Why did we run away? 4. Why did you hit me? |