LESSON TWO - DIALOGUES AND PHRASES

DIALOGUES AND PHRASES
WHO’s WHO?: NEGATIVE RESPONSES

 a)

I:ˀ gęh neˀ ___ ?   ‘Am I _____ ?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ i:s ___ dˀegę: .   ‘No, you’re not __ .’

I:s gęh neˀ ___ ?   ‘Are you ___ ?’

b)

Tęˀ, tęˀ i:ˀ ___ dˀegę: .   ‘No, I’m not ___ .’

_____ gęh ni:ˀ?   ‘Am I ___?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ ni:s ___ dˀegę: .   ‘No, you’re not __ .’

_____ gęh ni:s?   ‘Are you ___?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ ni:ˀ ___ dˀegę: .   ‘No, I’m not ___ .’

c)

___ gęh to:gyęh?   ‘Is that ____ ?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ __ dˀegę: to:gyęh.   ‘No, that’s not __ .’

___ gęh nę:gyęh?   ‘Is this ____ ?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ __ dˀegę: nę:gyęh.   ‘No, this isn’t __ .’

MORE EXAMPLES

I:s gęh nę:gyęh?   ‘Is this you?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ i:ˀ dˀegę: to:gyęh.   ‘No, that’s not me.’

I:ˀ gęh nę:gyęh?   ‘Is this me?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ i:s dˀegę: to:gyęh.   ‘No, that’s not you.’

I:ˀ gęh?   ‘Me?’

Tęˀ, tęˀ i:s.   ‘No, not you.’

Ęhę:ˀ, i:s.   ‘Yes, you.’

NOTES

1)    Word order
Word order in Cayuga is often quite free. As an example, the phrase Tęˀ, tęˀ ni:ˀ ___ dˀegę: can reorder the word ni:ˀ a little closer to the end, and still mean the same thing: Tęˀ, tęˀ _____ dˀegę: ni:ˀ ‘No, I’m not _____ .’ As you go along in your learning, remember once in a while to pay attention to the order that speakers put their words in. Because as always, if it’s good for them to say, it’s good for you to say too!