In the following discussion, we examine some words derived from the roots -nngo and kong with the meaning of “what, how, why”. The bound root -nngo “do what” must co-occur with an affix, such as ma-nngo “do what” (Example 1). The only difference between kong “what” and kongo “how” lies in the final vowel -o in kongo, which may have originated from the nominative case marker o. It is likely that o, frequently occurring after ikong “what”, was reanalyzed to form a new word ikongo “why”. Meanwhile, kongo “how” developed into a new root. In Example (2), kongo-en “how to do…” is derived from kongo.
A stative verb may become a dynamic verb by prefixing the inchoative mipa- “begin to…, gradually” to the root. In Example (3), the dynamic verb mipehnep (< mi-pa- + henep) “the tide gradually rises” is formed by adding mipa- to the root henep~enep “tide”. Its stative counterpart is mehnep (< ma- + henep) “the tide rises”.
There is a relationship between p- and m- in Yami. The intransitive affix m- is formed by combining -om- with p-. Recall in Volume Three Lesson 5 the transitive verb ipalayo “run with something”. Its intransitive counterpart is malayo “run”.
In this lesson, p- in indicative forms assimilates to m- in subjunctive forms. The inflectional form of the transitive verb i-pamingit (< pa-mingit < mingit) “help pull out” (Example 4) becomes mamingit-an in Example (5).
When the stative verb abo “no, non-existent” is preceded by the negative auxiliary ji to form ji abo “never”, the following clause becomes a nominalized clause. It is introduced by the nominative case marker o, and the verb inside this nominalized clause is prefixed with ka-, as shown in Examples (6)–(7).
Students take the roles of the narrator (N), two children who are trying to catch crabs (A & B), and the old woman (C) who uses her “finger power” to rescue Mateneng. They reenact the events of the lesson as a short skit.
One student plays the role of Mateneng, who narrowly escaped danger. When she returns to school, she tells her teacher and classmates about the frightening incident. Other students act as curious classmates who keep asking questions about what happened.
The following demonstration script can be used by students taking the roles of the narrator (N), two children catching crabs (A & B), and the old woman (C). The Yami lines are preserved, followed by their English translations.
One student plays Mateneng, who survived the accident. Other students ask questions about what happened.
Read the story “My hand is stuck in a hole” from Yami Texts, Reference Grammar, and Dictionary by D. Victoria & Maa-neu Dong (2006), available at: (link to the book) . Based on the original narrative, write a short story of about 200 words retelling the events in your own words. Include the key elements such as: — the two children catching crabs — the hand getting stuck — the rising tide — the arrival of the old woman — how the child is finally rescued
Draw a four-panel (or more) comic strip illustrating the key moments of the story. Add speech bubbles using Yami sentences taken from the lesson or your own version inspired by the dialogues. Be sure to include: — the moment the child puts the hand into the hole — the panic when the hand gets stuck — the old woman's sudden intervention — the final escape and relief