Classificatory Verbs in Muskogee

Abstract

1. A number of American Indian languages are known to have fairly elaborate sets of verbs semantically differentiated as to the form or shape (or some other characteristic) of the entity which serves as subject (intransitive verbs) or as object (transitive verbs). Examples of languages known to have this characteristic are Navaho and Cherokee. Cherokee, for instance, has no single verb corresponding to the English verb to lie; instead, there are several different verbs distinguished as to the nature of the entity referred to by the subject, such as, round object lies, long object lies, flexible object lies, liquid lies, and living being lies. A similar multiplicity exists with a number of transitive verbs, except that with them it is the nature of the entity referred to by the object that gives rise to the distinction. Important transitive verbs of this type are those meaning to give ..., to put... in, to pick up ..., to bring ..., etc. A few sets of Cherokee examples1 taken from my own field notes may be given for