Page 37 - Native Languages 9-10 (1999)

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Explanatory Notes
The following definitions of terms are intended to help teachers and parents/guardians use this document.
Active voice. A form of the verb indicating that the subject of the sentence is performing the action. See also passive voice.
Adjectival construction. The addition of an affix that works like an adjective to modify a noun or verb.
Adverb. A word expressing a relation of place, time, circumstance, manner, cause, degree, etc., e.g., quite, gently, then, and there.
Affix. A prefix, infix, or suffix that is added to a noun, pronoun, or verb to modify the meaning.
Agreement. A grammatical relationship between different parts of speech indicating the same number, gender, case, or person.
AI verb (VAI) (Algonquian). An intransi- tive verb of which the subject is animate.
Algonquian languages. A group of Aboriginal languages spoken from Labrador to the Carolinas between the Atlantic coast and the Rocky Mountains. The languages spoken in Ontario include Cree, Delaware, Odawa, Ojibwe, Oji-Cree, and Potawatomi.
Animate (Iroquoian). Anything that is living and breathing. See also gender - animate (Algonquian).
Bound locative. An affix attached to a noun that indicates location. See also locative.
Cislocative. A prefix attached to a verb typically to describe movement towards the speaker (for verbs of motion) or to carry the meaning “there” (for verbs of position).
See also locative and translocative.
Cluster. Three or more consonants that usually appear together.
Comparative (Iroquoian). A word used to express a comparison of two entities, denot- ing a degree of difference in quality, quantity, or relation.
Complex sentence. A sentence containing a main clause and one or more subordinate clauses.
Compound sentence. A sentence containing two or more main clauses.
Conjugation. The inflection of a verb. The changes to the form of a verb to show person, number, and time; e.g., first, second, or third person; singular or plural; past, present, or future.
Conjunct order of the verb. A form of the verb used in subordinate clauses or con- tent questions; joined with question words such as when, who, how, or where. See also independent order of the verb.
Contraction. A word resulting from the fusing of two or more words by omitting letters or sounds.
Contrastive prefix (Iroquoian). A verb pre-pronominal prefix that negates verbs that do not have a modal pre-pronominal prefix; can be used to mean “a different kind of ”.
Conventions. Accepted practices or rules in the use of language.
C-stem (consonant stem) (Iroquoian). A stem that begins with a consonant.
Cues, non-verbal/visual. Aspects of communication that convey meaning with- out the use of words; e.g., facial expressions, gestures, body language; illustrations, typeface, and punctuation.
Cues, verbal. Aspects of spoken language that convey meaning, e.g., intonation or emphasis.