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Mvhayv: Hēsci. Fettvn yvkapet fullvkēts.
Cokv-hēcv: Enka!
Mvhayv: Fettv kvsvppēt owv?
Cokv-hēcv: Monks. Fettv lekothēt os.
Mvhayv: Mowan, vpēyvkēts.
Mvhayv: Heyv eto huerēt os.
Cokv-hēcv: Eto mahēt onko?
Mvhayv: Mvt cvtot os.
Cokv-hēcv: Mv cvto rakkēt os.
Mvhayv: Pvhe lanēt os.
Cokv-hēcv: Atvme sulkēt os.
Mvhayv: Este sulkēt fulles.
Cokv-hēcv: Sutv holattēt os.
Mvhayv: Vholocē hehcvks!
Vocabulary
| fettv | outside |
| yvkapet fullvkēts | let’s (3+) walk around |
| kvsvppēt owv? | is it cold? |
| monks | no |
| lekothēt os | it’s warm |
| mowan | well, then |
| vpēyvkēts | let’s (3+) go |
| eto | tree |
| eto huerēt os | a tree stands |
| eto mahēt onko? | it’s a tall tree, isn’t it? |
| cvto | rock |
| mvt cvtot os | that is a rock |
| mv cvto rakkēt os | that rock is big |
| pvhe | grass |
| pvhe lanēt os | the grass is green |
| atvme | car |
| atvme sulkēt os | the cars are many / there are many cars |
| este | person |
| este sulkēt fulles | many people are about |
| sutv | sky |
| sutv holattēt os | the sky is blue |
| vholocē | cloud |
| vholocē hehcvks! | you all look at the cloud! |
Exercises
Without looking back, fill in the blanks based on the dialogue.
- Fettvn __________ fullvkēts.
- Fettv __________ owv?
- Monks. Fettv __________ os.
- Mowan, __________.
- Eto mahēt __________?
- Atvme __________ os.
- Sutv __________ os.
- Vholocē __________ .
Language patterns
A. The ending –vkēts means ‘let’s’:
- Yvkapet fullvkēts. ‘Let’s (3+) walk around’, from yvkvpetv ‘to walk’ and fulletv ‘(3+) to go around’
- Vpēyvkēts. ‘Let’s (3+) go’, from vpēyetv ‘(3+) to go’
Some verbs in Muskogee are special plural verbs: fulletv and vpēyetv are only used when three or more individuals are doing the action.
Here are more examples of ‘let’s’ expressions:
- hompvkēts ‘let’s eat’, from hompetv ‘to eat’
- yvhikvkēts ‘let’s sing’, from yvhiketv ‘to sing’
B. The word os means ‘he/she/it is’. It changes in questions:
- kvsvppēt os ‘it is cold’
- kvsvppēt owv? ‘is it cold?’
- kvsvppēt onko? ‘it’s cold, isn’t it?
