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Animacy in Peewaaliaataweenki:

Animate & Inanimate Concepts

Lesson Overview
Every noun and verb in Peewaaliaataweenki (the Peoria language) belongs to one of two grammatical categories of animacy: Who (animate) or What (inanimate). This lesson introduces the two categories, shows their singular and plural noun endings, and explains why verb forms must match the noun they are used with. It also includes audio, examples, and practice to help you begin hearing and using these patterns.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

  • Explain why Peoria animacy is a grammatical category, not simply a matter of what is alive or not alive
  • Identify Who (animate) and What (inanimate) nouns by their singular and plural endings.
  • Choose the correct verb type to match a noun’s animacy.
  • Use Who (animate) and What (inanimate) nouns correctly in simple sentences.

 

Animacy — Who and What

  • Every noun in Peoria belongs to one of two grammatical categories: Who (animate) or What (inanimate).
  • This is a grammatical category, not a rule about what is alive — some living things are What (inanimate), and some non-living things are Who (animate).
  • Animacy serves an important grammatical function in Peoria. Animate and inanimate are linguistic terms — they do not always fit the rigid English ideas of “animate” and “inanimate,” and they do not always map the same way in Peoria as they do in other languages.
  • The next sections cover each category on its own: Who-words, then What-words.

 

Here are a few Who (animate) and What (inanimate) things outside to help get you started thinking about this topic today. Take a look at the woods or forest outside and begin thinking about them in a Peoria way, not only in an English way.

In Peewaaliaataweenki, ahtawaani ‘tree’ is a What (inanimate). However, kaakipakwa ‘leaf’ is a Who (animate), and kaakipakwaki means ‘leaves.’ Certain tree species themselves are either a Who (animate) or a What (inanimate) depending on the tree species and other Peoria factors.

Also, ašiikiwi ‘earth, soil, dirt, land’ is a What (inanimate), while kiilhswa ‘sun, moon, month, clock’ is a Who (animate). These examples help show right away that animate and inanimate in Peoria do not always fit the finite English definitions.

Table of Contents

Animate — the Who-category

Think of animate as the Who-category — the test is asking Aweena oonaana? “Who is this?”.

Who falls into the Who-category:

  • People and animals are always Who (animate).
  • A noun can also be Who (animate) because of agency (it can act or move on its own), cultural (it is used in ceremony or carries cultural meaning), or relational (it holds a relationship with people — a family member, companion, or relational respect — or a cultural relationship with things like the moon, or certain plants).
  • Specific foods, plants, tree species, plant parts, and body parts are Who too — these are learned individually, word by word.
  • A few other nouns are Who (animate) for a different reason: some words look almost identical to a similar What (inanimate) word, and the ending is what tells them apart.
  • Singular Who (animate) nouns end in -a.
  • A word ending in -a could mean two different things: a singular Who (animate) noun, or a plural What (inanimate) noun. Number — how many you see or are told about — and context tell you which one it is; the sound alone may not be enough.

The verbs paired with Who (animate) nouns are Animate Transitive Verb(s) and Animate Intransitive Verb(s).

 

Singular Who (Animate) Noun Examples

Peewaalia

English

Audio

anikwa

squirrel

pileewa

turkey

mikicia

bald eagle

alemwa

dog

kiilhswa

sun, moon, month, clock

wiihkapimina

pear

In Peewaaliaataweenki, a noun stem is the basic noun form before any singular or plural endings, possessive, or other markers are added to it. Different endings are used on the noun stem depending on whether the noun is a Who (animate) or What (inanimate).

 

A note on Who (animate) noun plurals: The Who noun plurals usually take an -aki ending on the end of the stem of the Who (animate) noun. However, some Who (animate) stems take the plural endings -ooki or -iiki instead, depending on how the stem ends.

Plural Who (Animate) Noun Examples

Peewaalia

English

Audio

anikwaki

squirrels

pileewaki

turkeys

mikiciaki

bald eagles

alemooki

dogs

kiilhsooki

suns, moons, months, clocks

wiihkapiminiiki

pears

Inanimate — the What-category

Think of inanimate as the What-category — the test is asking Keetwi ooniini? “What is this?”.

What falls into the What-category:

  • Most everyday objects, most body parts, earth and most earth features, and everyday happenings or conditions are What (inanimate).
  • Specific foods, plants, tree species, and plant parts are also What (inanimate) — these are learned individually, word by word.
  • A few other nouns are What (inanimate) for a different reason: some words look and sound almost identical to a similar Who (animate) word, and the ending is what tells them apart.
  • Singular What (inanimate) nouns end in -i.
  • In the plural, What (inanimate) nouns change -i to -a. A word ending in -a could therefore be a plural What (inanimate) noun or a singular Who (animate) noun. Number — how many you see or are told about — and context tell you which one it is; the sound alone may not be enough.

The verbs paired with What (inanimate) nouns are Inanimate Transitive Verb(s) and Inanimate Intransitive Verb(s).

 

Singular What (Inanimate) Noun Examples

Peewaalia

English

Audio

minehkwaakani

cup (for drinking)

Noošonke Siipiipwi

Neosho River

koteewi

fire

miincipi

corn

Here, the noun stem is the basic noun form before the What (inanimate) singular or plural endings are added to it.

 

A note on What (inanimate) noun plurals: The What (inanimate) noun plurals take an -a ending on the end of the stem of the What (inanimate) noun — the singular -i ending changes to -a in the plural.

Plural What (Inanimate) Noun Examples

Peewaalia

English

Audio

minehkwaakana

cups

alaakana

dishes

maalhsa

knives

waawinaakana

biscuits, muffins (and similar breads)

Interesting note: On Peewaalia, inanimate intransitive verbs (many of which are used like a noun) take an -ia ending in the plural.

examples: neewikoleeki – fork – singular and neewikoleekia – forks – plural

Peewaalia

English

Audio

neewikoleeki

fork
[ it has four prongs, it has four noses, it is four-pronged/four-nosed]

neewikoleekia

forks
[ they(inanimate) have four prongs, they(inanimate) have four noses, they are four-pronged/four-nosed]

Matching Verbs to Animacy

The verb type you choose depends on the animacy of the noun it pairs with. Pairing a What (inanimate) verb type with a Who (animate) noun — or the reverse — is grammatically incorrect, even if every other word in the sentence is correct.

When you are unsure: If you do not yet know a noun’s animacy, it is okay to begin with the What (inanimate) verb type. Use it as your default until you can confirm whether the noun is Who (animate) or What (inanimate).

 

 

Animate Transitive Verbs (used with Who (animate) nouns in a sentence)

Peewaalia

English

Audio

neewaki

I see him, I see her

pileewa neewaki

I see the turkey

eemwaki

I eat him (animate food)

wiihkapimina eemwaki

I eat the pear, I am eating the pear, I ate the pear

Inanimate Transitive Verbs (used with the What (inanimate) nouns in a sentence)

Peewaalia

English

Audio

neemaani

I see it

siipiiwi neemaani

I see the river, I seen the river

meeciaani

I eat it

miincipi meeciaani

I eat the corn, I am eating the corn, I ate the corn

Notice the pattern: the animate transitive verbs (neewaki, eemwaki) all pair with singular -a nouns (singular Who (animate) nouns), while the inanimate transitive verbs (neemaani, meeciaani) all pair with singular -i nouns (singular What (inanimate) nouns). Practicing these paired sets is the fastest way to internalize the system.

Practice & Play

Peewaalia Animacy Practice

Sort the nouns

Decide whether each word below is likely a Who (animate) noun or a What (inanimate) noun based on its ending, then say what you notice.

  • alemwa
  • siipiiwi
  • amehkwa
  • minehkwaakani
  • wiihkapimina
  • miincipi
  • nipi
  • kiilhswa
  • šoohkwaakana
  • laapinaakani

Build the sentence

Match each noun to the correct verb form (animate transitive or inanimate transitive) and translate the resulting sentence into English.

  • pileewa + (neewaki / neemaani)
  • kociihsa + (eemwaki / meeciaani)
  • siipiiwi + (neewaki / neemaani)
  • wiihkapimina + (eemwaki / meeciaani)
  • kooka + (neewaki / neemaani)
  • miicioni + (eemwaki / meeciaani)
  • minaakani + (neewaki / neemaani)
  • makiinkweemina + (eemwaki / meeciaani)
  • šoohkwaakana + (neewaki / neemaani)
  • waawinaakani + (eemwaki / meeciaani)
  • laapinaakani + (neewaki / neemaani)

Reflect

In your own words, explain why “is it alive?” is not a reliable test for animacy in Peewaaliaataweenki. Give one example of a What (inanimate) noun that might seem “alive” in English, and one Who (animate) noun that might seem “not alive” in English.

Where to Go Next — Animacy doesn’t stop with these example words — it shapes verb conjugation throughout the language, including the animate intransitive and inanimate intransitive verb types not detailed here. For a deeper look at how animacy interacts with the full range of Peoria verb types, continue to the Peewaalia Verb Types page.
(Hint: all nouns in this practice session are singular.)

Keep learning — Choose your next Peewaalia lesson

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Lesson 4

Animals & Birds

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Lesson 6

Drinks, Soups And More

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Lesson 2

Everyday Words