SENĆOŦEN: A Grammar of the Saanich Language

44.3. Development -IL / EL

Models
1)ḴELEL‘spoil’
2)MEQEL‘go to pick up’
3)ȻIMEL‘turn brown’
4)LIḰEL‘calm, slack’
5)TEṈEW̱EL‘be a little dirty’
6)NU¸ILEṈ‘go inside’
7)TESILEṈ‘go away to someplace else’
8)ṮĆILEṈ‘sink’

1 The ‘development’ suffix has two forms: ‑IL and ‑EL. The ‑IL form appears only when it is stressed, and that happens only when there is a following suffix. Models 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 show the ‑EL form. In the models 6, 7 and 8, the ‑IL suffix is followed by the ‑EṈ ‘middle voice.’
2 The meaning of the ‑IL ‘development’ suffix is not as easy to determine as most suffixes in SENĆOŦEN. In its clearest cases, it refers to a situation that is developing or has developed from some other situation. For example, model 1 is based on ḴEL ‘be spoiled, ruined.’ When the ‑IL/‑EL suffix is added, we get the idea of spoilage developing. So, for example, without the suffix: ḴEL TŦE ÁPELS ‘The apple is spoiled’ and with the suffix: ḴELEL TŦE ÁPELS ‘The apple spoiled’ The suffix marks the developing spoilage.
3 The ‘development’ suffix can also indicate a movement toward a goal. Model 2, for example, has the same root as MEQEN ‘pick up to claim.’ Add the ‘development’ suffix to get the idea of going somewhere to pick things up.
4 Model 3 shows one example of the suffix occurring in a color term. The word here is based on NEȻIM, a color term which is usually translated ‘red’ but covers a range of colors that English calls red, brown, and orange. The ‘development’ idea can be seen in the translation of model 3. It is used as in ȻIMEL TŦE ÁPELS ‘The apple turned brown.’ This could also mean ‘The apple turned red.’ The ‘actual aspect’ form of model 3, ȻI¸EM¸EL¸ means ‘turning red/brown’ or it can also mean ‘pink, reddish, orangish.’
5 The root word in model 4 is also on LIḰET ‘loosen it, let it go slack.’ The ‘development’ suffix here conveys the idea that the wind has stopped blowing. With the ‘stative’ prefix (§43), we have SLIḰEL which refers to the state of being ‘calm, still, windless.’
6 Model 5 has the suffix on the word TEṈEW̱ ‘land, earth, dirt.’ The translation of model 5 includes the idea of ‘little.’ This implies that the subject is developing into something like ‘earth’ as in TEṈEW̱EL TŦE NE CEPU ‘My coat is a little dirty.’
7 Models 6, 7, and 8 are based on the zero stems (§34) NEU¸ ‘enter,’ TES ‘arrive there,’ and ṮEĆ ‘under, deep.’ Each of these has the one-participant middle (§35.3) ‑EṈ suffix following the ‑IL ‘development’ suffix. When the ‘development’ suffix is added to any zero stem like these, it is followed by the ‑EṈ ‘middle.’
8 The ‑IL/‑EL ‘development’ suffix is not very common in SENĆOŦEN words. Fewer than 200 words have been recorded with this suffix. Nevertheless, this is a good suffix to know and recognize and to use to make new words not in the SENĆOŦEN dictionary.
 
ȻE₭EL E SE¸ SW̱? ‘Are you going to go downstream?’
EWENE NE SNEW̱EȽ. ṮĆILEṈ ȻE¸.‘I have no canoe. It sank.’
X̱EṈ SW̱ I¸ YÁ¸ OOȽ ¸E TŦE NE SNEW̱EȽ.‘You can go aboard my canoe.’
HÍ SW̱ KE, SI¸ÁM¸, HÍ SW̱ KE.‘Thank you very much.’
 
44.3A. Look up these words and make an original sentence with each.
1. W̱KEȻILET  2. XIȾEL  3. XESILEṈ  4. DÁȻEL 5. KI¸XEL¸  6. TÁĆEL

44.3B. Explain how each of those words show the ‘development’ idea.
 

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