Module 2

NOTE: This page is still under construction!

In this module, we‘ll cover the following:

New verbs

Below are the paradigms for three new verbs:

nuwehseʔ — to like
yʌteli — to know, to be familiar with
nolukhwaʔ — to love

All of these begin with a consonant so they use C-stem pronominals.

Red pronominals

	... like it	... know it	... love it
I	knú·wehse̲ʔ	kyʌtelí̲	knolúkhwa̲ʔ
You	snú·wehse̲ʔ	tsyʌtelí̲	snolúkhwa̲ʔ
He	lanú·wehse̲ʔ	layʌtelí̲	lanolúkhwa̲ʔ
She	yenú·wehse̲ʔ	yeyʌtelí̲	yenolúkhwa̲ʔ
It	kanú·wehse̲ʔ	kayʌtelí̲	kanolúkhwa̲ʔ
You and I	tninú·wehse̲ʔ	tniyʌtelí̲	tninolúkhwa̲ʔ
Someone and I	yakninú·wehse̲ʔ	yakniyʌtelí̲	yakninolúkhwa̲ʔ
You two	sninú·wehse̲ʔ	sniyʌtelí̲	sninolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two males	hninú·wehse̲ʔ	hniyʌtelí̲	hninolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two females	kninú·wehse̲ʔ	kniyʌtelí̲	kninolúkhwa̲ʔ
You all and I	twanú·wehse̲ʔ	twayʌtelí̲	twanolúkhwa̲ʔ
They and I	yakwanú·wehse̲ʔ	yakwayʌtelí̲	yakwanolúkhwa̲ʔ
All of you	swanú·wehse̲ʔ	swayʌtelí̲	swanolúkhwa̲ʔ
They (males)	latinú·wehse̲ʔ	latiyʌtelí̲	latinolúkhwa̲ʔ
They (females)	kutinú·wehse̲ʔ	kutiyʌtelí̲	kutinolúkhwa̲ʔ

Blue pronominals

	it likes ...	it knows ...	it loves ...
Me	waknú·wehse̲ʔ	wakyʌtelí̲	waknolúkhwa̲ʔ
You	sanú·wehse̲ʔ	sayʌtelí̲	sanolúkhwa̲ʔ
Him	lonú·wehse̲ʔ	loyʌtelí̲	lonolúkhwa̲ʔ
Her	yakonú·wehse̲ʔ	yakoyʌtelí̲	yakonolúkhwa̲ʔ
It	yonú·wehse̲ʔ	yoyʌtelí̲	yonolúkhwa̲ʔ
You and I	yukninú·wehse̲ʔ	yukniyʌtelí̲	yukninolúkhwa̲ʔ
Someone and I	yukninú·wehse̲ʔ	yukniyʌtelí̲	yukninolúkhwa̲ʔ
You two	sninú·wehse̲ʔ	sniyʌtelí̲	sninolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two males	lotinú·wehse̲ʔ	lotiyʌtelí̲	lotinolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two females	yotinú·wehse̲ʔ	yotiyʌtelí̲	yotinolúkhwa̲ʔ
You all and I	yukwanú·wehse̲ʔ	yukwayʌtelí̲	yukwanolúkhwa̲ʔ
Them and I	yukwanú·wehse̲ʔ	yukwayʌtelí̲	yukwanolúkhwa̲ʔ
All of you	swanú·wehse̲ʔ	swayʌtelí̲	swanolúkhwa̲ʔ
Them (males)	lotinú·wehse̲ʔ	lotiyʌtelí̲	lotinolúkhwa̲ʔ
Them (females)	yotinú·wehse̲ʔ	yotiyʌtelí̲	yotinolúkhwa̲ʔ

Purple pronominals

	... like ...	... know ...	... love ...
I → you	kunú·wehse̲ʔ	kuyʌtelí̲	kunolúkhwa̲ʔ
I → him	linú·wehse̲ʔ	liyʌtelí̲	linolúkhwa̲ʔ
I → her	khenú·wehse̲ʔ	kheyʌtelí̲	khenolúkhwa̲ʔ
You → me	sknú·wehse̲ʔ	skyʌtelí̲	sknolúkhwa̲ʔ
You → him	hetshnú·wehse̲ʔ	hetshyʌtelí̲	hetshnolúkhwa̲ʔ
You → her	shenú·wehse̲ʔ	sheyʌtelí̲	shenolúkhwa̲ʔ
He → me	laknú·wehse̲ʔ	lakyʌtelí̲	laknolúkhwa̲ʔ
He → you	yanú·wehse̲ʔ	yayʌtelí̲	yanolúkhwa̲ʔ
He → him	lonú·wehse̲ʔ	loyʌtelí̲	lonolúkhwa̲ʔ
He → her	shakonú·wehse̲ʔ	shakoyʌtelí̲	shakonolúkhwa̲ʔ
She → me	yuknú·wehse̲ʔ	yukyʌtelí̲	yuknolúkhwa̲ʔ
She → you	yesanú·wehse̲ʔ	yesayʌtelí̲	yesanolúkhwa̲ʔ
She → him	luwanú·wehse̲ʔ	luwayʌtelí̲	luwanolúkhwa̲ʔ
She → her	yutatnú·wehse̲ʔ	yutatyʌtelí̲	yutatnolúkhwa̲ʔ

Reflexive

We can add an additional prefix to a root word to make the root word apply to oneself. For example, knú·wehse̲ʔ means "I like it". Adding the prefix atat before the root word and after the pronominal will translate to "I like myself": katatnú·wehse̲ʔ.

The trickiness comes from the interesting behaviour that arises from adding atat to the root word. Adding this prefix "changes" the root word to use an A-stem.

	... like oneself	... know oneself	... love oneself
I	katatnú·wehse̲ʔ	katatyʌtelí̲	katatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
You	satatnú·wehse̲ʔ	satatyʌtelí̲	satatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
He	latatnú·wehse̲ʔ	latatyʌtelí̲	latatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
She	yutatnú·wehse̲ʔ	yutatyʌtelí̲	yutatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
It	watatnú·wehse̲ʔ	watatyʌtelí̲	watatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
You and I	tyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tyatatyʌtelí̲	tyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
Someone and I	tsyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tsyatatyʌtelí̲	tsyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
You two	yakyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	yakyatatyʌtelí̲	yakyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two males	hyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	hyatatyʌtelí̲	hyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two females	kyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	kyatatyʌtelí̲	kyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
You all and I	twatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	twatatyʌtelí̲	twatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
They and I	yakwatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	yakwatatyʌtelí̲	yakwatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
All of you	swatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	swatatyʌtelí̲	swatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
They (males)	lutatnú·wehse̲ʔ	lutatyʌtelí̲	lutatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
They (females)	kutatnú·wehse̲ʔ	kutatyʌtelí̲	kutatnolúkhwa̲ʔ

Reciprocal

We can go even further and add yet another prefix to a root word to make the root word apply between two subjects "in each direction". In English, an example of this is "Someone and I like each other". The term for this is "reciprocal".

To translate this sentence into Oneida, let‘s first take the root word for "to like", nuwehseʔ, and apply the reflexive prefix: atatnuwehseʔ. This is now an A-stem word so we can look at the red pronominals table to find the corresponding prefix for "Someone and I", which is yaky. So far we have yakyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ, but if you look in the previous section, this means "Someone and I like ourselves". To make it reciprocal, we add te at the beginning.

So the result is: teyakyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ.

	... like oneself	... know oneself	... love oneself
You and I	tetyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tetyatatyʌtelí̲	tetyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
Someone and I	tetsyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tetsyatatyʌtelí̲	tetsyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
You two	teyakyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	teyakyatatyʌtelí̲	teyakyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two males	tehyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tehyatatyʌtelí̲	tehyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
Two females	tekyatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tekyatatyʌtelí̲	tekyatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
You all and I	tetwatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tetwatatyʌtelí̲	tetwatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
They and I	teyakwatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	teyakwatatyʌtelí̲	teyakwatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
All of you	teswatatnú·wehse̲ʔ	teswatatyʌtelí̲	teswatatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
They (males)	tehutatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tehutatyʌtelí̲	tehutatnolúkhwa̲ʔ
They (females)	tekutatnú·wehse̲ʔ	tekutatyʌtelí̲	tekutatnolúkhwa̲ʔ

Commands

Here we introduce commands, which have different pronominals in some cases. The two commands are:

hlo·li̲ʔ — to tell someone
liwanu·túse̲ — to ask someone

hlo·li̲ʔ· — to tell someone

English	Translation
(you) tell me	takhlo·lí̲
you tell all of us all of you tell me all of you tell all of us	takwahlo·lí̲
(you) tell her	shehlo·lí̲
(you) tell him	hetshlo·lí̲

liwanu·túse̲ — to ask someone

English	Translation
(you) ask me	takliʔwanu·túse̲
you ask all of us all of you ask me all of you ask all of us	takwaliʔwanu·túse̲
(you) ask her	sheliʔwanu·túse̲
(you) ask him	hetsliʔwanu·túse̲

Negated Commands

We can negate the commands learned above too. Notice that some of the pronominals are different.

Takʌ ...hlo·li̲ʔ — don‘t tell someone

English	Translation
Don't (you) tell me	Tákʌʔ ʌskhlo·lí̲
Don't you tell all of us Don't all of you tell me Don't all of you tell all of us	Tákʌʔ ʌskwahlo·lí̲
Don't (you) tell her	Tákʌʔ ʌshehlo·lí̲
Don't (you) tell him	Tákʌʔ ʌhetshlo·lí̲

Takʌ ...liwanu·túse̲ — don‘t ask someone

English	Translation
Don't (you) ask me	Tákʌʔ ʌskliʔwanu·túse̲
Don't you ask all of us Don't all of you ask me Don't all of you ask all of us	Tákʌʔ ʌskwaliʔwanu·túse̲
Don't (you) ask her	Tákʌʔ ʌsheliʔwanu·túse̲
Don't (you) ask him	Tákʌʔ ʌhetsliʔwanu·túse̲

Family Members

In Oneida, pronominals are used to designate family relations. For example, the root word ʔkʌha is used for both brother and sister, but the pronominals give the context so a listener knows which one it is. Similarly, nulha is the root word for mother, aunt, and uncle, but the pronominals give context.

Most of the time, purple pronominals are used. When the relative is older, you must use the pronominal that corresponds to "relative" → "person". When the relative is younger, use the "person" → "relative" pronominal.

As a more concrete example, if I wanted to say "my uncle", I would start with the root word nulha. My uncle is a male, and is older than me, so I would then look up the pronominal corresponding to "him → me" which is lak. Thus, the translation is laknulhá·.

Similarly, to say "your niece", start with the root word "uhwatʌha". Look up the pronominal corresponding to "you → her" (because your niece is younger than you) and attach it to the root word. The result is sheyuhwatʌha.

Note: the term "older" is misleading as it doesn‘t exactly mean "age", but it is more to do with "seniority" in the bloodline. Even if your uncle is actually younger than you, you would still use the pronominal for "he → you".

Older Female Relatives

Pronoun (en)	mother nulha	aunt nulha	grandmother hsotha	older sister ʔkʌha
My	aknulhá·	yuknulhá·	akhsótha̲	yukeʔkʌ́ha̲
Your	sanulhá·	yesanulhá·	sahsótha̲	yesaʔkʌ́ha̲
His	lonulhá·	luwanulhá·	laohsótha̲	luwaʔkʌ́ha̲
Her	akonulhá·	utatnulhá·	akohsótha̲	akoʔkʌ́ha̲
All our	yukhinulhá·	yukhinulhá·	yukhihsótha̲	yukhiʔkʌ́ha̲
All of yours	swanulhá·	yetshinulhá·	swahsótha̲	yetshiʔkʌ́ha̲

Younger Female Relatives

Pronoun (en)	daughter yʌha	niece uhwatʌha	granddaughter atleha	younger sister ʔkʌha	great-granddaughter atleʔslʌtuheʔ
My	kheyʌ́ha̲	kheyuhwatʌ́ha̲	kheyatléha̲	kheʔkʌ́ha̲	kheyatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
Your	sheyʌ́ha̲	sheyuhwatʌ́ha̲	sheyatléha̲	sheʔkʌ́ha̲	sheyatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
His	shakoyʌ́ha̲	shakoyuhwatʌ́ha̲	shakotléha̲	shakoʔkʌ́ha̲	shakotleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
Her	utatyʌ́ha̲	utatyuhwatʌ́ha̲	utatatléha̲	utateʔkʌ́ha̲	utatatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
All our	yethiyʌ́ha̲	yethiyuhwatʌ́ha̲	yethiyatléha̲	yethiʔkʌ́ha̲	yethiyatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
All of yours	yetshiyʌ́ha̲	yetshiyuhwatʌ́ha̲	yetshiyatléha̲	yetshiʔkʌ́ha̲	yetshiyatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ

Older Male Relatives

Pronoun (en)	father ʔniha	uncle nulha	grandfather hsotha	older brother ʔkʌha
My	lakeʔníha̲	laknulhá·	lakhsótha̲	lakeʔkʌ́ha̲
Your	yaʔníha̲	yanulhá·	yahsótha̲	yaʔkʌ́ha̲
His	loʔníha̲	lonulhá·	lohsótha̲	loʔkʌ́ha̲
Her	akoʔníha̲	akonulhá·	akohsótha̲	akoʔkʌ́ha̲
All our	shukwaʔníha̲	shukwanulhá·	shukwahsótha̲	shukwaʔkʌ́ha̲
All of yours	hetswaʔníha̲	hetswanulhá·	hetswahsótha̲	hetswaʔkʌ́ha̲

Younger Male Relatives

Pronoun (en)	son yʌha	nephew uhwatʌha	grandson atleha	younger brother ʔkʌha	great-grandson atleʔslʌtuheʔ
My	liyʌ́ha̲	liyuhwatʌ́ha̲	liyatléha̲	liʔkʌ́ha̲	liyatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
Your	hetshyʌ́ha̲	hetshyuhwatʌ́ha̲	hetshatléha̲	hetsheʔkʌ́ha̲	hetshatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
His	loyʌ́ha̲	lauhwatʌ́ha̲	lotléha̲	loʔkʌ́ha̲	lotleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
Her	luwayʌ́ha̲	luwayuhwatʌ́ha̲	luwatléha̲	luwaʔkʌ́ha̲	luwatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
All our	hetniyʌ́ha̲	hetniyuhwatʌ́ha̲	hethyatléha̲	hetniʔkʌ́ha̲	hethyatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ
All of yours	hetsniyʌ́ha̲	hetsniyuhwatʌ́ha̲	hetshyatléha̲	hetsniʔkʌ́ha̲	hetshyatleʔslʌ́·tuhe̲ʔ

Cousins & Friends

Pronoun (en)	cousin alaʔse	friend atʌlo
Our (someone and I)	ukyalá·se̲ʔ	ukyatʌ·ló̲
All your	tsyalá·se̲ʔ	tsyatʌ·ló̲
Their (males, mix)	lonalá·se̲ʔ	lonatʌ·ló̲
Their (females)	yonalá·se̲ʔ	yonatʌ·ló̲
All our	ukwalá·se̲ʔ	ukwatʌ·ló̲
All of yours	swalá·se̲ʔ	swatʌ·ló̲

Family

Phrase	Translation
akhwa·tsíle̲ʔ	My family
sahwa·tsíle̲ʔ	Your family
laohwa·tsíle̲ʔ	His family
akohwa·tsíle̲ʔ	Her family
aohwa·tsíle̲ʔ	Its family
uknihwa·tsíle̲ʔ	Our (you and I) family
snihwa·tsíle̲ʔ	All your family
ukwahwa·tsíle̲ʔ	All our family
swahwa·tsíle̲ʔ	All of yours family
laotihwa·tsíle̲ʔ	All (males) their family
aotihwa·tsíle̲ʔ	All (females) their family

Siblings, Related

Pronoun (en)	siblings ekʌha	related atatnuhkweʔ	siblings of the same sex te…atahnu·téleʔ
Our (you and I)	tetyatatekʌha̲	tyatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	tetyatahnu·téle̲ʔ
Our (someone and I)	teyakyatatekʌha̲	yakyatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	teyakyatahnu·téle̲ʔ
All your	tetsyatatekʌha̲	tsyatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	tetsyatahnu·téle̲ʔ
Their (males, mix)	tehyatatekʌha̲	hyatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	tehyatahnu·téle̲ʔ
Their (females)	tekyatatekʌha̲	kyatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	tekyatahnu·téle̲ʔ
All our	tetwatatekʌha̲	twatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	tetwatahnu·téle̲ʔ
All our (they and I)	teyakwatatekʌha̲	yakwatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	teyakwatahnu·téle̲ʔ
All of yours	teswatatekʌha̲	swatátnuhkwe̲ʔ	teswatathnu·téle̲ʔ
All (males) their	tehutatekʌha̲	lutátnuhkwe̲ʔ	tehutahnu·téle̲ʔ
All (females) their	tekutatekʌha̲	kutátnuhkwe̲ʔ	tekutahnu·téle̲ʔ

Multiple Family Members

Pronoun (en)	parents yʌha	children yʌʔokuha	grandparents hsotha	grandchildren atleʔokuha
My	yukyʌ́ha̲	kheyoʔokúha̲	yukhsótha̲	kheyatleʔokúha̲
Your	yesayʌ́ha̲	sheyoʔokúha̲	yesahsótha̲	sheyatleʔokúha̲
His	luwayʌ́ha̲	shakoyʌʔokúha̲	luwahsótha̲	shakotleʔokúha̲
Her	shakotiyʌ́ha̲	luwatiyʌʔokúha̲	shakotihsótha̲	luwʌnatleʔokúha̲
All our	yukhiyʌʔokúha̲	yethiyʌʔokúha̲	yukhihsothokúha̲	yethiyatleʔokúha̲
All of yours	yetshiyʌʔokúha̲	yetshiyʌʔokúha̲	yetshihsothokúha̲	yetshiyatleʔokúha̲

Pronoun (en)	older siblings ʔkʌʔokuha	younger siblings ʔkʌʔokuha	uncles & aunts nulha·shuha	nephews & nieces uhwatʌʔokuha
My	yukeʔkʌʔokúha̲	kheʔkʌʔokúha̲	yuknulhaʔshúha̲	kheyuhwatʌʔokuha̲
Your	yesaʔkʌʔokúha̲	sheʔkʌʔokúha̲	yesanulhaʔshúha̲	sheyuhwatʌʔokuha̲
His	luwaʔkʌʔokúha̲	shakoʔkʌʔokúha̲	luwanulhaʔshúha̲	shakonuhwatʌʔokuha̲
Her	shakotiʔkʌʔokúha̲	utateʔkʌʔokúha̲	shakotinulhaʔshúha̲	utatyuhwatʌʔokuha̲
All our	yukhiʔkʌʔokúha̲	yethiʔkʌʔokúha̲	yukhinulhaʔshúha̲	yethiyuhwatʌʔokuha̲
All of yours	yetshiʔkʌʔokúha̲	yetshiʔkʌʔokúha̲	yetshinulhaʔshúha̲	yetshiyuhwatʌʔokuha̲

Pronoun (en)	siblings te...atahnuteleʔshuha	cousins alaʔsé·shuha	friends atʌloʔslaʔshúha
My	teyakwatahnuteleʔshú·ha̲	ukwalaʔsé·shuha̲	ukwatʌloʔslaʔshúha̲
Your	teswatahnuteleʔshú·ha̲	swalaʔsé·shuha̲	swatʌloʔslaʔshúha̲
His	tehutahnuteleʔshú·ha̲	lonalaʔsé·shuha̲	lonatʌloʔslaʔshúha̲
Her	tehutahnuteleʔshú·ha̲	lonalaʔsé·shuha̲	lonatʌloʔslaʔshúha̲
	tekutahnuteleʔshú·ha̲	onalaʔsé·shuha̲	onatʌloʔslaʔshúha̲

unheʔ — (to be) alive

Below is the paradigm table for unheʔ. It is a U-stem root word and uses red pronominals.

Phrase	Translation
kúnhe̲ʔ	I am alive
súnhe̲ʔ	You are alive
lúnhe̲ʔ	He is alive
yakúnhe̲ʔ	She is alive
yúnhe̲ʔ	It is alive
tnúnhe̲ʔ	You and I are alive
yaknúnhe̲ʔ	Someone and I are alive
snúnhe̲ʔ	You two are alive
núnhe̲ʔ	Two males are alive
knúnhe̲ʔ	Two females are alive
tyúnhe̲ʔ	You all and I are alive
yakyúnhe̲ʔ	They and I are alive
tsyúnhe̲ʔ	All of you are alive
lʌnúnhe̲ʔ	They (males) are alive
kunúnhe̲ʔ	They (females) are alive

iheyu — (to be) dead / (to have) died

Below is the paradigm table for iheyu. It is an I-stem root word and uses blue pronominals.

Phrase	Translation
wakiheyú	I am dead; I have died
sʌheyú	You are dead; You have died
lawʌheyú	He is dead; He has died
yakawʌheyú	She is dead; She has died
yawʌheyú	It is dead; It has died
yuknʌheyú	You and I are dead; You and I have died
yuknʌheyú	Someone and I are dead; Someone and I have died
snʌheyú	You two are dead; You two have died
lonʌheyú	Two males are dead; Two males have died
yonʌheyú	Two females are dead; Two females have died
yukwʌheyú	You all and I are dead; You all and I have died
yukwʌheyú	They and I are dead; They and I have died
swʌheyú	All of you are dead; All of you have died
lonʌheyú	They (males) are dead; They (males) have died
yonʌheyú	They (females) are dead; They (females) have died

atukohtu — to have passed on

Below is the paradigm table for atukohtu. It is an A-stem root word and uses blue pronominals.

Phrase	Translation
lotukóhtu̲	He has passed on
yakotukóhtu̲	She has passed on
yotukóhtu̲	It has passed on
lonatukóhtu̲	They (males) have passed on
yonatukóhtu̲	They (females) have passed on

Deceased Family Members

In Oneida, talking about those who have passed on requires care. An additional suffix is either added on to the end of a word or replaces the last syllable of a word. The rules are:

nulhá· becomes nulhaʔkʌ́
níha becomes nikʌ́
sótha becomes sotkʌ́
kʌ́ha becomes kʌhaʔkʌ́
yʌ́ha becomes yʌhaʔkʌ́
uhwatʌ́ha becomes uhwatʌʔkʌ́
atléha becomes atlehaʔkʌ́
alaʔséha becomes alaʔsehaʔkʌ́
atʌ·ló· becomes atʌloʔkʌ́

Notice that, in many cases, accents, stresses, and lengths move places.

English	Translation
my late mother	aknulhaʔkʌ́
my late father	lakeʔnikʌ́
my late grandmother	aksotkʌ́
my late grandfather	laksotkʌ́
my late aunt	yuknulhaʔkʌ́
my late uncle	laknulhaʔkʌ́
my late older sister	yukeʔkʌ́haʔkʌ́
my late older brother	lakeʔkʌhaʔkʌ́
my late younger sister(s)	kheʔkʌhaʔkʌ́
my late younger brother	liʔkʌhaʔkʌ́
my late niece(s) & nephew(s)	kheyuhwatʌʔkʌ́
my late nephew	liyuhwatʌʔkʌ́
my late daughter	kheyʌhaʔkʌ́
my late son	liyʌhaʔkʌ́
my late granddaughter(s) / grandchildren	kheyatlehaʔkʌ́
my late grandson	liyatlehaʔkʌ́
my late cousin	ukyalaʔsehaʔkʌ́
my late friend	ukyatʌloʔkʌ́

Numbers

Counting in Oneida can be tricky. It is essential to first learn the numbers from 1 to 10. Then you can use the following rules:

11 - 19: the second digit comes first, followed by yawa·lé̲·
21 - 29: tewáhsʌ̲ then the second digit
30 - 99: the first digit, niwáhsʌ̲, then the second digit
100 - 9999: the number of 100s, tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ, then follow the rule above for the last 2 digits

English	Translation
1	úska
2	tékeni̲ tékni
3	áhsʌ̲
4	kayé
5	wisk
6	yá·yak
7	tsyá·tak
8	tékelu̲ʔ tékluʔ
9	wá·telu̲ʔ wá·tluʔ
10	oyé·li̲
11	úska yawʌ·lé̲·
12	tékni yawʌ·lé̲·
13	áhsʌ yawʌ·lé̲·
14	kayé yawʌ·lé̲·
15	wisk yawʌ·lé̲·
16	yá·yak yawʌ·lé̲·
17	tsyá·tak yawʌ·lé̲·
18	tékluʔ yawʌ·lé̲·
19	wá·tluʔ yawʌ·lé̲·
20	tewáhsʌ̲
21	tewáhsʌ úska
22	tewáhsʌ tékeni̲ tewáhsʌ tékni
30	áhsʌ niwáhsʌ̲
40	kayé niwáhsʌ̲
50	wisk niwáhsʌ̲
60	yá·yak niwáhsʌ̲
70	tsyá·tak niwáhsʌ̲
80	tékluʔ niwáhsʌ̲
90	wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ̲
99	wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·telu̲ʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·tluʔ
100	úska tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
101	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ úska
110	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ oyé·li̲
111	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ úska yawʌ·lé̲·
120	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ tewáhsʌ̲
130	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ áhsʌ niwáhsʌ̲
140	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ kayé niwáhsʌ̲
150	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wisk niwáhsʌ̲
160	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ yá·yak niwáhsʌ̲
170	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ tsyá·tak niwáhsʌ̲
180	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ tékluʔ niwáhsʌ̲
190	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ̲
199	úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·telu̲ʔ úska tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·tluʔ
200	tékni tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
201	tékni tewʌʔnyáweluʔ úska
300	áhsʌ tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
400	kayé tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
500	wisk tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
600	yá·yak tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
700	tsya·ták tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
800	tékluʔ tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
900	wá·tluʔ tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
999	wá·tluʔ tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·telu̲ʔ wá·tluʔ tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·tluʔ
1000	oyé·li tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
1001	oyé·li tewʌʔnyáweluʔ úska
1111	úska yawʌ·lé· tewʌʔnyáweluʔ úska yawʌ·lé̲·
1200	tékni yawʌ·lé· tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
1300	áhsʌ yawʌ·lé· tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ
1999	wá·tluʔ yawʌ·lé tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·telu̲ʔ wá·tluʔ yawʌ·lé tewʌʔnyáweluʔ wá·tluʔ niwáhsʌ wá·tluʔ
2000	tewáhsʌ tewʌʔnyáwelu̲ʔ

kstʌha — (to be) old

Below is the paradigm table for kstʌha. It is a C-stem root word and uses blue pronominals.

Phrase	Translation
wakekstʌ́ha̲	I am old
sakstʌ́ha̲	You are old
lokstʌ́ha̲	He is old
yakokstʌ́ha̲	She is old
yokstʌ́ha̲	It is old
yuknikstʌ́ha̲	You and I are old
yuknikstʌ́ha̲	Someone and I are old
snikstʌ́ha̲	You two are old
lotikstʌ́ha̲	Two males are old
yotikstʌ́ha̲	Two females are old
yukwakstʌ́ha̲	You all and I are old
yukwakstʌ́ha̲	They and I are old
swakstʌ́ha̲	All of you are old
lotikstʌ́ha̲	They (males) are old
yotikstʌ́ha̲	They (females) are old

kʌʔ nit...yʌha — (to be) young

Below is the paradigm table for kʌʔ nit...yʌha. It is a C-stem root word and uses blue pronominals.

This one is different from the words discussed so far. The author is unsure of why there the nit occurs before the pronominal.

Phrase	Translation
kʌʔ nitwakyʌ́ha̲	I am young
kʌʔ nitisayʌ́ha̲	You are young
kʌʔ nithoyʌ́ha̲	He is young
kʌʔ nityakoyʌ́ha̲	She is young
kʌʔ nityoyʌ́ha̲	It is young
kʌʔ nityukniyʌ́ha̲	You and I are young
kʌʔ nityukniyʌ́ha̲	Someone and I are young
kʌʔ nitisniyʌ́ha̲	You two are young
kʌʔ nithotiyʌ́ha̲	Two males are young
kʌʔ nityotiyʌ́ha̲	Two females are young
kʌʔ nityukwayʌ́ha̲	You all and I are young
kʌʔ nityukwayʌ́ha̲	They and I are young
kʌʔ nitiswayʌ́ha̲	All of you are young
kʌʔ nithotiyʌ́ha̲	They (males) are young
kʌʔ nityotiyʌ́ha̲	They (females) are young

Take note of the letter "i" in between the "nit" and the pronominal for the phrases "You are young", "You two are young", and "All of you are young".

naʔ te...ohsliyá·ku̲ — (to be) an age

In Oneida, the more literal translation to say "I am ... years old" is "I have crossed X winters".

Phrase	Translation
naʔ tewakohsliyá·ku̲	I am ... years old
naʔ tesohsliyá·ku̲	You are ... years old
naʔ tehaohsliyá·ku̲	He is ... years old
naʔ teyakaohsliyá·ku̲	She is ... years old
naʔ teyaohsliyá·ku̲	It is ... years old
naʔ teyuknohsliyá·ku̲	You and I are ... years old
naʔ teyuknohsliyá·ku̲	Someone and I are ... years old
naʔ tesnohsliyá·ku̲	You two are ... years old
naʔ tehonohsliyá·ku̲	Two males are ... years old
naʔ teyonohsliyá·ku̲	Two females are ... years old
naʔ teyukyohsliyá·ku̲	You all and I are ... years old
naʔ teyukyohsliyá·ku̲	They and I are ... years old
naʔ tetsyohsliyá·ku̲	All of you are ... years old
naʔ tehonohsliyá·ku̲	They (males) are ... years old
naʔ teyonohsliyá·ku̲	They (females) are ... years old

As a more concerete example, the Oneida translation for "I am 35 years old" is 35 naʔ tewakohsliyá·ku̲.

Particles

Oneida	English	Examples
akwekú̲	everyone, everything	Akwekú knú·wehse̲ʔ I like everything.
twakwekú̲	you all and I	Twakwekú yethiyʌtelí̲ We all know her.
yakwakwekú̲	they and I	Yakwakwekú yakwanú·wehse̲ʔ They all & I like it.
swakwekú̲	all of you	Swakwekú swanú·wehse̲ʔ You all like it.
latikwekú̲	all of them (males, males/females)	Latikwekú yuknú·wehse̲ʔ They Ms all like me.
kutikwekú̲	all of them (females)	Kutikwekú kutinú·wehse̲ʔ They Fs all like it.
thó	that, there, that thing	Thó ní· knú·wehse̲ʔ That's what I like. Yáh thó tehokhstʌ́ha̲ He's not that old.
átiʔ náhte̲ʔ	anything, whatever	Áti náhteʔ ni·sé· snú·wehseʔ, né· ú·ni knú·wehse̲ʔ Whatever you like, I also like.
áti úhkaʔ	anyone, anybody, whoever	Khenú·wehseʔ kwáh áti úhkaʔ isé· shenú·wehse̲ʔ I like whoever you like.
íhsi nú·	on the other side (of something), more than	Íhsi nú· oyé·li naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲ He's more than ten years old.
kaló	on this side (of something), less than	Kaló né· oyé·li naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲ He's less than ten years old.
né· ok	just / only	Né· ok oyé·li naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲ He's just ten years old.
né· tshá·kat	it is the same, they are the same	Né· kʌ́ tshá·kat kaʔi·kʌ̲̲́ Are these (things) the same?
tekyattíhʌ̲	it is different, it is uneven	Tekyattihʌ tsiʔ ní·yot thikʌ̲ They are different than that.
tetsyalú̲	both, either, neither	Tetsyalú ni· knú·wehseʔ kaʔi·kʌ̲̲́ I like both of these.
thóha	almost	Thóha oyé·li naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲ He's almost ten years old.
tó· ni	How many/much?	Tó· nisahwístayʌ̲ʔ How much money do you have?

Last Names

Pronoun	Phrase	Translation
í	tekhsʌná·se·le̲ʔ	My last name
isé	tetsʌná·se·le̲ʔ	Your last name
laulhá	tehahsʌná·se·le̲ʔ	His last name
akaulhá	teyehsʌná·se·le̲ʔ	Her last name
latikwekú	tehatihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ	All (males) their last name

Examples

English	Translation
Is Smith your last name?	Smith kʌ́ tetsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
Smith is not my last name	Yáh Smith thaʔtekhsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
Jackson is 50 Cent's last name	Jackson né· tehahsʌná·seleʔ 50 Cent
Knowles is Beyonce's last name	Knowles né· teyehsʌná·seleʔ Beyonce
McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr are the last names of the Beatles	McCartney, Lennon, Harrison kháleʔ Starr né· tehatihsʌná·seleʔ Beatles

About Someone

Pronoun	Phrase	Translation
í	aklihwá·ke̲	About Me
isé	salihwá·ke̲	About You
laulhá	laolihwá·ke̲	About Him
akaulhá	akolihwá·ke̲	About Her
aulhá	aolihwá·ke̲	About It
latikwekú	laotilihwá·ke̲	About Them (males)
kutikwekú	aotilihwá·ke̲	About Them (females)

Examples

English	Translation
Do you know anything about me?	Sanúhteʔ kʌ́ náhteʔ ní· aklihwá·ke̲
Tell me a little bit about yourself.	Takhló·li ostúha ni·isé· salihwá·ke̲
What do you know about David?	Náhteʔ né· sanúhteʔ Tá·wit laolihwá·ke̲
Who is this about?	Úhkaʔ náhteʔ né· akolihwá·ke kaʔí·kʌ̲
What's this about?	Náhteʔ aolihwá·ke kaʔi·kʌ̲
I don't like anything about them.	Yáh náhteʔ né· teʔknú·wehseʔ lonulhá· laotilihwá·ke̲

Similar in Appearance

These words make use of the semi-reflexive feature.

Pronoun	Phrase	Translation
tetniyáhse	tetsityatyelʌ̲́	You and I look alike
teyakniyáhse	tetsyakyatyelʌ̲́	Someone and I look alike
tesniyáhse	tetsitsyatyelʌ̲́	You two look alike
tehniyáhse	teshyatyelʌ̲́	Two males look alike
tekniyáhse	teskyatyelʌ̲́	Two females look alike
twakwekú	tetsitwatyelʌ̲́	You all and I look alike
yakwakwekú	tetsyakwatyelʌ̲́	They and I look alike
swakwekú	tetsiswatyelʌ̲́	All of you look alike
latikwekú	teshutyelʌ̲́	They (males) look alike
kutikwekú	teskutyelʌ̲́	They (females) look alike

Things that are the same

English	Translation
They are the same	Né· tshá·kat
Are they the same?	Né· kʌ́ tshá·kat
They are not the same	yáh né· tshá·kat té·kʌ
Someone and I are the same age	tshaʔteyuknohsliyá·ku̲
You two are the same age	tshaʔtesnohsliyá·ku̲
We are all the same age	tshaʔteyukyohsliyá·ku̲
You all are the same age	tshaʔtetsyohsliyá·ku̲
They Ms are the same age	tshaʔtehonohsliyá·ku̲
They Fs are the same age	tshaʔteyonohsliyá·ku̲
You and I have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ tetnihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
Someone and I have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ teʔyaknihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
You two have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ tehsnihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
Two males have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ tehnihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
Two females have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ teknihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
We all have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ tetwahsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
They and l have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ teyakwahsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
You all have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ tehswahsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
They Ms have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ tehatihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ
They Fs have the same last name	tshaʔteyót tsiʔ tekutihsʌná·se·le̲ʔ

Being Different

These words make use of the semi-reflexive feature.

Pronoun	Phrase	Translation
tetniyáhse	tetyattíhʌ̲	You and I are different
teyakniyáhse	teyakyattíhʌ̲	Someone and I are different
tesniyáhse	tetsyattíhʌ̲	You two are different
tehniyáhse	tehyattíhʌ̲	Two males are different
tekniyáhse	tekyattíhʌ̲	Two females are different
twakwekú	tetwattíhʌ̲	You all and I are different
yakwakwekú	teyakwattíhʌ̲	They and I are different
swakwekú	teswattíhʌ̲	All of you are different
latikwekú	tehuttíhʌ̲	They (males) are different
kutikwekú	tekuttíhʌ̲	They (females) are different

Dialogue

Here is some dialogue using terminology from module 1 and 2.

Example 1

Tó· naʔtehaohsliyá·ku neʔn yaʔníha̲
Thóha wisk niwáhsʌ naʔtehaohsliyá·ku lakeʔníha̲
To·kʌ́skeʔ kʌ́ tho naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲
ʌ́·, tho naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲
Úhkaʔ náhteʔ sheyʌtelí né·n sʌ́haʔ kʌʔ nityakoyʌ́ha̲
Sʌ́haʔ kʌʔ nithoyʌ́·ha loʔniha̲ Íhsi nú· né· téklu niwáhsʌ naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲
Tetsitsyatyelʌ́ kʌ́ neʔn yahsótha̲
Táh. Yáh thaʔtetsyakyatyelʌ̲̲́ Íhsi né· wisk niwáhsʌ niyohslaké sʌ́haʔ lokstʌ́haʔ tsiʔ ni·yót niʔí·
Shakoyʌtelí kʌ́ akhwa·tsíle̲
Táh, né· ok laulhá laohwa·tsíleʔ shakoyʌtelí̲

Example 2

Úhkaʔ náhteʔ sʌ́haʔ kʌʔ nityakoyʌhaʔ né· yesayʌʔokuha̲ Yaʔníha kʌ́ katʌ sanulhá·
Lakeʔníha sʌ́haʔ lokstʌ́haʔ tsiʔ ni·yót neʔn aknulhá·
Tó· nikú sʌ́haʔ lokstʌ́ha̲ʔ
Tewáhsʌ niyohslaké sʌ́haʔ lokstʌ́ha̲ʔ
E·só· sʌ́haʔ lokstʌ́haʔ, wáhi̲
ʌ́·

Example 3

Sʌ́haʔ kʌ́ akokstʌ́haʔ né· ukyalaséha Kowáklit tsiʔ ni·yót neʔn tsyalá·séʔ Tu·wís
Táh. Ukyalá·seʔ Tu·wís sʌ́haʔ lokstʌ́haʔ tsiʔ ni·yót né· tsyalá·seʔ Kowáklit
Kayé kʌ́ niwáhsʌ naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲
Táh. Yáh tho tehokstʌ́ha̲ʔ Áhsʌ ok niwáhsʌ wá·tlu naʔtehaohsliyá·ku̲
Sanúhteʔ kʌ́ tó· naʔteyakaohsliyá·ku né· ukyalasé Kowáklit
Táh. Yáh tewakánuhteʔ, uhkaʔ náhteʔ né· akonulhá·
Yukeʔkʌ́ha Ní·ki neʔn akonulhá·
Tó· sʌ́haʔ akokstʌ́haʔ Ní·ki tsiʔ ni·yót niʔisé̲·
Thohaʔ oyé·li niyohslaké sʌ́haʔ akokstʌ́haʔ tsiʔ ni·yót niʔí·
Yáh yeksá· té·kʌ, wáhi̲
To·kʌ́skeʔ kʌ́
ʌ́·

Translation Exercises

1	Akwekú neʔn teyakwatahnu·téleʔ yesanú·wehse̲ʔ
2	Lawʌheyú kʌ́ neʔn Wílo lohsótha̲
3	Sheyʌtelí kʌ́ úhkaʔ ok náhteʔ neʔn lutátnuhkweʔ Tu·wís
4	Shekú kʌ́ tehnúnheʔ yesayoʔokúha̲
5	Yáh úhkaʔ teʔkheyʌtelí thikʌ́ lutátnuhkweʔ Tshyalé
6	Íhsi kʌ́ nú· né· oyé·li naʔtehaohsliyá·ku né· etsheʔkʌha̲
7	Yáh tehyatátnuhkweʔ Tu·wís kháleʔ tsyalá·seʔ nók tsiʔ teshyatyelʌ́
8	Smith kʌ́ tehnihsʌná·sleʔ né· Tshyalé luwayoʔokuha̲
9	Náhteʔ ok kʌ́ sanúhte né· liʔkʌ́ha laolihwá·ke̲
10	Tó· sʌ́haʔ kʌʔnithoyʌ·ha né· Kwítel tsiʔ ni·yót niʔisé̲·
11	Latikwekú kaló nʌʔ né· oyé·li naʔtehonohsliyá·ku neʔn luwatiyʌʔokúha̲
12	Sʌ́haʔ kʌ́ kʌʔnitisayʌ́ha tsiʔ ni·yót swatʌloʔshúha̲
13	Yáh úhkaʔ náhteʔ teyuknú·wehseʔ né· yaʔníha laohwa·tsíle̲ʔ
14	Tákʌʔ ʌshehlo·lí· yukeʔkʌ́ha tsiʔ yakawʌheyú né· yonatʌ·ló͟·
15	Yáh thaʔtetsitsyatyelʌ́ né· tsyalá·seʔ Kwítel
16	Shekú kʌ́ tehnúnheʔ né· Tá·wet luwayʌ́ha̲
17	Akwekú luwá·nuwehseʔ thikʌ́ lokstʌ́ha̲
18	Yáh thaʔteyakyatatyʌtelí né· tsyalá·seʔ Wílo
19	To niyohslaké sʌ́haʔ kʌʔnitho·yʌ́· neʔn yanulhá· tsiʔ ni·yót neʔn yaʔníha̲
20	Akwekú kʌ́ shakoyʌtelí neʔn sheyatleʔokúha̲
21	Her granddaughter is less than 10 years old.
22	Is your cousin Paul younger than you?
23	I don't know all of your younger sisters.
24	Her late grandmother's name is Ellen.
25	What are your brothers' and sisters' names?
26	Is Margaret's older sister still alive?
27	My parents don't know your parents.
28	Is your late grandfather's name Joe?
29	He doesn't know anyone in my uncle's family.
30	My niece is just eight years younger than me.
31	He's almost 50 years old, he's not that young.
32	John's parents are not alive. They're dead.
33	What is Mary's granddaughter's last name?
34	Tell us who you are related to.
35	How much older is your older sister than you?
36	Are you related to that young good- looking woman named Kathy?
37	How many of his kids are still alive?
38	Who do you look like in your family?
39	She doesn't know me but she still doesn't like me.
40	Do my parents and your parents know one another?