apu nikamut. | She does not sing. |
auen nekamut? | Who sings? |
When the verb nikamu is made an interrogative (who sings?), the conjunct form nikamut changes to nekamut. The first vowel changes from i (short i) to e.
The changed form of a verb results in a phonological change that affects the vowel of the first syllable in a verb or preverb. It can serve to create entirely new conjugations (like 12b and 14b).
The initial vowel change follows fixed rules, as illustrated below:
Rule | Dictionary Form | Unchanged Conjunct Form(e/ka/eka/apu + …) | Changed Form | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
short i > e | itu | itin | etin | |||
short a > e | atusseu | atusset | etusset | |||
u > ue | kushpu | kushpiht | kueshpiht | |||
long i > a (not ia) | pitutsheu | pitutshet | patutshet | |||
long a > ia | akushu | akushiani | iakushiani | |||
e > ie | metueu | metuenanut | mietuenanut | |||
ei > iei | peikupishu | peikupishit | pieikupishit | |||
ai > ei | aimu | aimit | eimit |
Verbs with a long u don’t take the changed form in certain dialects, which has influenced the standard orthography. Note: the preverb e followed by the unchanged conjunct form is written as one word.
Rule | Dictionary Form | Unchanged Conjunct Form | Changed Form | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
long u > e + C + u | pushu | pushit | epushit |
For examples of changed form conjugations, see 11b, 12b, and 14b in the conjugation guide.